Chili was slow food long before anybody sold a slow cooker. The crock just lets the cook leave the room while tough meat softens, beans take on the sauce and dried spices lose their raw edge. These 29 pots cover the familiar beef-and-bean bowl, white chicken chili, chile verde and a long run of less predictable dinners built from chorizo, ham, lentils, sweet potatoes and roasted peppers. Most can be assembled with cans and a cutting board, and several are written specifically for freezer bags or a game-day crowd. Browning meat still matters when a recipe calls for it; six hours on low cannot create the flavor of a hot skillet. A good finished batch should mound on a spoon for a beat, then settle back into the bowl without looking like soup or paste.
Crockpot Game Day Chili with Three Bean Blend and Bell Peppers
Recipe by Tori Hammontree
To the side, dice both bell pepper and onions. Cut them to your liking and your size preference.
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Freezer-Bag Classic Beef and Bean Chili
This is the dependable red chili to stock before a busy week: fine beef crumbles, two kinds of beans and enough tomato to stay saucy through a long cook. Brown and cool the beef before it goes in the freezer bag. That one skillet step keeps grease and gray meat out of the crock.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain the excess fat, stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin for 30 seconds, and let the mixture cool completely.
- Freeze the beef mixture with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and salt in a labeled freezer bag for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Empty the thawed mixture into a 6-quart crockpot, stir in the broth, and cook covered on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Stir firmly around the edges and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes if the chili does not mound briefly on a spoon.
Game-Day Three-Meat Chili
Beef, sausage and bacon make this the heavy pot you set beside a stack of bowls and stop worrying about. It serves twelve without becoming a thin vat of tomato broth. Use hot sausage if the room likes heat; the base recipe lands squarely at medium.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes until browned but still pliable, then transfer it to a 7-quart crockpot.
- Brown the beef, sausage and onion in the bacon drippings for 10 to 12 minutes, breaking both meats into small crumbles, until they reach 160°F.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat and stir the garlic, chili powder and cumin into the skillet for 1 minute.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the crockpot and stir in the tomatoes, beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the chili is thick and the beans are tender, then stir well before setting the cooker to warm.
Chuckwagon Beef and Pinto Chili
Big cubes of chuck and pintos make a rough-edged, spoon-standing chili without pretending to be Texas red. The beef needs a hard sear before the slow cooker takes over. Masa goes in near the end, when you can see how much thickening the pot actually needs.
Ingredients
Method
- Season chuck with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; blot dry with paper towels.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef in 3 batches, about 5 minutes each, leaving gaps between cubes.
- Cook onion in same skillet 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ancho powder, and cumin 30 seconds.
- Transfer everything to a 6-quart crockpot. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, and remaining salt. Cover; cook on low 7 to 8 hours until beef is fork-tender and at least 145°F.
- Whisk masa harina and warm water; stir into chili. Cook uncovered on high 30 minutes until broth coats beef.
Smoky Bacon and Black-Eyed Pea Chili
Black-eyed peas are softer and earthier than the usual kidney beans, and they catch the smoke from bacon without disappearing. This chili comes out brick red, not black, because smoked paprika does the work instead of a heavy pour of barbecue sauce. Drain the bacon well or the top will look oily after six hours.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Transfer to paper towels; pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
- Add beef and onion; cook 8 minutes, breaking up beef, until it reaches 160°F.
- Stir in garlic, chili powder, and paprika 30 seconds. Transfer mixture and bacon to a 6-quart crockpot.
- Add tomatoes, black-eyed peas, broth, and salt. Cover; cook on low 6 hours until peas are tender and liquid reduces.
- Stir in vinegar; rest uncovered 10 minutes, then skim fat if needed.
Sloppy Joe Crockpot Chili
This one sits halfway between a bowl of chili and the loose-meat sandwich filling from a lunch counter. Mustard and a little brown sugar make the connection, but it stays savory enough to eat with a spoon. Keep the bell pepper in small dice so it melts into the beef instead of floating in limp strips.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat 9 to 10 minutes, crumbling beef, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain fat; cook garlic and chili powder with beef 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 5 to 6 hours until peppers are very soft and sauce clings to crumbles.
- Stir thoroughly. If chili runs off a spoon, cook uncovered on high 15 minutes.
