Large Group Chili

Submitted by Chef Captain Kirk

"This is a simple chili recipe, one that I have adapted to fit a large group. I volunteer for my local church and cook to feed newcomers each month. I never know how many people that there will be so I always shoot to feed around 80 people. This is what I make for those cold months. I serve it with crackers, cheese, and chopped onions. So if you need to cook for a large group, or just love chili, then enjoy this one. This chili is made to be good for all so it has just the right amount of spice and flavor without going overboard. Hope you find this a great way to pleas a hungry crowd."

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Yields: 70 8 oz Portions

ingredients

• 12 lbs ground beef
• 4 large onions, Chopped
• 4 medium green peppers, Chopped
• 1 head celery (about 8 Ribs)
• 61 ounces canned kidney beans, Rinsed (4 Cans)
• 56 ounces canned beef broth (4 Cans)
• 106 ounces tomato puree (1 lg Can)
• 64 ounces salsa
• 58 ounces diced tomatoes, Undrained
• 1⁄2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons steak sauce
• 2 tablespoons browning sauce
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup chili powder (4.5oz)
• 1⁄4 cup dried basil
• 8 teaspoons cumin, Ground
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons salt, Coarse ground
• 4 teaspoons pepper, Coarse ground
• 1 large onion, Chopped (topping)
• 40 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (topping)

directions

1. In a large pot put in all of the ground beef.
2. Then fill with water to cover the beef.
3. Bring the beef to a boil then reduce to a simmer. It is best that you stir it when you fist put it on the heat so the ground beef breaks up.
4. Stir occasionally till all of the meat is cooked. It will take about 35 minutes to brown all of the beef.
5. When the ground beef is simmering, chop the onion, green pepper, and celery. Make sure to stir the beef as you go.
6. When meat is done, use a strainer to drain the meat.
7. Leaving the meat to strain, finish chopping the vegetables.
8. Add the vegetables to your chili pot with the vegetable oil. Sweat the vegetables in the oil till they soften.
9. Once the vegetables are softened then add the ground beef. Then mix them together and turn off the heat.
10. Add the rest of the ingredients to the chili pot with the heat off (I do this because I transport it after this step). Mix all the ingredients together and transport the chili pot to the final location.
11. Then put back on heat. Bring it to a slow simmer (mixing occasionally). Let simmer for around 2 hours and serve.

Reviews

[Mikes Butterfly]

I used this recipe for my son's Football Team. It was amazing! The boys went crazy over it. Just enough heat. I did add extra ground beef (16 lbs total) & kidney beans (12 cans total) because it was for a Football Team (after a 2 hour practice) and needed to be extra hearty. Great job Chef Captain Kirk! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Anonymous]

At the moment it is simmering on the stovetop. Instead of canned beef broth I used some of the broth that was created by boiling the ground beef, along with some of the fat. Fat is flavor and is usually used in competitive chili cookoffs. I added a 64 ounce container of spicy V8 juice. It made 30 quarts of chili. It is so good! From now on this will be my go-to chili recipe! Now I won't have to cook for probably a month hahah!

 

[Brian E.]

Great recipe!! I spice it up with jalapenos and fire peppers and cut the recipe in half and freeze it!

 

[Kim W.]

I've been making this chili for several years. I've made it for church, work, family and my motorcycle club. It's always a big hit. Not too spicy, not too mild. I only made one change. My pastor and several other members don't eat beef, so I use ground turkey instead. Great recipe!

 

[Luana E.]

I tripled this one and added different kinds of beans, my mother and I did it from scratch a couple years ago for one of my motorcycle riding clubs fund raisers. Happy to say it was a success, at the end of the day we only had one pot left that was taken home by our club president and frozen for later. When it's cold out I scale it down for the hubby and kids. It's always a go to on a cold winter day. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.