Smoked Chili
On October 21, 2019 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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This Smoked Chili gets a hit of smoky flavor from grill-roasted meat and veggies and the fried jalapeno rings hit you with enough spice to make you sweat.
Smoked Beef Chili
The base of this chili recipe is a family favorite, but I have made a few tweaks to it to make it the best of the best. It’s a good, classic beef chili made with 80/20 ground beef, as well as smoked onions, peppers, and garlic.
Smoking the seasoned beef and vegetables prior to making the chili really infuses it with an additional layer of flavor. Everything becomes a little bit more rich and intense after spending that time on the grill in that swirling blue smoke. If you have a chili competition coming up, I highly recommend giving this one a go. The smoky flavor adds an element that all the other chilis made on the stovetop just can’t beat.
The final game-changer element in this chili is the crispy jalapeno rings. They don’t add too much heat to the chili since they are seeded prior to breading, but they add so much in terms of texture and flavor!
Honest truth: I could just make the jalapenos as a snack and eat them like candy. They are so unbelievably delicious. Toss them on this chili, and you will be happy food dancing all over your dang kitchen.
Spices for Smoked Chili
My unique and awesome blend of spices makes this chili savory with a good kick of heat. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand before you dive in to making this chili:
- Sea Salt
- Smoked Paprika (Make sure you get the smoked variety. It makes all the difference!)
- Chili Powder
- Black Pepper
- Cumin
- Mexican Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Now, this chili tends to come with a bit of a kick; it’s not a simply, mild chili. I like to call it my “smokin’ hot chili” because it really does have a hit of spice from the mix of seasonings. If you like things a bit more mild, cut the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes in half. If you want even more heat, replace the diced green bell pepper with 2 diced jalapenos (seeds and all).
How to Make Smoked Chili
To make this chili, you need to have access to a grill that can get you to about 225 degrees with some great smoke. I used a simple charcoal grill with soaked apple wood chips to get a nice even heat and slow, steady smoke.
The key to this chili is smoking the meat and veggies first. The seasoned peppers, onions, garlic, and ground beef smoke for 1 hour to infuse them all with nice, smoky flavor.
Once the meat and vegetables are smoked, the chili is prepared like to would any other chili. Combine the beef broth, tomatoes, beans, meat, and veggies in a large pat and cook over medium heat. Simmer the chili for approximately 1 hour.
The final [key] element to making this chili a home run is the jalapeno rings. Slice jalapenos and toss them in flour, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs. Fry the coated jalapenos in hot cooking oil until they are crispy and golden brown. Top your chili with cheese, sour cream, and these fried jalapeno rings, and prepare yourself for an out-of-this-world chili experience!
What to Serve With Smoked Chili?
Congratulations! You’ve made a delicious pot of smoked chili! But what do you serve as side dishes (or desserts)? Whenever I think of chili, I think autumn. These other recipes combined with the smoked chili will make for a perfect fall dinner.
Skillet Cornbread
Best Homemade Coleslaw
And for dessert, this should take the cake (er…I mean, pie?)
Smoked Chili Recipe
Follow the recipe below and let’s make something delicious! I’m all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero. If you want to see more of my recipes, tips, and behind the scenes action, follow along on my social channels. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
Smoked Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ pounds ground beef 80/20
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- sour cream as garnish
- shredded cheddar cheese as garnish
Spice Mixture
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fried Jalapeno Rings
- 4 cups vegetable oil
- 3 jalapenos cored, seeded, and sliced into rings
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your grill or smoker to 225 degrees with thin blue smoke from soaked wood chips or chunks.
- While your grill preheats, prepare your meat and vegetables for smoking. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Evenly spread the onions, peppers, and garlic across the foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Set an elevated cooling rack over the vegetables. Gently spread your ground beef into a large patty, about 1/2 inch thick, and set on the cooling rack.
- In a small bowl. combine all of the spices. Sprinkle liberally over both the vegetables and ground beef. Set the baking pan on the grate of your smoker, close the lid and smoke at 225 for about an hour.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Slowly transfer the vegetables and meat into the pot and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces. Pour in the can of tomatoes, beef broth, and beans.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for an additional hour. Watch the liquid level and stir often to prevent anything from burning to the bottom. If you like your chili to be thicker, you can add 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste. If you like it thinner, you can add more beef broth.
- While the chili is simmering, you can prepare the fried jalapeno rings! Preheat your cooking oil to 375 degrees and set up your breading station.
- Place the flour, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs each in their own bowl. Begin by gently tossing the jalapeno rings in the flour, coating lightly. Then move from the flour to the eggs and stir to coat. Finally, transfer the rings from the eggs to the breadcrumbs and ensure all are coated entirely. From there, fry the jalapeno rings in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain and season with salt.
- Once the chili has simmered and the jalapeno rings are fried, it is time to eat! Serve the chili with sour cream and cheddar cheese as a garnish and top with the fried jalapeno rings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m making this for the 4th time as it is my go to recipe with minor variations. I add diced zucchini squash which gives it an even heartier chili. I’ve also one 3 Chili Cook-Offs using ground turkey instead of ground beef or even using both depending upon the number of people you’re serving. The turkey really holds the flavor of all the spices. Absolutely delicious!!!
I swaped out the ground beef for a well trimmed Tri Tip sliced to 1/2 strips to smoke and it was great! Entered a small chile cookoff and won first place!
I made this with a chuck steak and cubed it instead of ground beef and used fire roasted tomatoes. OMG this is dynamite.
Well, this is a good ‘un. I made this a week ago for a church congregation “chili cook off” after finding the recipe on your site. I honestly didn’t even taste-test it before going to the church but ended up getting voted 1st place out of over 20! Thank you for sharing!
This chili is so flavorful!! It did not win at our neighborhood chili cook off but the winner had a similar taste. Only difference is they used diced up smoked brisket instead of ground beef. The only problem I had with this recipe is it came out very greasy. Is there any way to drain the grease better when it falls onto the veggies because then it all ends up getting put back into the pot when you mix everything.
I don’t elevate the meat Overtop of the veggies. I smoke them side by side.
This is the best chili I’ve ever tried. The chili cook off will be fun this year with this recipe. I did notice that the smoky flavor reduced after several hours of simmering. Next time I’ll follow the one hour simmer direction in your recipe. Thanks again.
Very good recipe! I used deer burger and smoked a few serrano peppers in with the veggies. Thanks for sharing
i’m going to try this tomorrow. instead of pinto and black beans, im going to use a big can of bushes baked beans. also going to use beer instead of beef broth. going to drain the baked beans and combine that juice with the beer to get to 16oz
I see it calls for just one can of pinto beans and one of black beans but the recipe does not specify the size of can. Can someone please clarify??
Easy recipe with amazing results