Fire-Roasted Corn and Beef Chili
Charred corn and fire-roasted tomatoes give this big batch the flavor of a grill without asking you to stand outside in January. It freezes cleanly because there is no dairy or pasta to turn strange later. Save half in quart containers before the game-day crowd sees the pot if you want lunch next week.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat 9 minutes, breaking into small crumbles, until beef reaches 160°F.
- Drain excess fat; stir in garlic, chili powder, and cumin 1 minute.
- Transfer beef to a 6-quart crockpot. Add tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, corn, broth, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 6 hours until corn is tender and red broth thickens around meat.
- Stir in lime juice; stand uncovered 10 minutes before portioning or freezing.
Gochujang Beef and White Bean Chili
Gochujang brings fermented chile depth and a measured sweetness to a tomato-and-beef pot; it doesn’t turn dinner into barbecue sauce. Cannellini beans are mild enough to carry it. Start with two tablespoons of paste, because brands vary wildly and you can add the third near the end.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, crumbling beef, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain fat; stir in garlic, ginger, and gochujang 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot; add soy sauce, tomatoes, beans, and broth.
- Cover; cook on low 5 to 6 hours until beans are tender and broth thickens.
- Stir in rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add up to 1 extra tablespoon gochujang only if chili tastes mild.
Picadillo-Style Beef and Black Bean Chili
Green olives and a small handful of raisins push this beef-and-black-bean chili toward picadillo without making the pot sweet. The raisins soften into the tomato broth and mostly disappear. Chop the olives instead of leaving them whole; every spoonful should get a little briny snap, not a salt bomb.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook beef, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes, finely crumbling beef, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain fat. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano; cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Transfer to a 6-quart crockpot; stir in tomatoes, black beans, olives, raisins, broth, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 5 to 6 hours until pepper softens and raisins swell into sauce.
- Stir well; rest uncovered 15 minutes before serving to settle flavors.
Beef Tamale Chili with Hominy
Hominy gives this chili the chewy corn bite people expect from a tamale filling, while masa thickens the sauce at the finish. Don’t add dry masa straight to the crock or it will make stubborn lumps. A quick slurry turns the broth velvety and keeps the beef and corn kernels distinct.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat 9 minutes, breaking into fine crumbles, until beef reaches 160°F.
- Drain fat; stir in garlic, ancho powder, and cumin 30 seconds.
- Transfer beef to a 6-quart crockpot; add tomatoes, hominy, black beans, broth, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 6 hours until hominy is tender and sauce is deep red.
- Whisk masa harina and warm water; stir into chili. Cook uncovered on high 30 minutes until broth lightly coats a spoon.
Crockpot Cincinnati Chili
Cincinnati chili is a finely textured meat sauce, not a chunky bowl of red, and the distinction matters. Whisking raw beef into cold broth gives it the loose, even crumble that browning can’t. Cinnamon and allspice should register as warmth; if the kitchen smells like pie, you used too much.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk raw beef into cold broth in a 6-quart crockpot until no clumps exceed pea size.
- Stir in onion, garlic, tomato sauce, chili powder, cocoa, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, Worcestershire, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 7 to 8 hours, stirring firmly after 2 hours to break up gathered meat.
- Confirm beef reaches 160°F; skim surface fat.
- Stir in vinegar; cook uncovered on high 20 minutes until sauce is loose but not watery.
Game-Day Hot Dog Chili Sauce
This is the fine, no-bean chili that belongs on hot dogs, fries and the corner of a paper plate. It is intentionally smoother and saltier than a bowl chili because it has a job to do. One batch covers about sixteen dogs generously and holds on warm without turning into paste.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk raw beef into cold broth in a 7-quart crockpot, breaking meat into very fine bits.
- Stir in onion, garlic, tomato sauce, chili powder, paprika, cumin, Worcestershire, and salt.
- Cover; cook on low 6 hours, stirring after 2 hours and again after 4 hours to keep texture even.
- Confirm beef reaches 160°F; skim surface fat and stir in mustard.
- Cook uncovered on high 30 minutes until a spoon leaves a trail for 2 seconds. Switch to warm.
Freezer-Prep Beef and Red Lentil Chili
Red lentils melt into the broth and quietly stretch a pound and a half of beef into eight solid servings. They also make this pot freezer-friendly without cornstarch or flour. Rinse them until the water runs mostly clear or a dusty foam will collect around the lid.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the beef reaches 160°F, then drain the fat.
- Stir the garlic, chili powder and cumin into the beef for 30 seconds and cool the mixture completely.
