Smoked Chili

5 from 5 votes

Smoked chili is not your mother's chili. Tender shreds of smoked beef swim in a boldly seasoned sauce loaded with roasted peppers, onions, and beans.

Prep Time10

Cook Time6

Total Time6 10

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 344kcal

Author: Fox Valley Foodie

Ingredients

2 lbs chuck steak (or substitute another smoked meat)
wood chips for smoking
2 medium yellow onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 jalapeno Peppers
1 poblano pepper
4 Garlic cloves (minced)
3 cups Beef Stock unsalted
30 oz canned chili beans
28 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
15 oz. can Tomato Sauce
6 oz. can Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
¾ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup flour
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for serving

Chili Seasoning

1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons Cumin
2 teaspoons Oregano
2 teaspoons Ancho powder (can sub chili powder)
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Place chuck steak in the smoker for 3-4 hours at 250 degrees with your desired flavor of wood for smoking. Keep the vents wide open to avoid a buildup of creosote on the meat, which can make the chili bitter.
Remove meat from smoker and cut into 4-6 large chunks.
Turn your broiler on high and roast the peppers on a baking sheet placed on the upper rack until the skin blisters, rotate and continue to broil until all sides of the pepper has blistered.
Place peppers in a bowl covered with a kitchen towel to allow the skin to loosen and be easily removed. Let sit until the peppers are cool enough to handle then remove and discard the skin and seeds then chop the roasted peppers.
Add cooking oil to a Dutch Oven or soup pot set over medium heat then add chopped onions. Saute until tender and beginning to brown. Add minced garlic and saute for an additional minute.
Add chili seasonings to the pot along with all remaining chili ingredients and the smoked meat. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat.
Let the chili simmer uncovered for 3+ hours, or until the meat is tender and easily shredded with a fork. Add additional liquid while simmering if needed to maintain your desired sauce consistency.
Ladle chili into bowls and top chili with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese.

Notes

The total time needed to cook the chili will vary depending on the size of the chunks of meat simmering and how much they cooked while smoking. Larger chunks of meat will require more time to become tender. This is a good recipe to prepare in advance since the total cook time can vary wildly.

I recommend serving this chili with my Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread recipe!

Nutrition