While sifting through archives of celebrity interviews, I stumbled on something unexpected: a chili recipe from the legendary Miles Davis.
His records once overflowed from crates in my grandmother’s home, scoring the weekends I spent with her as a child. We’d stew greens and barbecue chicken on Sundays while “So What” and “Autumn Leaves” played in the background. Back then, it never occurred to me that this jazz legend also harbored a deep love for cooking.
“I just loved good food and hated going out to restaurants all the time, so I taught myself how to cook by reading books and practicing, just like you do on an instrument,” Davis wrote in “Miles: The Autobiography.”
In an interview with Best Life, Davis’ wife Frances shared that his beloved “chili mac,” was inspired by a meal he once had at a soul food spot on Chicago’s South Side. Cooks in that region typically begin their chili with a rich base of rendered beef fat and serve it “tavern style” alongside oyster crackers.
So when a brisk afternoon called for something cozy and a gentle ode to my grandmother, I pulled out Davis’ chili recipe, put on his greatest hits, and started to stew. Here’s how it all came together.
How To Make Miles Davis’ Chili
Ashia Aubourg/Allrecipes
“I could cook most of the great French dishes—because I really liked French cooking—and all the Black American dishes,” said Davis. “But my favorite was a chili dish that I called Miles’ South Side Chicago Chili Mack.”
Davis’ chili delivers comfort in every bite, packed with layers of savory and subtly sweet flavors. While testing the recipe, I noticed how Davis reimagined the classic chili experience. Instead of pairing it with cornbread, tortilla chips, or standard toppings like cheddar and sour cream, he served his over spaghetti, with “grated cheese and oyster crackers.”
Similarly, Davis’ recipe leans on sautéed onions, rendered beef fat, and broth with a mix of spicy and aromatic seasonings to build the base rather than tomatoes. The result lands somewhere between a rich bolognese and a deeply savory stew.
Miles Davis
“I could cook most of the great French dishes—because I really liked French cooking—and all the Black American dishes. But my favorite was a chili dish that I called Miles’ South Side Chicago Chili Mack.”
— Miles Davis
To make the dish, I followed Davis’ instructions closely. First, I melted a 1/4 pound of suet (or beef fat) in a large pot. Once the fat reached about an inch deep, I removed the remaining solids. In the same pot, I sautéed 1 large onion until soft.
In a separate bowl, I combined 1 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground veal, and 1/2 pound of ground pork. Then, to the same bowl, I added 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, plus a dash of salt and pepper. In another bowl, I seasoned the two (15.5-ounce) cans of kidney beans with salt and pepper before setting them aside.
I then added the meat mixture to the pot and cooked it until browned. Once it developed color, I stirred in the seasoned kidney beans, a (10.5-ounce) can of beef consommé, and a splash of red wine vinegar. After that, I let the chili simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more seasoning to taste or consommé if the liquid had evaporated too much during the simmering process.
When the chili finished cooking, I boiled spaghetti and added about a cup of it per bowl. I ladled a few scoops of the chili onto the buttery pasta and topped it with a generous amount of grated Parmesan. For the final touch, I served this dish with oyster crackers, which provided the right amount of crunch and touch of salt, and washed it down with a cold Heineken—my family’s brew of choice and just as Davis intended—making the experience feel serendipitously familiar.
How to Make Miles Davis’ Chili Your Own
In true Davis style, I plan to continue to make this recipe with a few riffs of my own. For added heat, I’ll sauté jalapeños, serranos, or fresnos with the onions. Plus, I’ll swap the kidney beans for black, cannellini, or pinto beans to bring more color and variety to the hearty dish. And for a pasta twist, I can easily see macaroni, mezze rigatoni, or fusilli standing in for the spaghetti. As for the cheese finisher, grated aged Gouda, Asiago, or sharp cheddar could offer their own bold counterpoints.
No matter how you improvise, Davis’ chili holds its own. Just a few bites stirred up nostalgia, warmth, and the kind of creative energy that makes you want to return to the kitchen (and his renowned jazzy classics), again and again.
Dining and Cooking