Big-batch chili

Ingredients

Chili

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 lb ground beef (85/15)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 3 cans (15 oz each) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Toppings bar

• 3 cups shredded cheddar
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 jar (12 oz) pickled jalapeño slices
• 1 large bag corn chips
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers
• Hot sauce

Serve

• 16 bowls, spoons and napkins

Steps

At home, the day before

1. Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high. Brown the beef in 2 batches, breaking it up, until no pink is left and it reads 160°F, about 8 minutes a batch. Spoon off most of the fat.
2. Add the onions and bell peppers to the beef and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute.
3. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, so the spices toast.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, both beans, broth, salt and brown sugar. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a low simmer, partly covered, for 1½ hours. Stir every 15 minutes and scrape the bottom so nothing scorches. Add a splash of broth if it gets too thick.
5. Taste and adjust the salt. Cool it fast: split it into shallow containers 2 inches deep or less and refrigerate. It keeps 3 to 4 days.

Homegating, game day

6. Put the chili back in the pot with a splash of water and reheat it over medium-low, stirring often, until it reads 165°F. Move it to a slow cooker on warm or low to hold it at 140°F or above.
7. Set up the toppings bar: cheddar, sour cream and green onions in bowls on a tray of ice, with the red onion, jalapeños, corn chips, crackers and hot sauce next to them.

At the lot instead

8. Reheat the chili at home to 165°F, then carry it hot in a slow cooker with the lid clipped or in insulated food jugs. If it's cooled below 140°F by the time you serve, bring it back to 165°F in the pot on a camp stove or the grill.