D.C. Half-Smoke with Chili and Mustard
A coarse-ground, half-beef, half-pork smoked sausage split and griddled, then piled into a bun with all-meat chili, yellow mustard, and chopped onions. It's the signature street food of the U Street corridor.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 610 kcal
Equipment
- •Griddle or cast iron skillet
- •Saucepan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- fat
- 40
- carbs
- 34
- protein
- 26
- calories
- 610
Instructions
- 1
Brown the ground beef with minced onion in a saucepan until fully cooked. Break the meat into fine crumbles.
- 2
Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 3
Add the beef broth and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Cook until thick and clinging to the meat, not soupy.
- 4
Slice each half-smoke (spiced smoked sausage) lengthwise. Do not cut all the way through.
- 5
Griddle the half-smokes cut-side down until well browned. Flip and heat through, about 6-8 minutes total.
- 6
Toast the buns lightly on the griddle.
- 7
Place a half-smoke in each bun. Top generously with chili, mustard, and chopped raw onion.
- 8
Serve immediately while the chili is hot and the bun is warm.
Chef's tips
Slice the half-smoke open lengthwise before cooking so the flat side gets a crisp, browned crust.
Storage
Refrigerate chili separately up to 4 days; assemble sandwiches fresh.
Reheating
Reheat chili on the stovetop and grill the half-smoke fresh; do not microwave the sausage.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the sausage instead of cooking it on a griddle, which keeps the skin soft
- •Leaving the chili too runny, because it should be a thick, meaty sauce rather than a soup
Serving suggestions
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