Smoked Over-The-Top Chili

Take your backyard BBQ to the next level with Smoked Over-The-Top (OTT) Chili. Instead of browning ground meat in a skillet, you form a large, custom-seasoned meatloaf and suspend it on a wire rack directly above your simmering Dutch oven. As wood smoke penetrates the meat and forms a dark, flavorful bark, all rendered fat and savory drippings catch in the chili pot below.

Once the meat absorbs maximum smoke flavor and reaches target internal temperature, it is crumbled directly into the pot to simmer together into the ultimate bowl of red. It is rich, smoky, textured, and unmatched in flavor depth.

Ingredients

Meat Ball (Over-The-Top)

2 lbs 80/20 Ground Beef 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage (bulk or casing removed) 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce 1 tbsp Yellow Mustard (binder)

Meat Rub

2 tbsp Ancho Chili Powder 1 tbsp Ground Cumin 1 tbsp Garlic Powder 1 tbsp Onion Powder 1 tbsp Kosher Salt 1 tsp Coarse Black Pepper 1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Chili Base (Dutch Oven)

1 large Yellow Onion (diced) 1 large Bell Pepper (diced) 2 medium Jalapeño Peppers (seeded and diced) 4 cloves Garlic (minced) 15 oz Dark Red Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed) 15 oz Black Beans (drained and rinsed) 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes 14.5 oz Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes 6 oz Tomato Paste 2 cups Low-Sodium Beef Broth 12 oz Dark Beer (Stout or Porter)

Directions

Pit Preparation

Fire up your smoker to 225°F - 250°F setup for indirect cooking. Add 2-3 hickory wood chunks for clean, steady smoke.

⏱ 20 mins 🔥 225°F - 250°F 🌡 N/A

Prep the Meat and Chili Pot

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, Italian sausage, Worcestershire sauce, and yellow mustard. Shape gently into a large, dense sphere or football-shaped meatloaf. Coat the outside generously with the rub.

⏱ 15 mins 🔥 N/A 🌡 N/A

In your cast iron Dutch oven, combine diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, beans, crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and dark beer. Stir thoroughly to mix.

⏱ 10 mins 🔥 N/A 🌡 N/A

The Over-The-Top Smoke Phase

Place the uncovered Dutch oven on the lower grate of your smoker. Position a wire cooking rack directly over the top of the Dutch oven and set the seasoned meatloaf onto the rack. Insert a digital temperature probe into the center of the meat.

⏱ 2.5 - 3 hours 🔥 225°F - 250°F 🌡 155°F

Combine & Simmer Phase

When the meat probe reads 155°F and a deep mahogany smoke bark has formed, remove the meatloaf from the rack. Carefully chop or break the meatball into bite-sized crumbles and drop them directly into the chili base in the Dutch oven. Stir well.

⏱ 15 mins 🔥 275°F - 300°F 🌡 165°F

Increase smoker temp to 275°F - 300°F. Allow chili to simmer uncovered in the smoker for another 60 to 90 minutes to blend flavors and thicken to desired consistency.

⏱ 1 hour - 1.5 hours 🔥 275°F - 300°F 🌡 180°F - 190°F