Chili For A Crowd -- The Beans I Carried to the Porch

July 2020. Fourth of July. This is the fourth Fourth of July I have spent with Gloria and James, but this year I am standing on the porch again because the numbers have gone back up and we are being careful again. James came to the screen door and stood there for a while looking at me and I stood on the porch looking at him and neither of us said anything for a moment. He said: next year we will sit outside at the table. I said: yes. He said: I promise. I said: I know. He was making promises he might not fully control. I accepted them anyway because they are the kind of promises you make when you love someone and want to see another Fourth of July with them at the table.

I brought the baked beans, made in my Birmingham apartment, carried to Prattville in a covered dish. Gloria sent me home with deviled eggs and James glazed chicken, which he managed to grill on the small porch this year. He grills in any weather. He grills in any situation. The grill is his declaration.

I ate the Fourth of July meal alone in my apartment that night with the beans and the chicken and the deviled eggs that I saved carefully for the drive back. I set a proper table with a cloth and the ceramic mixing bowls filled with fruit. I put on music. I ate alone and it was a real meal at a real table because you deserve a real meal, sitting down. Gloria said that to me years ago. I still hear it. I always will.

The baked beans I brought to Gloria and James that Fourth of July were a dish I had made so many times it had become a kind of love language — but standing on that porch, a covered dish in my hands and a screen door between us, I understood that the recipe mattered less than the act of making something and carrying it to someone. In the years since, when I want to feel that same intention without the ache of that particular memory, I make this chili. It’s the kind of pot that fills an apartment with the smell of something communal, something crowd-sized, even when you’re setting a table for one with a proper cloth and the good bowls — because Gloria was right: you deserve a real meal, sitting down.

Chili For A Crowd

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
• 1 lb ground pork sausage
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced green onions, pickled jalapeños

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
2. Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and bell peppers to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Bloom the spices. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and black pepper directly to the pot. Stir to coat the meat and vegetables. Cook for 1–2 minutes to bloom the spices.
4. Build the base. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and beef broth. Stir everything together, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the beans. Stir in the kidney beans and pinto beans. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer.
6. Simmer low and slow. Cover partially and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. For a thicker chili, uncover for the last 20 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and cayenne as needed.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, or whatever makes the bowl feel like yours. Set a proper table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 680mg