Five Alarm Canned Chili
Four cans, a bottle of BBQ sauce, and enough chili powder to make it a problem.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 13 oz
- cal / oz
- 33
- protein
- 21 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Canned chili | 2 cans (15 oz each) | whatever brand you actually like; beef or vegetarian |
|---|---|---|
| Canned corn | 1 can (15 oz) | drained |
| Canned kidney beans | 1 can (15 oz) | drained |
| Canned pinto beans | 1 can (15 oz) | black beans work the same |
| BBQ sauce | 1/4 cup | |
| Chili powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Cayenne or hot sauce | to taste | optional, this is where the alarms come from |
Method
- Open the two cans of chili and empty them into a large pot.
- Drain the corn and both cans of beans. Add them to the pot.
- Stir in the BBQ sauce and chili powder. Add cayenne now if you want it hot.
- Set the pot over the fire or on a stove at medium heat. Stir every couple of minutes so the bottom does not scorch.
- Once it comes to a simmer, hold it there for five minutes and serve.
This is a canned-goods dinner, which means it is heavy and it is meant for a car, a basecamp, or a canoe. Nothing here gets rehydrated. The whole recipe is a heating job, so the only real risk is scorching the bottom of the pot over a fire that is hotter than you think.
The canned chili is the base and the extra beans and corn are the stretch: two cans feed three people, four cans feed six. BBQ sauce is doing more than sweetening. It adds smoke and acid that canned chili is short on, and it thins the mix just enough to stir. Add the heat in stages and taste as you go, because you cannot take it back out.
Packing
Cans travel fine in a hard-sided box or a boat dry bag. Decant the BBQ sauce into a small squeeze bottle and premix the chili powder and cayenne in a film canister so you are not carrying two spice jars.
Variations
- Stir in a foil pouch of shredded beef or chicken if you want the protein higher.
- Crushed corn chips on top add crunch and fat.
- Swap the BBQ sauce for a spoon of molasses and a squeeze of mustard if that is what you have.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/5_alarm_chili-190.asp