Smoked Chili Recipe

As the crisp autumn air settles in, my family’s taste buds take a turn towards the warm and comforting, and that means it is time to break out my smoked chili recipe. Is it the smell of the chili pot simmering for hours on the stove? Or could it simply be that they’ve been missing the delectable taste of chili all summer long?

Let me start by saying that my smoked chili recipe stands apart from the rest. My recipe gets its robust, smokey flavor by smoking the meats separately. This means that you can take advantage of your leftover smoked beef. This is the perfect way to breathe new life into leftover smoked beef, smoked chuck roast, shredded beef, tri-tip, or even brisket.

Smoked Chili Ingredients

Chili Meat

• 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
• 2 lbs Chuck Roast

Vegetables

• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion Chopped
• 1 Cup Chopped Celery
• 1 Green Bell Pepper Chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
• 1 Jalapeño Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Carrot
• 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
• 14.5 oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes 1 Can
• 15.5 oz Kidney Beans 1 Can

Chili Broth

• 6 cups Beef Broth
• 6 oz Tomato Paste 1 small can
• 4 tbs Flour to thicken the broth.

Chili Seasonings

• 2 tbs Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt

Equipment

• Large Pot with Lid or Dutch Oven
• Pellet Grill or Smoker. I used my Green Mountain Grill Ledge 2.0
• Pellets – I used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ Pellets.
• Instant-Read Meat Thermometer – I use the Thermapen One

Chili Recipe Variations

A recipe is just a starting point; most people will make changes based on personal preferences. Here are a couple of recipe variations. You can substitute cornstarch for the flour to make a gluten-free chili. You can leave out the beans to make a Texas-style chili.

Secret Chili Ingredients

Everyone who has ever cooked homemade chili will have a secret chili ingredient. Some secret chili ingredients I have seen are cocoa powder or chocolate, peanut butter, coffee, beer, cinnamon, bacon, chili peppers, and even bacon. What’s my secret chili ingredient? My secret ingredient is on this list. Let me know your secret ingredient in the comments below.

Smoked Chili Meats

I’ll start by telling you that meat is the most important ingredient of any chili recipe. I like to use a mix of 85/15 smoked ground beef and smoked chuck roast. The ground beef will give the chili a fine beefy texture, and then the smoked chuck roast will give it a more hearty shredded beef texture. Both will provide just the right amount of smokey flavor to your chili.

Smoked Ground Beef

Smoking ground beef is easy. Begin by forming a log shape, seasoning it with your favorite salt, pepper, and garlic rub, and place it on your pellet grill or smoker at 225ºF for about an hour or until the internal temperature hits 150ºF. Now, shred it into bite-sized pieces and add it to your smoked chili recipe. Some people will place the pot of chili under the ground beef on the smoker to catch the drippings. This is called the over-the-top chili method. I prefer a leaner chili, so I smoke my beef separately from the chili.

Smoked Chuck Roast

Remember when I said leftover beef was perfect for this recipe? Well… I used some leftover smoked chuck roast for this recipe, but honestly, any leftover smoked beef will work. Open a new tab and get our smoked chuck roast recipe, smoked shredded beef recipe, or even our brisket recipe. For this chili recipe, I am using a smoked chuck roast that I will chop up into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the chili.

Smoked Chili Recipe Step-by-Step

Step 1: Add olive oil and onion to your chili pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for a few minutes,

Step 2: Add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, carrot, and stir. Next, add the flour and let it cook for a couple more minutes. The flour will help thicken the chili.

Step 3: These steps are pretty fast. You basically stir in all the ingredients. Starting with one can of fire-roasted tomatoes and one can of tomato paste.

Step 4: It’s time to add the the smoked ground beef and the smoked chuck roast.

Step 5: Add the beef broth, kidney beans, and all the seasonings (Chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, black pepper, salt).

Step 6: Slice the jalapeño in half vertically and remove the seeds. Add the jalapeño to the chili and simmer. You can remove the pepper when the chili is at the desired spice level. Simmer the chili for at least 2 hours or until the chili reaches the desired thickness.

Step 7: Garnish and serve the smoked chili. Some popular chili garnishes are sour cream, cheese, onions, chives, avocado, and jalepeños. I used cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

How to Thicken Chili

You can thicken your chili in a couple of different ways. The flour that you added to the vegetables in step 2 should provide you with the proper thickness. If you want your chili thicker, you can cook it longer without a lid. The longer you cook the chili, the thicker it should get. Or you can add cornstarch or a bit more flour. Mix the flour or cornstarch with a little water before adding to the chili. Typically, you would mix 1 tbs of water with 1 tbsp of flour or cornstarch and slowly whisk it into the chili. This will ensure you do not get clumps of flour.

What to Serve with Chili

You can serve so many good things with this smoked chili. My favorites are cornbread, banquette bread, biscuits, crackers, Frito’s corn chips, tortilla chips, mac and cheese, fries or even a baked potato.

Storing and Reheating

To store your chili, add it to a sealed container and keep in the refrigerator. The best way I have found to reheat chili is to cook it on the stove-top, but you can also microwave it. Be sure to add a paper towel to the top of the chili in the microwave so you don’t get splatter all over.

Give These Other Recipes a Try

• Tri-Tip Sliders
• Ground Beef Empanadas
• Burgundy Pepper Tri-Tip

Frequently Asked Questions

Beans in Smoked Chili?

I like using kidney beans in my chili—that’s how my mom made it—but if you want more of a Texas-style chili, you can leave the beans out of the recipe. The typical beans used in chili are kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans. Beans or no beans? Let me know in the comments.

How Long Does Smoked Chili Last?

Smoked chili should be fine for 5-6 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Can You Freeze Chili?

Sure, you can freeze chili just like soup. Freezer bags or vacuum sealing are great ways to freeze chili. Chili should be good for a couple of months in the freezer.