SMOKED CHILI! Finally a technique that yields BGE flavors in my bowl.

Botch · January 2017

KiterTodd said:

herbu said:

Looks great! I simply make hamburger patties and cook them like hamburgers. Then crumble them into the pot. Same w/ sausage and bacon.

That sounds much simpler! But probably yields similar results.

I would think the giant meat loaf sits up there longer and can absorb more smoke, but heck...hamburgers over chili, brilliant!

There's an interesting puzzle here.
[geek:] A large single meatball will absorb more smoke over time because it takes longer to cook, but a bunch of hamburgers will have a much higher surface-to-volume ratio, allowing them to collect smoke over a larger total area. Plus, its been said that most smoke is collected by meat at the start of a cook, when the cold meat causes more condensation.
Which one collects the most/best smoke flavor? I dunno. But, a dozen burgers will probably cook much quicker than a single Godzilla-meatball, so there's that. [/geek]

Rather than play with the math, maybe I'll just schedule two chili weekends and do a taste test between them.

KiterTodd · January 2017

@Botch I think you're on to something there. Good point.

I also like the @Ladeback69 was able to cut the time more than in half and still get good results.

Fun stuff!

Budgeezer · January 2017

Looks great. I hope to give this technique a try using the Cow Lick Chili ingredient list.

grillman14 · January 2017

Worlds Greatest AND EASIEST Big Green Egg Chili Recipe

1 Can Red Kidney Beans

1 Can Chili Ready beans with sauce (heat depending)

1 Can Diced tomatoes w Onion & Garlic

1 Can Stewed Tomatoes (or stay with diced and more veggies)

1 Tomato paste (small can)

3 Lbs Ground beef (90-10 preferably) Drain grease…

½ bottle Big Green Egg Vidalia Onion Sriracha sauce THIS IS A MUST HAVE!!

Big Green Egg Viva Caliente or Chili powder (sprinkle in to taste)

Set up BGE direct at 400 and use your Dutch oven to brown the beef, once it is good and brown remove from fire. Add all ingredients in the oven and remove grid and add 3 BIG handfuls of Jack Daniels chips (½ Bag…) directly to fire, replace grid and add the oven,( DO NOT PUT THE LID ON THE OVEN!! ) close the dome and shut your top daisy wheel to keep all the smoke in the dome. Do not open lid for at least 15 min., stir occasionally and bring to a boil….. ENJOY!!

This recipe usually I can do in 30-45 minutes tops...

Txnfireman · January 2017

As a new member and first time poster here this thread has really caught my eye. I think some variation of this will be on the menu for me Sunday.

deadlyfrog · January 2017

@KiterTodd Thanks for sharing the pics and recipe. Looks awesome and with a new twist. Going to give a try for Super Bowl!

grillman14 · January 2017

kingsmoke · January 2017

Gotta try it. Going with smaller giant meatballs

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/a9/0goytt9facg7.jpg

KiterTodd · January 2017

deadlyfrog said:

@KiterTodd Thanks for sharing the pics and recipe. Looks awesome and with a new twist. Going to give a try for Super Bowl!

@deadlyfrog how did it turn out?

What about yours @grillman14 and @kingsmoke ??

Ahhh....fresh cooked meat stuff on the grill. I just put on a shoulder myself and was curious how your chilis turned out.

grillman14 · January 2017

KiterTodd
I use this recipe all the time and it stop people in their tracks, It is so simple and easy to do... I have won chili contests with this...I have also done a NO bean chili and just used tomatoes and it is still OUTSTANDING ... The BGE Sauce is the secret ingredient!!

kingsmoke · January 2017

turned out really good . great meat flavor . struggled a bit to skim the meat fat off the the top of the chili tho . very good anyways . I will make it again . Made bbq pulled pork chili this weekend . started out with 10# pork butt , turbo style . Added it to the rest of the ingredients after I pulled it . think that turned out even better.

KiterTodd · January 2017

kingsmoke said:

turned out really good . great meat flavor . struggled a bit to skim the meat fat off the the top of the chili tho . very good anyways . I will make it again ...

I brought the pot inside at the end of the cook. Did not have it on heat.
I used a shallow metal serving spoon that I'd dip in the pot, level, to get the fat off. Works very well. If you don't have a good technique just spoon it all in a gravy separator, let it settle, and poor the good stuff back in the pot.

Glad it was good all the same, and that pork butt chili...must have been outstanding!

grillman14 · January 2017

kingsmoke... use a strainer after the beef is browned and before you add the other ingredients... pour into the tomatoe cans....very easy and more efficient..

