On a chilly fall or winter (or even early spring) campout, there might not be a better meal than steaming hot bowl chilli. It's warmth instantly stokes your body's core temp. Flavorful, filing, and perhaps spicy, it is an easy one pot meal that is very satisfying. There are endless varieties of chilli, the most common being beef and veggie. But, a quick internet search will bring up dozens if not hundreds of variations. One of the most basic questions is meat or bean. I tend to like both in my chilli and often opt for ground turkey instead of ground beef. Turkey is a healthier option that is just as flavorful and enjoyable. My recipe for turkey or veggie chilli is a combination of various recipes I have seen. Below are links to some of my favorites that you can try. Do not forget to bring a can opener to the campout (or make sure the one in your patrol box works).
Adapting the recipes for campout Dutch Oven cooking:
If possible, dice up the fresh ingredients (garlic, onions, peppers) ahead of time at home
Cook the fresh ingredients in the Dutch Oven (or a cast iron skillet) on a camp stove
Once the fresh ingredients have softened a bit, add the spices, canned ingredients, and broth
For the spices, measure out all of the dry spices ahead of the campout at home and store in a small container
If cooking with ground beef or turkey, cook those ahead of time in a cast iron skillet
If using coals, prep the coals using a Chimney starter as usual, with about 10-12 coals below and 6-8 coals above the Dutch Oven. With coals, given the long cook time, you will need to prep several batches. Coals will last about 20-30min so be sure to start your following batches about 10-15min after the prior batch
You can also cook over a fire, either on a grate or on a tripod (see picture). See your friendly Grubmaster
Turkey Chilli Recipes:
The following two recipes are similar. I tend to do 1 15oz can each of black and red kidney beans. I also add a Jalopeno pepper (remove the seeds for less heat) and frozen corn. For beef chilli, simply use ground beef instead of ground turkey, but similarly prepare ahead in a cast iron skillet.
Veggie Chilli:
To make a vegetarian chilli, eliminate the ground turkey or beef from above recipe. Instead, you will use one 28oz can of red kidney beans and one 28oz can of black beans. Be sure to use red peppers and corn. Feel free to use other veggies such as sweet potatoes or squash but they should be par cooked (partially cooked, can be done in a microwave ahead of the campout).
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