Most user agreements are mind-numbingly boring, but Peacock has a tasty reward in store for anyone who makes it through all the legal jargon.
The NBCUniversal streaming service has hidden a chili recipe in the terms of use that fans of the sitcom “The Office” will be particularly jazzed to find.
In case you’re not familiar with the series, Brian Baumgartner’s character Kevin Malone talks about “Kevin’s Famous Chili,” a recipe that he likes to bring into the office once a year, in episode 26 of season 5.
“The trick is to undercook the onions. Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot. I’m serious about this stuff,” he says in the scene.
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As Kevin struggles to carry a gigantic pot of chili into the office, he loses his grip and it suddenly drops, spilling all his hours of hard work onto the floor.
Feeling slightly horrified, he quickly improvises and attempts to scoop up the chili with a file holder, and he soon becomes covered in the dish as he crawls and slips across the floor.
Meanwhile, in the narration, Kevin explains that it’s a recipe passed down by generations of his family and says, “It’s probably the thing I do best.”
Peacock users have to dig pretty deep in the user agreement to find the recipe, so it would be easy to miss. But one TikTok user, @mckenziefloyd, recently posted a video explaining that her boyfriend found it since he “obviously reads the terms and conditions.”
This is actually the second time that Peacock has hidden a recipe in its user agreement. When the streaming service first launched in 2020, TODAY Food spotted a chocolate cake recipe in one of the document's subsections.
“At Peacock, we don’t make promises we can’t keep,” the section read. “So, please see below for very delicious, Peacock-approved, just-like-Grandma-used-to-make chocolate cake recipe.”
Ready to give Kevin Malone’s famous chili? Below is an excerpt from Peacock’s user agreement. Just try not to drop it like Kevin did.
How to make Kevin's Famous Chili
At Peacock, we don’t make promises we can’t keep. So, please see below for the chili recipe inspired by Kevin Malone’s legendary family dish, which he so memorably brought to Dunder Mifflin on The Office:
Ingredients
4 dried ancho chiles
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 tablespoons 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 chiles 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 6 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 2 minutes. The secret is to undercook the onions.
- Using a garlic press, press garlic directly into the pot, 1 clove at a time. Then stir in jalapeños, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and tomato paste. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add beer and continue to cook, stirring and scraping the pan, about 7 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 2 hours so everything gets to know each other in the pot. Remove from heat, uncover and let stand at least 1 hour (can also be refrigerated 8 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.
Enjoy! While we wish you could dish us up a bowlful (without spilling it all over our reception area, naturally), feel free to share this recipe (tagging @peacocktv, of course). And now, back to your regularly scheduled legal document.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
