Prize-winning chili for a crowd

Need to make a huge batch of chili for a church gathering or a family reunion this summer?  I found this recipe on GenXFinance.com and tweaked the recipe to serve to 80 people at our church camp last year.   If you’re not sure this is enough to feed your large group, spend a few extra bucks and buy a few extra cans of tomatoes and a few more pounds of hamburger to boost the volume just before serving if needed. Scroll down to see the recipe  scaled down to serve just 20.  This chili recipe has lots of meat and is very hearty.  People gave it good reviews at camp last summer.

CHILI FOR EIGHTY

Makes 6 gallons of chili which should serve about 80 people.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 lb crushed tomatoes
• 8 lb Brooks Chili Beans
• 4 Green Bell Peppers
• 2 Poblano Peppers
• 20 cloves Garlic
• 4 large sweet onions
• 5 lb zesty hot sausage
• 5 lb ground beef
• 10 lb Round Steak
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce
• Liquid Smoke
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cayenne Pepper
• Ground Coriander
• 2 T. Salt
• 2 t. Pepper
• Cumin

PREPARATION

Chop peppers and onions into relatively small and manageable pieces. Mince garlic. Throw everything into a HUGE bowl. Chop the steak into about half inch cubes. Take the roll of sausage and break it up into pieces with your fingers adding it into the bowl as you go. Do the same with the ground beef.  To the meat, onion, and pepper mixture, add 2 T. kosher salt, and 2 t. pepper.  Then add ½ cup Worcestershire and 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke.  Thoroughly mix everything together. Cover the bowl, and put in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and overnight if possible.

In a huge skillet brown the meat in at least 6-8 batches.  Each batch will take 7-10 minutes.  Don’t cook so long that the liquid all boils away.  Put browned meat into two large 18-quart roaster ovens.  Add beans and crushed tomatoes evenly to both roasters.

Now it’s time for the seasoning. Start with about 3/4 cup mild chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce, and 2 tablespoons of both cumin and coriander, dividing the spices appropriately between the two pots. (If you’d like, you can cook cumin and coriander in a bit of oil first to smooth and mellow their flavor.)   Top it off with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Give it a good stir and see how it tastes. It should be pretty mild at this point.  After adding the first round of spices, add a little more of each, with the chili powder being the primary ingredient, and add just small amounts of the others. Keep doing this until the taste and amount of heat is right for you. Then simmer 2-4 hours.  This long and slow cooking process really gives the meat a chance to become very tender, and all of the flavors and spices to come together.

Serve with corn chips (the kind you can use as scoops) or serve over rice, potatoes or pasta.  Freezes and reheats beautifully, though spices will mellow after freezing.  Be sure to serve with extra Tabasco for folks who like their chili on the spicy side of life.

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Chili for Twenty

• 3 lb crushed tomatoes
• 2 lb Brooks Chili Beans
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Poblano Pepper
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 lb zesty hot sausage
• 2 lb ground beef
• 3 lb Round Steak
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce
• Liquid Smoke
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cayenne Pepper
• Ground Coriander
• 2 t. Salt
• 1/2  t. black pepper
• Cumin

Dice peppers and onions. Mince garlic. Throw everything into a big bowl. Chop the steak into about half inch cubes. Take the roll of sausage and break it up into pieces with your fingers adding it into the bowl as you go. Do the same with the ground beef.  To the meat, onion, and pepper mixture, add 2 t. kosher salt, and 1/2 t. pepper.  Then add 2 tablespoons Worcestershire and 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke.  Thoroughly mix everything together. Cover the bowl, and put in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and overnight if possible.

In a huge skillet brown the meat in batches.  Each batch will take 7-10 minutes.  Don’t cook so long that the liquid all boils away.  Put browned meat into a large crock pot.  Add beans and crushed tomatoes.

Now it’s time for the seasoning. Start with about 3 tablespoons mild chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce, and 2 teaspoons of both cumin and coriander. (If you’d like, you can cook cumin and coriander in a bit of oil first to smooth and mellow their flavor.)   Top it off with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Give it a good stir and see how it tastes. It should be pretty mild at this point.  After adding the first round of spices, add a little more of each, with the chili powder being the primary ingredient, and add just small amounts of the others. Keep doing this until the taste and amount of heat is right for you. Then simmer 2-4 hours.  This long and slow cooking process really gives the meat a chance to become very tender, and all of the flavors and spices to come together.

Serve with corn chips (the kind you can use as scoops) or serve over rice, potatoes or pasta.  Freezes and reheats beautifully, though spices will mellow after freezing.  Be sure to serve with extra Tabasco for folks who like their chili on the spicy side of life.

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For more recipes, be sure to check out my blog post listing 91 Family-Friendly Recipes or my cookbook Family Feasts for $75 a Week