Instead of simmering ground beef for a long time, Chef Chris went a different route: His chili uses chopped grilled steak for delicious charbroiled flavor.

Nebraska Scarlet Chili

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill with greased grill rack for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crispy and browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, peppers, vinegar, paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine hominy and olive oil and toss to coat. Place hominy on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make Green Chile Corn Cakes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin pan. In a mixing bowl, corn meal mix, flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs; creamed corn, and corn oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in green onions, Cheddar cheese, and diced green chiles. Pour batter into muffin pan and bake about 15 minutes or until tops of cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.

Remove chili from heat; add hominy and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season steak with salt and pepper.  Grill steaks 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, for medium-rare (145 degrees) or 12 to 15 minutes for medium (160 degrees). Remove steaks from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steaks into 1/2-inch pieces.

To serve, add chili to bowls and top with steak and cheese. Serve with Green Chile Corn Cakes.