SMOKEN MEATS
Over The Top Chili (OTT Chili)
Prep Time: 15-25 Minutes
Smoke Duration: 4-6 Hours
Feeds: 14-20 People
Heat Intensity: 1/10
INGREDIENTS:
(4) Bell Peppers
(3) Jalapeños
(2) Red Onions
(4) Cans of Black Beans
(3) 32oz of Beef Broth
(2) Small Cans of Tomato Paste
(2) Large Cans of Fire Roasted Tomatoes (Diced)
(3 lbs) of 80/20 Beef
(1 lb) of Pork Sausage
(3) Packets of Kinder's Chili Seasoning
(1 lb) of Bacon
(1/2 Cup) of Worcestershire Sauce
(1 TBSP) of Crushed Black Pepper
(1 TBSP) of Crushed Salt
NOTE: Traditional Over The Top Chili is done with a cast iron/dutch oven. This helps avoid the acidic taste from the tomatoes being in the smoker for so long. However, following this process if you're smoking a lot avoids the acidic taste by adding the tomatoes last to a large pot as you finish prepping everything. This recipe turned out amazing! It was completely gone in 1 day.
BACON:
Start by cooking your bacon first, make it crispy! (Save some of the bacon grease). After words chop it up to your preferred size and set it aside.
SAUTE YOUR VEGETABLES:
Chop up your bell peppers, onions and jalapeños; put them in a pan with your bacon grease. Add your salt and pepper and Sauté everything together on a low/medium heat. (If you have to do this 2x because of the amount of food, that's okay, just repeat the process). They are done when the onions look translucent. Once cooked, add them to your aluminum pans. Add (1) 32oz of beef broth to one pan, and the same to the other. (Assuming you're using two pans). Add 2 cans of beans into each aluminum pan.
- Next, add one can each of tomato paste to your pans, and slowly mix. By this time you should have equal amounts in two pans. DO NOT add your fire roasted tomatoes yet.
PREPPING THE MEAT:
Next, using a large bowl put your beef, sausage, 3 packets of Kinder's chili seasoning and 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce in the bowl altogether. Mix using your hands, make sure everything is well mixed in the bowl.
- Once everything is mixed, empty the bowl of meat and start rounding it using your hands. Make sure it's circular for proper smoke flow (this will help smoke everything to temp evenly).
SETTING YOUR SMOKER:
Prep your smoker. I set mine to 250 degrees using hickory wood.
NOW WE SMOKE:
Put your 4 lbs of beef and pork mix directly onto a lined shelf/tray. Place your tray directly over one of the aluminum pans. This will allow the meat juice to drip into your pan for building a delicious flavor in your smoker. Put the other pan on your secondary shelf/rack to build a smoke flavor as well. Probe your meat so you can keep track of the internal temperature. You'll pull everything when your meat temp reaches 165 degrees internally, (make sure your meat is at the highest point in your smoker, not the bottom). The entire smoke will take 4-6 hours.
FINISHING THE PROCESS:
Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, bring everything inside. Combine the two trays into one large pot, add your chopped bacon, and two large cans of your fire roasted tomatoes. Put your put on the stove and do a very low heat to keep your chili hot, mix everything and cover with a lid (mixing every 5-8 minutes). Once your meat is done resting (about 5 minutes) chop everything up and add to your chili pot and mix everything together. Let it rest on the stove (very low heat) and stir every 10 minutes for about 30-40 minutes.
After 30-40 minutes has passed, serve it up and enjoy! Add some crackers, sour cream, and shredded sharp cheddar for more flavor.