Carlyn2828 · January 2017

Got second place with this chili! Didn't follow a specific recipe. Also, forgot to take more pics. Turned out great though and pretty easy to make.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/xj/ivp4w0i7dl89.jpg

KiterTodd · January 2017

Carlyn2828 said:

Got second place with this chili! Didn't follow a specific recipe. Also, forgot to take more pics. Turned out great though and pretty easy to make.

Nice butt cheeks!

Congrats on placing. Well done.

Carlyn2828 · January 2017

Lol! @KiterTodd Thanks!

MattBTI · January 2017

I'm looking to do something similar this weekend. The only variable that we're going to change on the method is set up a drip pan below the meat.

Ladeback69 · January 2017

MattBTI said:

I'm looking to do something similar this weekend. The only variable that we're going to change on the method is set up a drip pan below the meat.

I thought about doing that, but I like getting some of the flavor from the fat of the meat as it cooks. I guess you could add some in when you put the meat in the chili.

KiterTodd · January 2017

MattBTI said:

I'm looking to do something similar this weekend. The only variable that we're going to change on the method is set up a drip pan below the meat.

Nahhhhh, what's the point of that? You might as well just cook the pot on the stove then and smoke the meatball seperate. The whole point is not only does the meatball smoke, all the juice drips in the chili!!! No waste.

Plus it just looks absolutely ridiculous which adds to the fun factor.

Yes, yes...in addition to juice, that fat drips in there. I actually didn't notice much fat though, until after I had broken up all the meat and placed it back in the pot, and let it cook another hour. If you don't like it, though, it's easy to skim off. It was a non-issue, really. As soon as you bring the pot in the house and it stops simmering, all the fat rises to the top and you can remove it.

That's what I did. I know many of the folks on the forum will just mix it in and call it flavor! I've seen more than a few cooking shows where they don't even poor the fat off when they brown the meat using the normal stovetop method.

Budaman5000 · January 2017

Oh wow that looks fantastic....

Budgeezer · January 2017

Gave it a run last weekend using the cow lick recipe. Turned out great.

w

Smokin_Dave · May 2019

This concept seems perfect for a chili-egghead like me. I have one small suggestion to enhance the flavor of the spices prior to adding to the meatball. Saute the spices in small amount of oil to "bloom" them. This trick has been used by Indian and other cooks for thousands of years because the raw spices can't quite hit their stride when cooked only at the lower temps inside the ball. I'm definitely trying this and the blooming idea to make my next chili. And I also love the chorizo addition. I always like to use that. For others not familiar with chorizo, do not use the Spanish cooked chorizo. This is the uncooked Mexican style and is like a loose, raw, spiced up sausage, not like a pepperoni stick. Spanish chorizo is a very different thing and more common in my area that the raw Mexican type. Low and slow with boneless, trimmed pork ribs adds a nice texture too in place of hamburger as an option. I love me a new way to make chili!

ChrisgrillsSTLMO · December 2021

Greetings- This recipe had gotten lost in my bookmarks, but this week I was tasked with making chili and recovered it much to everyone’s (well, me and SWMBO) delight. I scaled the volume back a little since it was just the two and used Guerra’s seasoning rather than making my own. http://www.guerras.com/

Pic of monster meatball.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/vs/1aw0uutj2xdt.jpeg

Back on the egg for about 45 min. Used some cherry chunks for fun, here it is after breaking up the meatball.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ne/x0kuhyenmwyu.jpeg

Just delicious. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Holidays!

Cheers,

Elijah · February 2022

@KiterTodd where'd you go? Making a version of this tonight

Mark_B_Good · February 2022

Yeah, you can't beat the giant meatball chili recipe, it's great. Just need to ensure you have enough chili sauce for all that meat, otherwise it becomes way too thick ... which is exactly the minor mistake I made with the last cook. So next time, I've got the meat to chili ratio down packed (I'll double the amount of chili sauce for the same amount of meat).

Hoster05 · February 2022

Made a prime brisket yesterday. Took the trimmings from that brisket and ran them through the grinder to make the giant meatball. Smoked at 275 over the rest of the chili until IT was 150. Broke the meatball up and added to the chili. Also took about a half pound of leftover brisket and chopped that up to add to the chili. This was an excellent cook accompanied by sourdough focaccia.

SMOKED CHILI! Finally a technique that yields BGE flavors in my bowl.

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