Easy Outdoor Chili

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keltin

Washing Up
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
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2,285
Location
Down South in Alabama
There’s a zillion ways to make chili, and a ton of great recipes here at DC. I scanned them all, and it’s hard to pick one! But, in the end, this “recipe” is more about technique with an outdoor DO than it is a “chili recipe”. As such, I cheated......I used a pack of McCormick’s Chili seasoning and went from there. Super easy and tastes good. Plus DW doesn’t like the hot stuff, so I had to cook it mild.

Naturally, you can pick your own chili recipe and do this.....or just do this one since it’s so simple. I like leftovers, so I did a double batch which meant using two packs of the McCormick chili seasoning.


Dutch Oven Chili

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Ground Sirloin (very lean)
3 strips bacon, diced
2 cans crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can light red kidney beans (14.5 oz)
1 can pinto beans (14.5 oz)
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tblsp garlic
2 packs McCormick Chili seasoning

Coals: 20 = 10 on bottom, 10 on top
Dutch Oven: 10”
Cook time: 2 hours

Preparation:

Prep the coals and start with all 20 under the DO for 5-8 minutes. Then, move 10 coals to the top, and allow it to heat another 5 minutes. Next, add the bacon and brown for 2 minutes. Now, add the ground sirloin and stir, then replace the lid. The meat will drop the temp of the DO quickly, and when cooking on coals, it’s hard to truly “brown” the meat as you would on the stove top. So, at this point, put the lid back on the DO, and let it cook for 5 minutes. Since it is ground Sirloin, it is very lean and there will be very little fat, so no need to drain it.

After 5 minutes of cooking, stir the meat and add the onion and garlic. Cover again with the lid and allow to cook another 5-8 minutes. Next, add one pack of the McCormick chili seasoning and stir to incorporate. Return the lid to the DO and allow it to cook another 5-8 minutes.

At this point, the meat should be completely cooked. Now, add the second pack of McCormick's seasoning, the tomatoes, pintos, and kidney beans - liquid included (don’t drain them). Stir well to incorporate all ingredients and cover the DO once more. You’re about 30 minutes into your coals, so you can expect another 35 or so minutes from this first batch. Once those coals are spent, replace with a fresh batch of only 16 coals. You’ll want 8 on bottom and 8 on top. Once the new batch is in place, stir the chili once more, and then let it cook for another hour.

Serve the Chili plain or over rice with toppings of your choices. Good sides are French Fries or Tater Tots, and garlic bread with melted shredded cheese (note – bread and fries can be “baked” on a covered grill). The toppings I used for the chili are as follows.

Topping ideas:

Shredded cheddar cheese, pepperoncini pepper slices, sliced green onions, sour cream.
 
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Oooooo, this sounds like a good one!

I've been wanting to try a new chili recipe, and I think this might be the one. The selling point was the bacon! I've not seen a chili recipe with bacon in it.

Thanks for posting it! :)
 
Oooooo, this sounds like a good one!

I've been wanting to try a new chili recipe, and I think this might be the one. The selling point was the bacon! I've not seen a chili recipe with bacon in it.

Thanks for posting it! :)

Hey Gary, just remember you can sub out the McCormick pack with your own blend of seasonings, and also add peppers for heat. I just used the McCormick packs because it was so easy and has good flavor (basic, standard chili flavor). I was mostly concerned with technique this time around, and it works....and it's easy! Also, look for a good smoked bacon so that you get that hint of smokey flavor!
 
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HOLY crap, this is what my dad is exactly lookin for. We just won a new 17 inch dutch oven and the lid converts to a griddle. My dad wanted a DO chili recipe and looky what i found.
 
HOLY crap, this is what my dad is exactly lookin for. We just won a new 17 inch dutch oven and the lid converts to a griddle. My dad wanted a DO chili recipe and looky what i found.

This recipe was basically about technique with the outdoor DO. So, it’s nothing fancy as far as chili goes (you won’t win a competition with it!), but it tastes really good and is super easy to do. It’s great in a bowl, over rice, on chilidogs, chili-cheese fries, etc. For a little more heat, add some fresh peppers or some ground cayenne powder.

For a 17" DO, you'll need to adjust your coals to 17 on bottom and 17 on top, or 15 on bottom and 19 on top. Either one will be fine. 17" sounds pretty big though. Are you sure it's that big?
 
yeah its a 17-18 inch DO. its oval shaped. Its a deep roaster combo
Cabela's Oval Roaster
its pretty cool.

Wow, that’s quite a piece of equipment! You may have to up the number of coals? I notice it doesn’t have bottom legs? How do you plan to get the coals under the DO? You could use a couple of bricks like this to raise it up.

Oval_DO.JPG

Then again, as a roaster, I wonder if they only mean for you to use top heat? Interesting.
 
lol im not sure yet since its still in its box. just picked it up yesterday. my dad won it somehow and so hopefully this weekend were gonna try some chili. i hope its cold out. i cant eat chili on warm days.
 

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