This over-the-top smoked chili is a regular at my house when the weather cools off, and I want an excuse to fire up the smoker. Seasoned ground beef smokes on a rack right above the pot, soaking up tons of smoke while its drippings fall into a hearty base of beans, tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
When it's done, you chop the beef and stir it in for a rich, smoky chili that's perfect for game day. Top it with shredded cheese and sour cream, and serve it with a skillet of cornbread!
Quick Look
- Time: About 2 hours 10 minutes, mostly hands-off on the smoker
- Key ingredients: 80/20 ground beef, pinto and kidney beans, diced tomatoes, onion, green pepper, beef broth, and a homemade chili seasoning
- Flavor: Smoky and savory with classic chili spices
- Method: Ground beef smoked on a rack over an open pot of chili at 225°F, then chopped and stirred in
- Serve with: Shredded cheese, sour cream, and cornbread
- Make-ahead: Even better the next day, keeps 4 days in the fridge, and freezes for up to 3 months
This is one of the most fun ways to cook for a crowd! Once the pot is on the smoker, there's not much to do besides give it a stir now and then, and the beef perched over the pot always gets people talking. It's a great project for a fall Saturday or a game-day get-together.
If you make it, I'd love to hear how it turns out! Please leave a star rating and a comment at the bottom of the post. Your ratings help other readers find the recipe.
Why this Recipe Works
- Smoke goes straight to the meat - Cooking the beef on a rack instead of in the pot exposes much more of it to the smoke, so it picks up far more flavor than if you smoked the whole pot together.
- The drippings season the base - As the beef cooks, its fat and juices drip right into the beans and tomatoes, adding smoky, beefy flavor to every spoonful.
- One seasoning blend, used twice - A little of the homemade chili seasoning goes on the beef and the rest goes into the base, so the meat and the chili taste like they belong together.
What is Over the Top Chili?
Over-the-top chili, or OTT chili, is a smoker method where the meat cooks on a rack directly above an open pot of chili. The meat absorbs smoke while its drippings fall into the pot below. At the end, you chop the meat and stir it in.
The method is popular with Big Green Egg, Traeger, and other pellet smoker owners. It's believed to have started on a Big Green Egg user forum, and it's been a favorite in smoker Facebook groups ever since.
To set it up, I place a wire rack right on top of the Dutch oven so the beef sits directly over the pot. If your smoker has an upper rack with enough clearance, you can put the beef on that rack instead and slide the pot underneath. Either way, center the beef over the pot so the drippings land in the chili and not on the grill.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: I recommend 85/15 ground beef. It has enough fat to keep the meat from drying out as it smokes, and the drippings add a lot of flavor to the chili. Leaner beef can dry out, and fattier beef can make the chili greasy.
- Beans: I like a mix of pinto and dark red kidney beans. Rinse and drain them first.
- Beef broth: I use Swanson Low Sodium or Zoup! beef broth. The seasoning blend already brings plenty of salt, so starting with low-sodium broth keeps it balanced.
- Chili seasoning: I make my own blend with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. It's easy to mix while the vegetables cook, and you control the salt and heat. You can also swap in your favorite store-bought mix.
- Wood pellets: I usually use a blended pellet, and Pit Boss Competition Blend is my go-to. Hickory, apple, oak, and cherry all work well too.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Over-the-Top Smoked Chili
- Preheat the smoker: Give the smoker time to settle at 225°F so it's putting out thin, clean smoke before the pot goes in.
- Sauté the vegetables: Use a cast iron or other fully oven-safe Dutch oven, since it's going into the smoker. The onion and pepper are ready when they've softened and the onion turns translucent at the edges.
- Make the seasoning: While the vegetables cook, add all of the chili seasoning spices to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Prepare the meat - Shape the ground beef into an oval patty around 1½ inches thick and season the beef on top and bottom with 2 teaspoons of the chili seasoning mix. Place it on a wire baking rack or disposable wire mesh grill topper.
- Build the chili base: Stir everything into the pot. It will look a little thin at this point, and that's okay since the beef drippings and smoke add body as it cooks.
- Smoke the chili: Set the pot on the grate uncovered, place the rack on top, and center the beef over the pot. Smoke for 2 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes. When you stir, work quickly and close the lid so the smoker doesn't lose too much heat.
