Brian Baumgartner is leaning into his “chili guy” identity that formed as a result of the iconic scene in NBC’s “The Office” where his character, Kevin Malone, spills a full vat of the stuff all over the office floor.
In his “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World Recipes,” out now, Baumgartner shares recipes from chili cook off-winners, chefs and restaurant owners.
While he hasn’t tried every recipe included in the cookbook, he has tried many — and shared his own formula dubbed “Brian’s Seriously Good Chili Recipe” in the cookbook.
Regardless of what recipe you test out, Baumgartner has a couple chili-making secrets he shares with USA TODAY.
More:Brian Baumgartner, aka Kevin from ‘The Office’, spills real-life love for chili in cookbook
There’s a line, in “The Office” chili episode “Casual Friday”, Baumgartner says, that advises not to overcook onions while making chili: “The trick is to undercook the onions,” Kevin says in the episode. “Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot.”
“I actually think that it’s true,” Baumgartner says. “There are certainly other dishes that I caramelize the onions, that gives them a distinct and specific flavor that I don’t think is good for chili. So just lightly sauté them make them translucent.”
He thinks that may be a key to good chili. Another is making chili while browning the meat — that’s when you should put in your tomato paste.
“I think that that acts as a combining agent and mellows everything out together at the same time,” he explains.
Fox Chapel Publishing, publisher of Baumgartner’s cookbook, shared an excerpt from “Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World” including his recipe.
‘Brian’s Seriously Good Chili Recipe’
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Makes: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or cooking oil)
- 1 large yellow onion (or 1 cup shallots), chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef), undrained
- One 6-ounce can tomato paste
- One 24-ounce can diced tomatoes
- One 16-ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ cup water (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 4 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- One 16-ounce can Bush’s Pinto Beans in a Mild Chili Sauce, undrained
- One 16-ounce can Bush’s Kidney Beans in a Mild Chili Sauce, undrained
- Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese
Good-to-Know Info
Have fun with your garnishes! Sour cream and shredded cheese are classic options, but you can change it up with pickled jalapenos, avocado mash, or crumbled tortilla chips. Just make sure what you choose complements your chili.
