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February 18, 2021

Smoked Chili

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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.  

Bowl of chili topped with cheese, sour cream, green onions and Fritos, spoon and bandana napkin to the side

Ingredients for Smoked Chili:

beef broth, olive oil, V8 juice, chopped bell peppers & onions, 2 packages ground chili meat, chili seasoning, jar of cooked pinto beans

  • 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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Overhead of bowl of chili with sour cream, cheese and Fritos on a red bandana napkin

How to Make Smoked Chili Over The Top:

coarse ground beef - chili meat mixed with spices in a bowl -overhead

  • 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. 

cast iron dutch oven with diced onions and peppers, with a wooden spoon

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

cooked onions and peppers in a dutch oven

  • Stir often until vegetables are softened. 

pinto beans in tomato broth with vegetables for chili in cast iron dutch oven

  • Add V8 juice, beef broth and chili seasoning.

wire rack with chili meat over a dutch oven with chili mixture

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

dutch oven with chili and wire rack on a Big Green Egg Grill

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

Checking chili meat on the grill with thermometer

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

wire rack with smoked chili meat

  • Remove dutch oven and chili meat from the grill. 

smoked chili meat - crumbled on a sheet pan

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

Adding smoked chili meat to cast iron dutch oven of chili

  • Add to chili and stir to mix well. 

cast iron dutch oven of smoked chili

  • Simmer until ready to serve. 

Smoked Chili: dutch oven, bowl topped with cheese, sour cream, Fritos, bag of Fritos, cheese in a bowl

  • Top with your favorite chili toppings. 

Toppings for Smoked Chili:

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

Bowl of chili with sour cream, cheese and 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. 

bowl of chili with Fritos, chili, green onions and sour cream. Sitting on a red bandana napkin with a wood handled spoon

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 in a bowl with cheese, sour cream, Fritos and green onions

Smoked Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

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.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chili meat or lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons chili seasoning, divided use
  • 1/4 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

  1. Prepare a grill fire to about 300° with pecan or hickory for smoke flavor. 
  2. Mix chili meat or ground beef with 1/2 cup of chili seasonings.
  3. 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.
  4. Flip the pan upside down onto a wire rack and place on a baking sheet.
  5. In a large dutch oven, cook diced onions and bell peppers in olive oil. 
  6. Stir often until vegetables are softened. 
  7. Add V8 juice, beef broth and remaining chili seasoning.
  8. Place wire rack of seasoned chili meat over the dutch oven.
  9. Cook on the grill with the lid closed for about 25 minutes.
  10. Use a digital thermometer to check meat, cooking until it reaches 165°.
  11. Remove dutch oven and chili meat from the grill. 
  12. Use 2 forks to crumble meat into bite- sized pieces.
  13. Add to chili and stir to mix well. 
  14. Simmer until ready to serve. 
  15. 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 Information:

Yield:

12 servings

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 863mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 7gSugar: 7gProtein: 21g

Nutritional information is estimated and may not be accurate.

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© Milisa
Cuisine: American / Category: Soup

Filed Under: Soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tommy says

    February 19, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    As much as I like smoke flavored anything,
    This truly over the top best idea yet,
    Can’t wait to try,

    Reply
    • Tony says

      February 20, 2021 at 8:42 pm

      You will love it!

      Reply
  2. Jack says

    February 20, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    This really sounds good. I won a chili cook off using smoked chopped brisket. This is the same principal. Definitely will have to make this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Tony says

      February 20, 2021 at 8:42 pm

      Hi Jack,
      Brisket chili is amazing and I bet even more so cooked over the top. Thanks for stopping by.

      ~ Milisa

      Reply

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