Midwest Chili

Contributed By: Adventures in Freeze Drying

This recipe makes about 20 cups

Directions:

1. In a separate pan, cook the chopped onion in a small amount of chicken broth over medium heat. This prevents the onion from absorbing excess grease from the hamburger. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then set aside.
2. In a large stockpot, add the ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Cook over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spatula, until the meat is fully browned.
3. Carefully drain the excess grease from the cooked hamburger. Rinse the meat thoroughly with hot or boiling water to remove as much fat as possible.
4. Return the drained beef to the stockpot (or transfer to a crockpot). Add the sautéed onion along with all remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine.
5. Cook over low heat for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to meld. If using a crockpot, set it to low and let it cook for the same duration.
6. Add parchment paper to your trays.
7. Pour the chili onto the trays.  Place dividers using 10 portions per tray - I used 4 trays.
   
8. Pre-freeze when possible.
9. Freeze dry (my cycle time was 44 hours)
10. Store in jars for short-term use or in mylar bags for long-term storage.

Rehydration:

3 of the 1/10th portions or about 1 ½ cups makes 1 serving (about 1 ½ cups) of chili.  In a bowl, combine each 1/10th portion with about ½ C of boiling water.  Stir , cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Check for consistency, especially the beans, and add more hot water if needed.

Notes:

This is a pretty mild chili so if you like it hot, add what you like.  You can add some freeze dried cheese or cream cheese (yep) to this as well to make it nice and creamy!

Nutritional Value Per 1 serving

Calories: 188   Protein: 12 g   Fat: 14 g   Carbohydrates: 2 g   Sugar: 1 g   Fiber: 1 g

Cycle times & rehydration for reference only. Your results may vary.