Recipe: Church Social or fundraiser Basic Hamburger Chili (serves 80, repost)

CHURCH SOCIAL OR FUNDRAISER BASIC HAMBURGER CHILI
Yields 6 gallons, just under 100 cups. Feeds about 80 people.
1 1/2 recipe fills 2 18-quart Nesco Roasting Ovens. Add an oven full of rice and feed the multitudes!

Quick. Cheap. It has beans. *(You'll have to omit the beans and make up the difference with meat or other ingredients, but I thought this would give you some idea as to quantities of ingredients since the recipe makes 6 gallons.) It has tomatoes. Some people will be at the upper edge of their spice limit and others add LOTS of hot sauce. Even small children will eat it. And there will be hardly any left when everyone's done. It freezes pretty well- milder when thawed and reheated. Remember to pour into shallow pans (2" or less) to cool quickly.

BASIC RECIPE:
6 pounds dried pinto beans *(See above)
3 tablespoons salt
20 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 quarts canned peeled and diced tomatoes in juice
2 quarts tomato paste
1 1/3 cups chili powder I recommend Gebhardt's
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
water, beef broth, beer*, and/or coffee if extra liquid is needed- depends on cooking method

ADDITIONS AND VARIATIONS:
* Use kidney, navy or black beans, add 60-80 ounces frozen corn niblets wth the tomatoes.
* Increase onions to 4 pounds and garlic to 2 heads. Add 40 ounces chopped bell pepper.
* Prepare fresh chili peppers to taste and saute with the onions, etc.
* Substitute 13 pounds fresh pork sausage for 1/2 the ground beef. Drain some of the fat before adding to the beans- the sausage has way more fat.
* Substitute 13 pounds diced top sirloin for half the ground beef. Brown with the burger.
* Add additional spices: 1/4 cup dried oregano, 2-4 tablespoons crushed or ground red/cayenne pepper PLUS 1/4 cup paprika, 2 tablespoons ground coriander
* You can make a vegetarian chili by substituting soyburger.

PREPARATION:
Bean prep: Wash and sort pinto beans. Bring 3 gallons of water to boil in a 6 gallon pot. Pour in beans, return to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Stir in salt and simmer until tender, 90 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, brown beef with onions and garlic over medium high heat or brown in oven at 350 degrees until pink is gone, up to 1 hour. Combine, chili powder, cumin, pepper Add to meat mixture, tomatoes, tomato paste and cooked beans in 6 gallon pot; stir; cover.

Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add liquid to ontain desired consistency- amount varies by cooking method and beans. May also be cooked covered in the oven or in Nesco roasting ovens, which are basically 18 quart crock pots, for about 3-4 hours at 300-325. In the oven, uncover for the last half hour.

Serve over rice or Midwestern style over spaghetti, or in a bowl with corn tortillas, saltines or cornbread on the side. Toppings include crumbled cheese, chopped raw onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce.

From: Jackie/MA 4-30-2005
Board: Quantity Cooking at Recipelink.com
Msg ID: 04988

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Hi Kathy,

The first recipe uses pinto beans and ground beef and serves 100. I hope that it's a help,

Betsy