- Check the beef: It should have a deep, dark crust, and an instant-read thermometer in the center should read 160°F.
- Chop and combine: If a lot of fat has collected on top of the chili, skim some off with a large spoon before the beef goes back in. Then chop the beef into small crumbles and stir it in.
Expert Tips
- Any smoker works: I make this on my Recteq pellet smoker, and after 2 hours at 225°F, the beef is always cooked through. Any smoker that can hold a steady 225°F should work.
- Make cleanup easy: A disposable wire grill topper makes cleanup a breeze, but a wire baking rack or small grill grate works too.
- Keep it warm for a crowd: Once the beef is stirred in, you can turn the smoker down and leave the pot on it to stay warm until you're ready to eat. Just keep the chili above 140°F.
- Adjust the heat at the end: Taste the chili after the beef goes in. That's the best time to add more salt or a pinch of cayenne.
- Skim the fat: If too much fat has collected in your chili, use a large spoon to skim some of the fat off the top before stirring in the meat.
What to Serve with Smoked Chili
I like to top my OTT chili with shredded cheese and sour cream and serve it with a batch of my southern-style cornbread. A simple side salad like my apple walnut salad or my copycat Chick-fil-a kale salad would also make a great addition. And since the smoker's already going, my smoked queso dip makes a great game-day starter.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat your leftovers on the stovetop in a pot set over medium heat, or reheat individual portions in the microwave.
The chili can be cooled, transferred to a freezer-safe container, and frozen for up to 3 months.
Make-Ahead Tips
Chili reheats well, so it's perfect to make ahead. In fact, I think it's better the next day, once the flavors have had more time to come together. Let it cool, refrigerate it overnight, and reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat before serving.
You can also chop the onion and pepper and mix the chili seasoning a day ahead, so all you have to do on cook day is shape the beef and fire up the smoker.
Substitutions & Variations
- Other ground meats: Swap in ground turkey, ground pork, or a blend of ground meats.
- Add sausage: Mix ½ pound of ground chorizo or Italian sausage into the beef before shaping the patty.
- Black beans: Use black beans in place of either can of beans.
- More heat: Add cayenne to the seasoning blend, and cook diced jalapeños with the onion and pepper.
- Smoked paprika: Use smoked paprika in place of regular for an extra layer of smoky flavor.
- Richer base: Stir 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce in with the tomatoes.
- Store-bought chili seasoning: Use a packaged chili mix in place of the homemade blend. Save a couple of teaspoons for the beef and stir the rest into the base.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, leave it uncovered. The open pot catches the drippings from the beef and lets the chili base pick up some smoke too.
Any heavy pot that's fully oven-safe will work, with no plastic handles or knobs. A disposable aluminum pan works too and makes cleanup easier, but you'll need to sauté the vegetables in a skillet first.
If you prefer thicker chili, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of water to create a slurry. Stir the mixture into your chili and cook for another 10 minutes until thickened.
More Chili Recipes
📖 Recipe
Over-the-Top Smoked Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 1½ pounds 85/15 ground beef
- 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
Chili Seasoning Mix
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225℉
- Heat a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Add the diced peppers and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- While the vegetables cook, add all of the chili seasoning spices to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Shape the ground beef into an oval patty about 1½ inches thick and season the beef on top and bottom with 2 teaspoons of the chili seasoning mix. Place it on a wire baking rack or disposable wire mesh grill topper.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, beef broth, and the remaining chili seasoning mix. to the pot and stir to combine.
- Transfer the Dutch oven to your smoker and place the rack with the ground beef over the top of the pot. Smoke for 2 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes.
- Transfer the ground beef to a cutting board and chop the meat, then add the meat to the chili and stir to combine.
Notes
- Ground beef is safe to eat at 160°F. Check the center of the patty with an instant-read thermometer before chopping.
- Hickory, apple, oak, cherry, or a blended pellet like Pit Boss Competition Blend all work well.
- For more heat, add cayenne to the seasoning and diced jalapeños with the onion and pepper.
- Ground turkey, ground pork, or a blend of ground meats can replace the beef.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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