Smoked Chili

Smoked Chili Over The Top is a popular method of cooking chili on the grill with the meat cooked “over the top” of the chili.  With the OTT Chili the meat and the chili both get smoky and delicious for an epic pot of chili that is hearty and delicious.

Chili is a the perfect meal to warm you up on a cold day and to feed a hungry crowd. Make it as spicy or mild as you prefer. Our version is filled with coarse ground beef, pinto beans, onions, bell peppers and plenty of warm chili spices.  

Ingredients for Smoked Chili:

• Chili Meat or Ground Beef ~ Chili meat is a little more coarse ground than standard ground beef. Either will work.
• Chili Seasoning ~ We like making our own blend but your favorite store bought will work also. 
• Olive Oil ~ for cooking the vegetables.
• Onions ~ yellow onions are perfect for chili.
• Bell Peppers ~ green or red, if you like it spicy, feel free to add in your favorite hot peppers.
• V8 Juice  ~ Tomato juices works well also, we like the extra flavor from the vegetable juice. 
• Beef Broth ~ The beef broth tones down the tomato just a bit and gives the chili a hearty base.
• Pinto Beans ~ We like to cook a large batch of dry beans but can works well too. 

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How to Make Smoked Chili Over The Top:

• Mix chili meat or ground beef with chili seasonings.
• Form into a thin loaf – we pressed it into  a small pan, about 8 x 10 x 1 inch.  This doesn’t have to be exact. You can also just form it into more of a meatloaf form but it will take a bit longer to cook through.
• Flip the pan upside down onto a wire rack. 
• Prepare a grill fire to about 300° with pecan or hickory for smoke flavor. 

• In a large dutch oven, cook diced onions and bell peppers in olive oil. 

• Stir often until vegetables are softened. 

• Add V8 juice, beef broth and chili seasoning.

• Place wire rack of seasoned chili meat over the dutch oven.

• Cook on the grill with the lid closed for about 25 minutes.

• Check meat with a digital thermometer cooking until it reaches 165° with a digital thermometer. 

• Remove dutch oven and chili meat from the grill. 

• Use 2 forks to crumble meat into bite- sized pieces.

• Add to chili and stir to mix well. 

• Simmer until ready to serve. 

• Top with your favorite chili toppings. 

Toppings for Smoked Chili:

• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Jalapeños
• Green Onions
• Fritos

We cook dinner on the grill as many nights a week as possible and we love to try new cooking methods and recipes. Cooking the meat over the top of the chili enables the beef to really get smoky and the drippings go down into the pan of chili creating the most flavorful pot of chili.

If you are craving a hearty soup, this Smoked Vegetable Beef Soup is another favorite. We’ve also made delicious chili with leftover brisket and smoked pork chili made with leftover pulled pork. 

Fire up the grill this weekend and make this hearty Smoked Chili Recipe. This warm and hearty chili is sure to satisfy all of your comfort food cravings. 

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Smoked Chili

Smoked Chili Over The Top is a popular method of cooking chili on the grill with the meat cooked "over the top" of the chili. The meat and the chili both get smoky and delicious for an epic pot of chili that is hearty and delicious.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef chili, How to cook over the top chili, Over The Top Chili, smoked chili

Calories: 342kcal

Author: Milisa

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chili meat or lean ground beef
• ½ cup + 3 tablespoons chili seasoning divided use
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 cups diced onion
• 3 cups diced bell peppers
• 4 cups V8 juice or tomato juice
• 3 cups beef broth
• 5 cups cooked pinto beans or 2- 3 cans, drained
• Shredded cheese sour cream, green onions & Fritos for serving, optional

Instructions

• Prepare a grill fire to about 300° with pecan or hickory for smoke flavor. 
• Mix chili meat or ground beef with 1/2 cup of chili seasonings.
• Form into a thin loaf - we pressed it into  a small pan, about 8 x 10 x 1 inch.  This doesn't have to be exact. You can also just form it into more of a meatloaf form but it will take a bit longer to cook through.
• Flip the pan upside down onto a wire rack and place on a baking sheet.
• In a large dutch oven, cook diced onions and bell peppers in olive oil. 
• Stir often until vegetables are softened. 
• Add V8 juice, beef broth and remaining chili seasoning.
• Place wire rack of seasoned chili meat over the dutch oven.
• Cook on the grill with the lid closed for about 25 minutes.
• Use a digital thermometer to check meat, cooking until it reaches 165°.
• Remove dutch oven and chili meat from the grill. 
• Use 2 forks to crumble meat into bite- sized pieces.
• Add to chili and stir to mix well. 
• Simmer until ready to serve. 
• Top with cheese, sour cream, green onions and Fritos if desired.

Notes

Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months.

Reheat in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring often. Add additional V8 or water if chili is too thick. Cook 8- 10 minutes until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 863mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g

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