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 By a campfire in the Mexican high-plains dessert, Rick invites us to join him as he searches for the origins of chili con carne. Is it Mexican or Southwestern? The stuff of cowboys or grandmothers? Chili begins with chiles, so Rick takes us from a chile field to a chile stall to his own garden to see how chiles are grown and dried. After a quick detour to examine a collection of fiery folk-art devils, we check out tamales—their filling is, essentially a kind of chili—at a Mexico city tamaleria and meet a Mexican grandmother for a lesson in making a slow-cooked stew that ends up looking quite familiar. Back home in Chicago, Rick and his daughter Lanie compete in a chili cookoff resulting in two sensational chilis—one made with beef and beans, the other with lamb and pasillas. A group of friends gather around the fireplace to enjoy the chilis with Rick and Lanie.
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