Easy Chili (Outdoor DO)

Keltin

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For anyone reading that isn't familiar, in the title, DO stands for Dutch Oven. This is a special DO designed to be used outdoors with charcoal.

There’s a zillion ways to make chili, and tons of great recipes to be explored! 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 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.
 

FooD

New member
Sounds good!
All I need is an outdoor DO. Never owned a DO before.
What's a good starter size? 10"/4 quart or 12"/6 quart?
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Sounds good!
All I need is an outdoor DO. Never owned a DO before.
What's a good starter size? 10"/4 quart or 12"/6 quart?

How many people are you cooking for? A 10 is excellent for 2 - 4 people.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I revisited this recipe tonight for IC 35: Battle Chili. Since this recipe didn’t have any pictures, and I love working with the outdoor DO, I simply had to update this recipe with pictures. So here they are.

Note: This time around I used stewed tomatoes meaning they were nearly whole and not diced or crushed. So I ran them through the food processor with a little garlic and a splash of Burgundy wine for some extra flavor. Turned out really nice. Oh, and I prefer my chili served over rice, so you'll see a little rice in the pics.

Heat your DO up with your coals. Allow to heat for 15 minutes.

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Add your ground meat and then cover with lid to brown the meat.

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Mix all of your ingredients up in one bowl to make it easier to take to the DO and add it all at once. This is actually a great time saver and easy packing trick if you want to do this while camping. Simply get a large 1/2 gallon container with lid, add all of the mixed ingredients except the ground beef, and you’re good to go. At the camp site, brown the meat then pour in your ingredients. Simple.

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Add the ingredients to your browned meat and stir well.

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Cook for another hour to 1.5 hours and then serve.

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Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Oh, BTW, for tonight's cook, the temp outside was 26F. Now THAT is a true testiment on how well these Cast Iron DOs perform! Heck, once I brought the DO in, it was giving off so much heat, it was comfortable to stand around it and warm your hands. Awesome piece of cookery.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Note: Adding pics here since this recipe was used, and those pics don't live anywhere else but the IC thread.

Here's something to do with that leftover Chili - Chili Cheese Dogs with Onions & Kraut

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