Smoked Chili, also known as Over the Top (OTT), is the BEST chili you will taste in your life. Smoked ground beef mixed into a perfect blend of classic chili ingredients, all cooked in the Big Green Egg or electric smoker. Then a secret ingredient is the finishing touch that sends the depth of flavor over the moon.
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT250M
Total time: PT265M
4.81 stars (77 reviews)
OTT chili, over the top chili, smoked chili, smoked ground beef
- On the stovetop, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 6-qt Dutch oven (*see Notes). Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Remove from the heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the chili base. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Montreal steak seasoning until just combined taking care not to over work the meat.
- Form the meat into a loaf without packing too hard. Set aside.
- Prepare the Big Green Egg to smoke with hickory wood at a steady 275°F-300°F with a plate setter inserted for indirect cooking, legs up.
- Place a grill grate on the plate setter. Place the Dutch oven with the chili base, uncovered, on the grill rack.
- Place another grill rack on the Dutch oven (alternatively, use the BGE extender kit for a second rack over the Dutch oven), and place the ground beef "loaf" on that.
- Cook 2 hours or until internal temperature of the beef is 150°F.
- Break up the meat into small crumbles and add to the chili. Cook an additional 2 hours or until chili is nice and thick. Do not add more wood for smoke.
- Remove chili from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Serve as desired.
- Prepare the electric smoker to smoke with hickory wood at a steady 275°F-300°F.
- Place the Dutch oven with the chili base, uncovered, on a grill rack.
- Place the ground beef "loaf" on a grill grate over the Dutch oven.
- Cook 2 hours or until internal temperature of the beef is 150°F.
- Break up the meat into small crumbles and add to the chili. Cook an additional 2 hours or until chili is nice and thick. Do not add more wood for smoke.
- Remove chili from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Serve as desired.