Right then, loads of you lovely American folks have been banging on (in a good way!) about this combo for ages – chili with cornbread. As a Brit, I had absolutely no idea what to expect… sponge cake on a stew?! But I gave it a proper go, and, well… the result surprised me.
Is it comfort food heaven, or just culinary chaos? Watch to find out, and let me know what other American classics I should try next.
0:00 – Intro & First Impressions
1:30 – Why I’m Trying Chili & Cornbread
2:59 – Cooking the Chili Begins
6:00 – Making the Cornbread
8:59 – Serving Up the Meal
10:31 – Tasting & Honest Reaction
12:01 – Final Verdict & Wrap-Up
Full method and step-by-step recipe: https://barrylewis.net/recipe/british-guy-tries-classic-american-chili-and-cornbread/
Ingredients:
*American Chili (Serves 4–6)*
– 750g stewing steak, diced small
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 1 large onion, chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 red pepper, diced
– 1 tbsp tomato purée
– 400g tin chopped tomatoes
– 300ml beef stock
– 400g tin kidney beans, drained
– 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
– 1 tsp sugar
– 2 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– ½ tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
– ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
– Salt and black pepper
Optional:
– 1–2 squares dark chocolate (70%+)
– Splash of coffee or beer
– 100g tinned sweetcorn
– 1 tsp cornmeal to thicken
*Classic Cornbread (Makes 8 slices)*
– 170g fine cornmeal (or fine polenta)
– 125g plain flour
– 2 tsp baking powder
– ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
– ½ tsp salt
– 50g sugar
– 240ml buttermilk (or 230ml milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
– 2 medium eggs
– 60g melted butter (plus extra for greasing)
More videos you might like:
Trying to Make Outback Steakhouse Bread from Scratch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UENjlRQQnWk
British Guy Tries Biscuits & Gravy for the First Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbuJIuAhjIQ
Taste the World Playlist (Trying Recipes from Abroad): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfItiEY3o1mvC4nC2U8g8SMyM35Ow2-iC
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38 Comments
Proper comfort food or culinary chaos? What do you reckon — have I done this right? Let me know if you’ve ever had chili and cornbread before (or if I’ve butchered it entirely).
If you liked this, I’ve tried loads of other international dishes too – check out the full Taste the World playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfItiEY3o1mvC4nC2U8g8SMyM35Ow2-iC
Cheers!
Although putting sour cream and onions on your chili is common, putting it on the cornbread is nuts. It's like putting the slice of cheese for a cheeseburger on top of the bun.
Leave the eggshell for crunchy cornbread.
Secret to next level cornbread is to use a pie tin, put some butter in and pop it into the oven. When it starts to brown, pull it out and pour the batter in and back into the oven. When it's finished the bottom caramelizes and it's exceptional.
Your cornbread looks dry. Needs more buttermilk. Polenta and grits are interchangeable.
Perfect… you are a welcoming consistency .. just perfect ❤
Sorry, but that chili hasn’t been seasoned. I mean, the name of the dish is chili, and there is a homeopathic amount of chili of the wrong varieties in there. But that’s how a lot of folks chili is in the states as well. I don’t do beans, but they are fine. Definitely would have added about 5-10 times the amount of dried chilies. But yeah, glad you liked the classic combo.
Arkaansaas!! I'm laughing my American a$$ off! 😅
Traditional chili and corn bread is making a chili pie by baking the corn bread on top of the chili.
In Hawaii, we often add macaroni salad to our chili. The main components of Hawaiian "mac" salad are elbow macaroni and mayo. Try a dollop of mayo in your chili. You'll thank me later. 🤙🏼🤣
I dont care for cornbread too much. Im like you. it's a bit sweet for me naturally from the corn. It's like not quite savory enough for bread and not sweet enough for cake. Great video!
Lmao as someone from Arr-can-saw (Arkansas) this looks delicious. But I’ve never put cinnamon or chocolate in it!
Break the corn bread into little bits on top of your chili. I find it funny that you think of cornbread like cake. As an American I put it with our biscuits (which are not cookies). Also sugar amounts vary by recipe there are super sweet cornbreads and more savory cornbreads.
Chili needs chili powder.
Frying pan is a very commonly used word here in the South USA. I don't know where you visited here but obviously not the South East. I'm in North Carolina.
Btw we don't usually put sugar in our southern cornbread
no one will likely come for the way you make chili, but definitely the way you are pronouncing Arkansas…LOL
i made this tonight, missed out the cayenne as don't have it and no chocolate as none of that either. It was delicious, had mine with rice, grated cheese over and sour cream & chives, no cornbread as I didn't have any of the ingredients for it. Cooked it for 2 and a half hours and used the diced beef instead of minced beef, game changer.
ancho chilli for the seasoning not ceyenne. and try adding a can of drained whole kernel corn to the corn bread before you put it in the baking pan. it makes a big difference in the taste and texture of the cornbread.
Yummy
5:09 HHAHAHAHA LAUGHING SO MUCH
I think your buttermilk is much thicker than American buttermilk. Cornbread batter should be thinner. One of my favorites growing up was chili cornbread casserole, place leftover chili in a casserole dish, and pour cornbread batter on top then sprinkle with cheese and bake, yummy
Most people make cornbread without sweetener. Both are good, but I prefer unsweet.
You probably had instant grits-real grits are amazing with paprika and gruyère.
Two suggestions: American chili powder typically has a noticeable amount of ground cumin in it. Also, "skillet" in this case is probably specifically a cast iron skillet. I usually preheat mine with the oven and throw some butter in just before adding the cornbread batter
A lefty with his watch on his left hand?
You must try to make Canadian POUTINE
"Frying pan" is very widely used in America. To my knowledge "Skillet" is mostly used in places like Oklahoma and Texas. In old Western movies they often show the trail cook using wha's referred to as a skillet.
you cooked to little, i dont know of anyone who cooks chili that cant feed an army
Checking in from Oklahoma! Yes, the bean debate is VERY real! lol
Outside of Texas it’s not a big deal. In these parts, we originally used beans in the depression era to stretch the recipe, but ‘everything’s bigger in Texas’ as the saying goes~
My only comment would be the cornbread is typically way more savory, no sugar in sight. I make jalapeño cheese cornbread to go with mine.
#1 tip is to braise it in the oven rather than stovetop simmering. Very easy to scorch in the time it takes to properly meld everything. Overall, great execution! Thanks for giving it a go🫶
No sugar in cornbread!!!
Cast iron skillet
The way I typically make mine is with kidney pinto and turtle beans corn red onion and a ground meat or substitute (spouse is vegetarian) I would do tomatoes but not really my thing at least the canned ones anyway
Chili and grilled cheese is a little better.
I usually crumble the cornbread on to. I didn't realize it had that much sugar in it, but we do tend to put loads of sugar in everything. 😅
chili in the fall as the weather turns is one of lifes simple pleasures here in the midwest
I have never heard of this combination. I grew up in the SE of the US and we never had cornbread with our chili. The USA is a big country, maybe that happens somewhere but it's not normal where I live.
The cornbread I grew up with was not a sweet cake. It was just cornmeal with flour cooked into a bread, not sweet at all.
For practical purposes, grits = polenta.