- Freeze the beef mixture with the lentils, tomatoes, pinto beans and salt in a labeled freezer bag for up to 3 months, then thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Transfer the contents to a 6-quart crockpot, stir in the broth, and cook covered on low for 5 to 6 hours until the lentils have nearly dissolved.
- Stir in the vinegar and add 1/2 cup hot water only if the chili is thicker than oatmeal.
White Chicken and Sweet Corn Chili
White beans, corn and green chiles make a lighter crock of chili, but it still needs body. Blending one can of beans before cooking solves that without a brick of cream cheese. Add the yogurt only after the heat drops or it can split into little white flecks.
Ingredients
Method
- Blend 15 ounces cannellini beans with 1 cup broth until smooth; pour into a 6-quart crockpot.
- Add the chicken, remaining beans, corn, green chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, remaining broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours until the chicken reaches 165°F and pulls apart easily.
- Shred the chicken into bite-size strands in the crockpot and switch off the heat.
- Temper yogurt with 1 cup hot chili, stir back into the pot with lime juice, and rest 10 minutes before serving.
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Buffalo sauce works in chili when it sharpens the broth instead of drowning it. Chicken thighs stay juicy through the slow cook, and white beans keep the pot in dinner territory rather than party-dip territory. The cream cheese goes in during the last half hour so it stays smooth.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the chicken, beans, celery, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, hot sauce, paprika and salt in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours until the chicken reaches 165°F and the celery is tender.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, shred it into short strands, and return it to the pot.
- Add the cream cheese pieces, cover, and cook on high for 20 minutes until softened.
- Whisk the cheese into the broth until no white streaks remain and rest the chili uncovered for 10 minutes.
Chicken Fajita Chili
This has the peppers, cumin and charred-tomato flavor of fajitas in a bowl that can cook while nobody is home. Cut the peppers into one-inch pieces; thin strips collapse after six hours. The whole freezer bag can be assembled raw, thawed safely in the refrigerator and tipped straight into the crock.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the chicken, peppers, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, beans and salt in a freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the bag completely in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours; never thaw poultry on the counter.
- Empty the mixture into a 6-quart crockpot, stir in the broth, and cook covered on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Check that the largest chicken pieces reach 165°F; break one open to confirm an opaque center.
- Stir in lime juice and rest uncovered 10 minutes to keep peppers and beans distinct in the broth.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
Sweet potato gives lean turkey the richness it usually lacks, but the cubes need to be a full three-quarters of an inch or they’ll vanish. Black beans hold their shape beside it. This is one of the best lunch-box batches here because the broth gets thicker, not drier, overnight.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the turkey and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, breaking the meat into crumbles, until it reaches 165°F.
- Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the turkey to a 6-quart crockpot and add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, black beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low 5 1/2 to 6 hours until sweet potatoes are fork-tender but hold their edges.
- Stir in vinegar and rest uncovered 15 minutes before portioning.
Turkey, Navy Bean and Sage Chili
Sage gives this turkey chili a cold-weather edge without turning it into Thanksgiving stuffing. Navy beans soften enough to thicken the tomato broth while carrots keep a little bite. Rub the dried sage between your fingers before adding it; whole dusty clumps never spread evenly.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the turkey and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, crumbling the meat until it reaches 165°F.
- Add the carrots, garlic, chili powder, sage and cumin and cook for 2 minutes until the spices smell toasted.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart crockpot and stir in the tomatoes, navy beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the carrots are tender and some of the beans have broken into the broth.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar and mash 1/2 cup of beans against the side of the crock if the chili needs more body.
Freezer-Prep Chicken Enchilada Chili
Red enchilada sauce gives this chicken-and-bean pot a useful head start, especially when dinner has to come from a labeled freezer bag. Hominy adds a corn flavor without turning soft the way frozen tortilla pieces would. Shred the chicken only at the end so it doesn’t cook down into threads.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the chicken, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, black beans, hominy, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt in a freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the bag completely in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours.
- Empty the mixture into a 6-quart crockpot, stir in the broth, and cook covered on low for 5 to 5 1/2 hours until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Transfer chicken to a plate, shred into bite-size pieces, and stir back into the chili.
- Add the lime juice and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes until the red broth clings lightly to the hominy.
