Kevin Malone’s (The Office) Famous Chili

Valerie Trevino | June 28, 2020

For a hearty lunch, there’s no one else to turn to except for The Office’s dim-witted, lovable accountant with his multi-generational and messy pot of chili. After all, it’s the thing he does best! Season 5, Episode 26 of the beloved series begins with Kevin Malone boasting about his skills in the kitchen with his humongous pot of famous chili, which would probably be best served NOT on the carpet of an industrial office building. Kevin talks about dicing whole tomatoes and pressing garlic the night before, but it’ll be worth it when it becomes the thing you do best. It’ll be enough to feed the whole office, but make sure the elevator is working first!

INGREDIENTS-

• 3 oz ancho chiles, seeded and torn into 1″ pieces
• 1 oz cascabel chiles, seeded and torn into 1″ pieces
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp freshly-ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 32 oz carton of chicken stock, divided
• 2 jalapeños, minced
• 1/2 habanero, seeded and minced
• 6 roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 lbs chuck steak, trimmed of fat/gristle, cut into cubes and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 12 oz light lager
• 6 oz red kidney beans, soaked until tender
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS-

• In a large sauté pan, heat dried chile pieces over medium-low heat until toasted and *barely* smoking – do not allow to smoke.  Once toasted, place in the bowl of a food processor.  Process for 2-3 minutes, until peppers are reduced to a fine powder.  Add cocoa, corn flour, cumin, and oregano – pulse to combine.  While machine runs, add 3/4 cup of chicken stock, until a paste is formed.  Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot until near-smoking.  In batches, brown beef on all sides, being careful not to over-crowd the pot.  Once all beef has browned, and fond has formed on the bottom of the pot, add remaining oil, and sauté onions and peppers until sweating.  Deglaze with beer, and scrape the bottom of the pot.  Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and place in a 300F oven, lid slightly ajar.  Stir occasionally to prevent scorching, and braise for 2-3 hours, until beef is tender.  Season with salt and pepper, and serve with cheese and cornbread.

Image from The Office Season 5, Episode 26- Netflix