Dutch Oven Campfire Chili

By Sprig Originals ✓ · with credit

Adapted from campingforfoodies.com

A deep, smoky three-meat chili that simmers away in a Dutch oven over coals until the flavors melt together. It feeds a crowd of hungry campers from one pot, and it only gets better the longer it sits over low heat.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 4 cubes beef bouillon

• 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can hot chili beans in sauce
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup beer (or beef broth)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

• cornbread
• shredded cheddar cheese
• diced onion
• sliced jalapeño peppers
• sour cream

Instructions

1. Before you leave home, stir the chili powder, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika and sugar together in a small bag or jar so it's ready to dump in at camp. Set a 12-inch deep (8-quart) or 14-inch Dutch oven over medium-high heat — a standard 6-quart will hold it, but only just.
2. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the fat starts to render. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until lightly browned all over.
3. Stir in the onion, celery, both bell peppers, the jalapeños and the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the premixed spices along with the bouillon cubes and stir for 1 minute so everything coats the meat.
4. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, the drained kidney beans and the chili beans with their sauce. Stir in the tomato paste until it's fully worked through with no red streaks left, then add the beer, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.
5. Drop the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so and scraping the bottom. If you're cooking on a tripod over coals, raise or lower the pot on its chain to hold a lazy, barely-bubbling simmer. Serve hot with cornbread, cheddar, diced onion, sliced jalapeños and sour cream.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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