Crockpot Pork Chile Verde
Tomatillos and poblanos turn pork shoulder into a green chili with clean heat and enough acidity to cut the fat. Broiling the vegetables is the only fussy step, and it is worth every minute. Raw, pale tomatillos dumped straight into a crock taste sour and thin even after eight hours.
Ingredients
Method
- Arrange the tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeño, onion and garlic on a rimmed sheet pan and broil 5 inches from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes until blistered and browned in spots.
- Blend the broiled vegetables with the broth, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon of the salt until mostly smooth.
- Place the pork in a 6-quart crockpot, pour over the green sauce, and add the remaining salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, add the pinto beans, and cook for 1 more hour until the pork is fork-tender and reaches at least 145°F.
- Stir in lime juice; break only the largest pork cubes, leaving plenty of distinct pieces.
Chorizo and Chickpea Chili
Chickpeas stand up to a long cook and take on the paprika-heavy fat from Mexican chorizo. Crumble and brown the sausage first; raw chorizo left in a slow cooker forms soft orange clumps. A plain crushed-tomato base keeps the spice from becoming muddy.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the chorizo, onion and bell pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat for 9 to 10 minutes, breaking up the sausage, until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain the orange fat thoroughly and stir in the garlic, ancho powder and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, chickpeas, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the chickpeas are tender and the sauce is thick.
- Stir in the lime juice and skim any remaining fat before serving.
Apple Cider Pulled Pork Chili
Apple cider softens the edges of smoky chile and pork shoulder, but this is still a savory red chili. The fresh apple waits until the last forty-five minutes so it keeps its shape. Shred the pork coarsely; tiny strands make the whole bowl feel like sandwich filling.
Ingredients
Method
- Season the pork with the salt and place it in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Add the onion, garlic, ancho powder, paprika, tomatoes, pinto beans, cider and broth and stir around the pork.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours until the pork reaches at least 145°F and separates under a fork.
- Shred the pork into chunky bite-size pieces, stir in the apple, and cook covered on high for 45 minutes until the apple is tender but not collapsed.
- Stir in the vinegar and rest the chili uncovered for 15 minutes before serving.
Italian Sausage and Pepper Chili
This takes the sausage-and-pepper sandwich filling and gives it a spoonable red-bean base. Fennel seed reinforces the sausage flavor without adding another pound of meat. Add half the peppers at the beginning and half midway through so the finished pot has both sweet flavor and pieces you can still see.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 9 to 10 minutes, crumbling the meat until it reaches 160°F.
- Drain the fat, add half the bell peppers, the garlic, chili powder and fennel, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a 7-quart crockpot and stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, broth and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stir in the remaining peppers, and cook for 2 more hours until those pieces are just tender.
- Rest uncovered for 15 minutes and skim any orange fat from the surface before serving.
Country Ham and Butter Bean Chili
Smoked ham and broad butter beans make a mellow, country-style chili that eats more like supper than tailgate food. Tomato, molasses and ancho chile pull it away from bean soup. Check the seasoning at the end because the ham can supply all the salt the pot needs.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the ham, butter beans, onion, bell pepper, garlic, ancho powder, paprika, tomatoes, broth and molasses in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours until the onion is soft and some of the beans have broken down.
- Mash about 1 cup of butter beans against the side of the crock and stir them into the red broth.
- Check that the ham is steaming hot and at least 165°F, then stir in the vinegar.
- Taste before adding salt; use just enough to sharpen the beans without making the smoked ham harsh.
Peanut Sweet Potato and Chickpea Chili
Peanut butter makes the tomato broth feel substantial and brings out the sweetness in the potato without adding dairy. Stir it in at the end so it emulsifies instead of sticking to the bottom all day. The chickpeas keep their shape, which matters in a pot where the sweet potato is supposed to get tender.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth and salt in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on low for 5 hours until the sweet potatoes yield to a fork but still hold their edges.
- Whisk the peanut butter with 1 cup of hot broth from the crock until completely smooth.
- Stir the peanut mixture back into the chili and cook uncovered on high for 20 minutes until the sauce looks uniform and glossy.
- Add the lime juice and rest for 10 minutes before serving or cooling for the freezer.
Red Lentil and Carrot Chili
Red lentils collapse into a thick rust-colored base while carrots stay in small, sweet pieces. It costs little, freezes well and doesn’t need a blender. Four to five hours is enough; an eight-hour cook turns the lentils gluey and erases every vegetable in the crock.
