Firehouse Cooking

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Over the last year I have gotten into the habit of going to the grocery store right after hitting the gym in the evening. I know that the story is that you should never go shopping for food when you are already hungry. But it’s so convenient because they are right across the street from one another. And I usually like to shop for my ingredients pretty close to the time I will actually be cooking them.

Recently, I noticed I wasn’t the only one to go food shopping at the same time every evening. There is a firehouse in my neighborhood and each night at about 7:30 PM, you can see a big red fire truck pulled up in front of the store, and there will be three or four uniformed firemen patrolling the aisles gathering food for their evening meal. And from what I can tell, they usually plan for a pretty hearty meal! Last time I noticed they were buying up all the family packs of pork chops that were on special, and I overheard one guy say to the other that they were going to make stuffed pork chops. Sounds pretty good to me! While I walked out of the store wondering how I could score myself an invitation, I started to feel good that, should disaster strike my home and we need the services and bravery of our local firefighters, they would be operating on a full stomach.

Firefighters have long been known to be particularly adept in the kitchen. There are even a couple of good firehouse cookbooks out there. Basically firefighters have to “live at the station” while they are on duty, and so sharing a meal together is something they do often. Just like a family dinner at home, breaking bread at the table helps them form a bond together and promotes the teamwork that is so crucial to their job duties. And just like for the rest of us, since they are often on the go, meals prepared in the slow cooker can free up time and also allow them to come back to a hot meal even if they are a few minutes off schedule.

Typical firehouse dishes include hearty fares such as meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, and of course, chili. The key is simple yet nourishing food, that can be prepared quickly, on a budget. Meals are often prepared under pressure, with little time. It sounds like how most of us cook on a day to day basis, doesn’t it?

So in the sprit of the firehouse dinner, I encourage you to salute our country’s bravest by preparing this Five Alarm Firehouse Chicken Chili in the slow cooker. You can modify the level of spice to your family’s taste by adjusting or removing some of the hot seasonings, such as the pepper, chili powder and hot sauce. Not only will you have a great meal for your busy family on the go, but it also allows for the unpredictability that rules so many of our lives, and for lots of leftovers.

Just remember, that old firehouse rule, the last one to finish eating has to do the dishes!

Serves/Makes: 10

• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 pounds skinless chicken thighs
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 Poblano or Anaheim peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 large sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 bottle (12 ounce size) brown ale or beer
• 6 cups canned low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 can (28 ounce size) peeled whole tomatoes with their liquid, crushed
• 2 cans (15 ounce size) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• hot sauce (Tabasco-style) for serving (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional