How to access the 'The Office's' recipe for 'Kevin's Famous Chili'

October 09, 2024

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Peacock is officially stirring the pot!

An astute TikTok user had “The Office” fans in a tizzy after revealing that the recipe for “Kevin’s Famous Chili” is buried within the terms and conditions of the comedy series’ exclusive streaming home Peacock. A video detailing the epicurean Easter egg currently boasts over 131,000 views on TikTok.

“Is it because no one ever reads these??” wrote TikTok user @mckenziefloyd above a clip of the delicious addendum, which her boyfriend reportedly discovered while perusing the NBC Universal streamer’s agreement.

“I’m trying to figure out why the chili from The Office, the recipe, is on here in the terms of conditions with the instructions,” exclaimed Floyd in the clip. “Why was that necessary to put on here?”

She added, “And then it just goes back to the regular terms and conditions. I’m not understanding!”

Commenters had their own theories for the recipe’s inclusion with one writing, “peacock just don’t want us to forget they the only platform that streams the office.”

“I Think They We’re Tryna Make Sure Y’all Read It,” said another.

For the uninitiated, “Kevin’s Famous Chili” appears in Episode 26 of Season 5 of “The Office,” in which Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) brings his namesake speciality into the Dunder-Mifflin headquarters for his co-workers to enjoy.

“It’s a recipe passed down from Malones for generations,” teases Malone in the hilarious cold open. “It’s probably the thing I do best.” Unfortunately, the generous employee’s attempt to share his family delicacy goes belly-up after he spills the chili all over the floor, whereupon he hilariously tries to scoop it back into the pot but to no avail.

Floyd claimed in the comments that she has yet to test the dish, but we’ve included the recipe in its entirety in case any “Office”-loving gourmands wish to take a stab.

Ingredients

4 dried ancho chilies
2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable, canola or grapeseed)
3 pounds ground beef (80/20 or 85/15 lean)
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 large jalapeño, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (12-ounce) bottles of beer (lager or pale ale)
3 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups beef stock
2 ½ cups chopped ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Chopped scallions, shredded Jack cheese and sour cream, for topping

Directions

Tear ancho chilies into pieces, discarding seeds and stems. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, toast chiles over medium-high, stirring occasionally until very fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer toasted ancho chiles to a food processor or spice mill and process until very finely ground. Set aside.

Add oil to pot and heat over medium-high. Add ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally to break beef into small pieces, until well-browned (about six minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a plate and set aside.

Add onion to pot and cook briefly over medium-high until barely softened, about two minutes. The secret is to undercook the onions.

Using a garlic press, press garlic directly into the pot, one clove at a time. Then stir in jalapeños, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and tomato paste. Stir and cook until fragrant, about two minutes. Add beer and continue to cook, stirring and scraping the pan, about seven minutes.

Meanwhile, put beans in a large bowl and mash briefly with a potato masher until broken up but not fully mashed.

Add mashed beans, stock, tomatoes, salt and cooked beef to pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low to maintain simmer and cook two hours so everything gets to know each other in the pot. Remove from heat, uncover and let stand at least one hour (can also be refrigerated eight hours or overnight).

Reheat gently, taste and add more salt if necessary, and serve with your favorite toppings. We recommend chopped scallions, shredded Jack cheese and sour cream.

This isn’t the first time Peacock has hidden cooking instructions in their terms of use policy. In 2020, eagle-eyed users discovered that the document harbored a random recipe for chocolate cake.

“At Peacock, we don’t make promises we can’t keep,” they wrote. “So, please see below for very delicious, Peacock-approved, just-like-Grandma-used-to-make chocolate cake recipe.”

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