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve until the draining water is nearly clear.
- Place the lentils, carrots, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, tomatoes, broth and salt in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours until the lentils have softened into the broth and the carrots are tender.
- Stir from the bottom and add up to 1 cup hot water if the chili is too stiff to ladle.
- Add the vinegar and rest uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Roasted Red Pepper Cannellini Chili
Roasted red peppers give white beans a sweet, smoky red sauce without a pile of tomatoes. Puree only a third of the finished pot. Any more and the chili turns into bean dip; any less and the broth stays thin.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the roasted peppers, beans, onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, broth, salt and tomato paste in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Stir until the tomato paste disperses, cover, and cook on low for 5 hours until the onion is completely soft.
- Transfer 4 cups of the chili to a blender and vent the lid carefully.
- Blend until smooth, return the puree to the crock, and stir until the remaining whole beans are suspended in a thick red broth.
- Add the sherry vinegar and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes before serving.
Cornbread Dumpling Bean Chili
Soft cornbread dumplings steam right on top of a red bean chili, giving you bowl and bread in the same crock. They need high heat and an hour with the lid closed. Peeking releases the steam, and gummy centers are the result.
Ingredients
Method
- Stir the beans, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, broth and salt in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours until the vegetables are soft and the chili is bubbling at the edges.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl, then stir in the egg, buttermilk and butter just until no dry flour remains.
- Switch the crockpot to high and drop 8 equal mounds of batter over the chili, leaving narrow gaps for steam.
- Cover without opening for 60 to 75 minutes until the dumpling centers reach 200°F and a toothpick comes out without wet batter.
Pantry Salsa and Pinto Chili
This is the emergency chili for the night before grocery day. Salsa supplies the onion, chile and garlic, while pintos and black beans make it more than warmed-up tomatoes. Use a thick salsa, not restaurant-style liquid, or leave the lid cracked for the last half hour.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the pinto beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, salsa, corn, chili powder, broth and salt in a 6-quart crockpot.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on low 4 hours until corn is tender and flavors have blended.
- Mash 1 cup of beans against the side of the crock and stir them back into the chili.
- Cook uncovered on high for 30 minutes if the broth still runs freely off a spoon.
- Stir in the lime juice and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Scaling a batch for a crowd without watering it down
A six-quart slow cooker is comfortable with roughly 4 1/2 to 5 quarts of chili. Fill it much higher and the center heats slowly, the rim can bubble over, and stirring becomes a red-shirt emergency. For ten to twelve people, start with a recipe already written for that yield or run two cookers. Do not double a standard eight-serving recipe in one ordinary crock just because the raw ingredients appear to fit. Meat, beans and vegetables release more liquid as they cook, and the lid leaves almost nowhere for it to go.
When increasing a batch by half, increase meat, beans, tomatoes and salt by half, but begin with only one-quarter more broth. You can add hot broth near the end; you cannot easily remove a quart of weak liquid. Spices also need judgment. Use about one-third more chile powder and cumin at the start, then correct the last portion after the pot has cooked. For a buffet, count 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups per adult when chili is the main meal, or 3/4 cup when it is going over hot dogs or beside other food. Keep the cooker on warm after every part of the chili has reached at least 165°F, and give it a full stir every half hour so the edges do not scorch.
Chili the next day, and the day after
Chili usually tastes better after a night in the refrigerator because the fat, chile and tomato have time to settle into one sauce. That does not mean the whole crock should sit on the counter until bedtime. Move leftovers into shallow containers within 2 hours, leaving the lids cracked until steam stops collecting heavily, then refrigerate. A deep, hot storage tub cools too slowly in the center. Eat refrigerated chili within 4 days, counting the day it was cooked as day one, or freeze it in meal-size portions for up to 3 months.
Reheat only the amount you need to 165°F. A saucepan over medium-low heat gives the best control; add water or broth 2 tablespoons at a time as the chilled starch loosens. Beans and lentils keep drinking liquid overnight, while meat-heavy chili may set because the fat firms up. Dairy-based white or Buffalo chicken chili should be warmed gently and never boiled hard, which can split the sauce. Cornbread dumplings are the one poor freezer candidate here: remove and refrigerate them separately, then warm them in a covered skillet or toaster oven. If the third-day container smells fermented, has a puffed lid or sat out through a whole football game, throw it away. More hot sauce does not make questionable leftovers safe.
