Making chili when it is still summer hot isn't what most people would do. However, when we go camping, we like to make this chili that we call Campfire Chili because we reheat it over the campfire. Yes, that's right, we make it at home and bring it in containers to the campsite.
Tips for Cooking This Chili
The first tip is to make it at home! This chili tastes even better the second day after the flavors have had a chance to blend together.
Cut your vegetables into a small dice. Not teeny, but small enough that you can reheat it quickly and scoop it with crackers or Frito Lays Scoopables.
Saute the veggies a little bit starting with the hardest vegetables first: carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini, and then the tomatoes. This will give the hardest veggies a little longer cooking time.
How to Make Campfire Chili
Heat oil in a skillet. Use any oil you like, we tend to use butter or olive oil. Add in your vegetables just like I mentioned above and let them cook a bit to soften. Add in all the other ingredients and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes but no more than an hour. Add water or beef broth if the chili gets too thick. Let it cool down for about 15 minutes, then fill your containers. Store it in the refrigerator.
Substitutions
Instead of using the burnt ends, use one pound of ground beef and one-half pound of sausage. We like a mild sausage in our chili.
Use diced chili tomatoes instead of regular canned tomatoes.
The adobo sauce is very spicy so feel free to leave that out if spice isn't your thing. You will not need to replace it with anything.
You can substitute yellow summer squash for the zucchini. We take out all the seeds before we saute it so that it doesn't get mushy.
The Recipe
Campfire Chili
Yield: 8
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Since most of it is made at home, this is an easy meal for the night you set up camp.
Ingredients
- 1 lb burnt ends, shredded
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 medium-sized carrots, sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, seeded and sliced into half moon shapes
- 1 can chili beans, drained
- 3 c beef broth
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 T minced garlic
- 2 T chili powder
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t smoked paprika
- salt, pepper, to taste
- 2 T tomato puree
Instructions
At home...
- Saute the onion and garlic. Add tomato puree and all seasonings.
- Add everything else.
- Simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes up to an hour.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
At Camp...
- Prepare a fire in the firepit and reduce it to hot coals.
- Transfer to a Dutch oven and heat on a grate over the fire.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Serve with cornbread or saltines.
Use leftovers to make chili dogs, walking tacos, or over baked potatoes.
The first cooking time is about 10 minutes and depending on how hot the coals are, the second heating time is about 25 minutes.
There is nothing like a hot bowl of chili on a cold autumn evening! I love this recipe as it is full of wonderful vegetables and spices and it is super easy for me to customize it for our vegan lifestyle just by swamping out the meat for a plant based sausage!
ReplyDeletePerfect Fall Flavors to enjoy around a bonfire.
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