The Texas BBQ Forum

This may sound weird, but has anyone ever thought of smoking their chili meat before putting it in the chili?

I've heard of roasting the peppers, but not smoking the meat.

I envisioned trying something like a smoked meatloaf and then re-grinding the meat.

I know this would go way away from a traditional chili, but the wife and I competed in a pseudo chili cook-off last year where anything goes and the winners seemed to be the ones that were more original than traditional.

What do ya think leftover PP & Brisket is for?

I've taken the required amount of ground beef and made a huge hamburger patty - put it on the smoker till it was done and crumbled it up with the other chili fixin's. Worked well if smoky chili is what you're after.

Smoky chili is exactly what I'm after

Glad to hear I'm not crazy. Now, to work on a recipe by February's cook-off.

I cook my chili meat in a cast iron skillet in my fire box, not exactly smoked, but still a great flavor.

On smoked chile - I would practice it a bit and see how you like the results -

Just a couple random thoughts for you:

I like smoked meat chile, but in my opinion, too much smoke can really confuse my simple minded taste buds on chile.

Also on anything goes, you may consider beans, I know they are controversial, but at the last unsanctioned event I entered, I had both beans and no beans pots for folks to choose MOST went with beans, Go figure. We won peoples choice.

Controversial or not... I like chili with beans, and since I'm usually stuck eating what's left over (if any), I tend to use beans in mine

Thanks for the added info Gator.

I freeze the brisket drippings for when I want smoked beans or smoked chili, like Gator said dont over do it though.

Hmm... I really like smoked chilli. Maybe I am un-traditional. (I didn't realize chilli had a tradition). I smoke a pork loin and a tri-tip on my smoker till almost done. I then pull the pork and the tri-tip. Add all the ingredients to a cast iron dutch oven. Put the dutch oven back in the smoker with the lid off for another hour to get the smokey flavor throughout my chilli. Last year this chilli came in second place at a superbowl chilli cookoff party that I went to.

i will smoke a extra brisket to cube up for chili meat. and when really hurting for a smoke flavor on other non smoking recipes i do like RWBTEX says with the ice cube drippings. and as always add slowly.
i have noticed that not all drippings ice cubes are created equal. haha!

Yes! Smoked chili!!

I usually take a couple of pounds of briskett, or pork butt and smoke it to about 160 degrees, on a hot smoker (about 275). Takes about 3hrs. I then cube the meat, slow cook the chili in a crock for about 3hrs on high.

Its fantastic!

I found that if you use left over brisket or butt, the meat tends to disolve. Good flavor, but nothing to bite down on...