Make Over the Top Smoked Chili for a unique way to cook a delicious chili recipe. This chili taste amazing and is made with simple ingredients.
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This Smoked Chili is loaded with delicious smoky flavor and made with easy ingredients. It is loaded with meat, beans, and simple seasoning. Add your favorite toppings for a delicious smoke flavor chili.
Add your favorite chili sides and serve for a delicious weekend meal. You will never make chili any other way. You may love this Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe for another delicious smoker recipe.
Table of Contents
What is Over the Top Smoked Chili?
Over the top smoked chili gets its unique name because the ground beef loaf cooks over the chili in the smoker.
Then the cook meat is chopped in bite size pieces and mixed with cooked chili. It is meaty, delicious and one of our favorite chili recipes.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe in the recipe card.
Variations Ideas
- Change Meat – Feel free use to different types of beef. Use chili meat, ground chuck, or ground beef to over the top smoked chili recipe.
- Dark Red Kidney Beans – Feel free to change the beans to what you prefer. Use black beans, pinto beans, or chili beans to add to your chili.
- Seasoning – You can use a chili seasoning blend if you prefer. But you can also add in seasoning separately. Add in paprika, tablespoon chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
- Spicy – If you prefer a little extra kick in the chili add in a cayenne pepper.
- Beef Broth – Instead of using water use beef broth for added flavor.
How to Make Over the Top Smoked Chili
- Step 1 – Heat Smoker – Preheat a smoker to 225 degrees F with a water pan. Add your favorite wood chips. We used hickory wood.
Step 2 – Heat Oil – Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat on the stovetop.
Step 3 – Cook Veggies – Add in the onions, bell pepper and jalapeños and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
Step 4 – Add in Garlic – Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until the garlic is aromatic.
Step 5 – Mix in Chili Ingredients – Stir in the remaining chili base ingredients. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and then remove from the heat.
Step 6 – Stir in Beef – In a separate bowl, stir together the ground beef loaf ingredients. Mix with your hands and form the mixture into a loaf (like a meatloaf).
Step 7 – Place Ground Beef – Place a wire rack over the dutch oven and place the ground beef loaf on top. Then move to the smoker and smoke for 2-2 ½ hours over indirect heat
Step 8 – Remove – Carefully remove the chili base and ground beef loaf from the smoker. Place the smoked ground beef loaf into a shallow bowl or pan. Use a meat masher to break up the beef into pieces.
Step 9 – Stir into Chili – Stir the broken up beef into the chili base. Then the chili is ready to serve with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Heat Smoker – Prepare smoker before placing the meat and chili into the smoker. Make sure use a pot that is safe to cook in the smoker.
- Ground Beef Loaf – Combine the ground beef with seasoning and shape into a loaf. Then place in the smoker to cook.
- Smoking – Smoke the meatloaf and chili until everything is cooked. Cooking time will vary in your big green egg or pellet grill.
Serving Suggestions
This chili recipe is a complete meal so I like to serve with sides that are simple and easy to make. These are some easy suggestions.
- Tortilla Chips – Serve this chili with tortilla chips and Frito Chips.
- Cornbread – I love to serve chili with cornbread crumbled on top or served with butter.
- Cheese and Crackers – I love to serve slice cheddar cheese and crackers with this chili. The combination makes the best fall soup idea.
Topping Ideas
This chili is great with many different toppings and these are my favorites.
- Slice Jalapenos
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Crushed Crackers
- Diced Green Onions
- Slice Avocado
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using a hickory wood to smoke chili. But you can use an oak wood chips for even more flavor.
Store the over the top chili smoker recipe leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Place in the Refrigerator or freeze if you want your leftovers last longer.
We like to reheat on the stovetop but you can also reheat in the microwave until heated through.
More Easy Smoked Recipes
If you make this smoked over the top chili recipe, please leave us a comment. We love hearing from you.
Over the Top Smoked Chili
Ingredients
For the Ground Beef Loaf:
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Chili Seasoning
For the Chili Base:
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion Finely diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Finely diced
- 2 Jalapeños deseeded and finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles 10 ounces each
- 1 can Tomato Sauce 14 ounces
- 1 cup Water
- 4 Tablespoons Chili Seasoning
- 2 cans Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Preheat a smoker to 225 degrees F with a water pan.
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat on the stovetop.
- Add in the onions, bell pepper and jalapeños and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until the garlic is aromatic.
- Stir in the remaining chili base ingredients. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and then remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the ground beef loaf ingredients with your heads and form the mixture into a loaf (like a meatloaf).
- Place a wire rack over the dutch oven and place the ground beef loaf on top.
- Then move to the smoker and smoke for 2-2 ½ hours until the ground beef loaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Carefully remove the chili base and ground beef loaf from the smoker.
- Place the ground beef loaf into a shallow bowl or pan. Use a meat masher to break up the beef into pieces.
- Stir the broken up beef into the chili base.
- Then the chili is ready to serve with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!
