Not only is this a tasty smoked chili recipe, but Over The Top Chili is also crazy fun to make! Instead of browning the beef and simmering it in the chili, this crazy good recipe is made by smoking the beef and the chili separately! The results are outstandingly delicious, and this is easily my favorite Traeger chili recipe. Hungry? Read on and I’ll tell you all you need to know to make this amazing chili recipe!
This post may contain affiliate link(s). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure.
This flavor-packed chili is everything chili should be: it’s meaty, thick, robust, and loaded with tender chunks of beef and beans. But the best part is the smoke flavor that makes it so much more flavorful! You might also see it called OTT Chili, but however you call it, it’s delish!
What You Need to Make Over The Top Chili
I make this Traeger chili recipe on my pellet grill/smoker, but you can do it on any smoker. I dare you to say it’s not one of the best chili recipes out there!
- Traeger pellet grill/smoker
- Hardwood pellets or your favorite blend
- Digital meat thermometer
- Ground beef – 80/20 is fine, but don’t go too lean! Leaner beef will make the chili dry and lack flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds umami depth; soy sauce is a safe substitute if needed.
- Montreal Steak Seasoning – Adds bold, peppery flavor. If you don’t have it, use a mix of coarse black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Olive oil – Use regular olive oil, not extra virgin. Extra virgin can taste bitter at high heat.
- Yellow Onion – I usually use yellow onions; white onions are fine too.
- Bell peppers – Any color works; green adds a slightly bitter edge, red or orange add sweetness.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is best for maximum flavor; jarlic can taste bitter.
- Chili powder – Adjust to taste; mild chili powder is fine if you don’t want too much heat.
- Chipotle powder – Adds smoky heat; start small and increase if desired.
- Ground cumin – A little goes a long way. Too much cumin will overpower the chili.
- Crushed tomatoes – Use canned crushed tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes won’t break down the same way.
- Diced tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes work best. Don’t drain them—the juice adds flavor.
- Diced green chilis – Adds mild heat and flavor balance; canned green chilis work consistently.
- Canned beans – (1-2 cans); Kidney beans, black beans, or pinto beans all work. Rinse and drain them well or the liquid will make the chili cloudy (see notes below).
- Tomato paste – Adds rich tomato flavor and thickens the chili base; double‑concentrated works as a safe tweak.
- Beef broth or beef stock – Low‑ or no‑sodium broth is best so you can control the salt level.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste; I cook with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to Make Over The Top Chili Recipe
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”dkcbeWF0″ upload-date=”2022-11-06T00:00:00.000Z” name=”Over The Top Chili” description=”This fun to make and delish to eat Over The Top Chili is a show-stopping recipe! Kissed by smoke and with beefy goodness, it’s a winner!” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Start by mixing the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning in a large bowl. If you do not have that seasoning, you can use ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead. I like using a Danish dough whisk for mixing ground meat because it blends everything together quickly without overworking the beef.
Form the meat mixture into one giant meatball, then flatten it slightly while keeping it nice and thick. This big beef patty will sit above the chili while it cooks so all those flavorful drippings fall right into the pot.
In a large cast iron skillet or enameled Dutch oven, sauté the onions, garlic, and bell pepper in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions turn soft and translucent. A heavy Dutch oven works beautifully here because it holds steady heat and can go straight onto the smoker.
Add the spices to the sautéed vegetables and cook for another minute until fragrant. This quick step helps wake up the spices and gives the chili deeper flavor.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, diced chiles, drained beans, tomato paste, and beef broth. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer and season with salt. I like using a flat-edged wooden spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot and make sure nothing sticks.
Now for the fun part. Preheat your Traeger or pellet smoker to 225°F.
Place the pot of chili on the lower rack of the smoker. Position the giant flattened beef patty on the rack directly above the chili so the drippings fall right into the pot. This is what gives Over The Top Chili its incredible smoky, beefy flavor.
Cook at 225°F for about 1 hour. Then increase the heat to 325°F and continue cooking for another 40 to 60 minutes, or until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. A wireless meat probe thermometer makes this step easy because you can monitor the temperature without opening the smoker.
Stir the chili every 30 to 40 minutes. If it gets too thick, add up to 1 cup of warm beef broth. I like heating the broth in an electric kettle first so it blends in without lowering the temperature of the chili.
To Assemble Over The Top Chili
When the beef is fully cooked, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for about 10 minutes so it is easier to handle.
Break the beef apart using your hands or a set of meat shredding claws, then add the chopped meat back into the pot of chili. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning.
Ladle the chili into bowls and serve it hot. This smoky, hearty chili is perfect on its own or topped with your favorite chili fixings. Enjoy every rich and beefy bite.
How To Garnish Your Chili
This amazing chili recipe is perfect on its own, but the following are some of my favorite toppings. Set it up as a make-your-own chili bar, or just add what you like before digging in!
- Cheddar cheese
- Pepperjack cheese
- Fresh or pickled jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Crushed tortilla chips or corn chips
- Chipotle powder for extra kick
What Beans Should I Use?
Everybody has their favorite beans in chili. Many chilis are made with red kidney beans, but the following are all good options:
- Kidney beans
- Pinto beans
- Black beans
- Cannellini (Northern beans)
But my personal favorite is a can of mixed beans. It comes with chickpeas, pinto and kidney beans, and even some Cannellini beans. I love the diversity of beans. Whatever you use, just be sure to drain and rinse the beans before adding them
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t overcook the beef! If it stalls and you’re worried about it drying out, you can pull it off around 140-F and crumble it into the chili then bring the chili back to a simmer to fully cook the beef.
- Drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot
- I use a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven for this recipe. It can take a beating on the smoker and holds the heat forever.
- No second shelf in your smoker? Position a rack over the chili pot – it’ll do the same thing!
- Like it spicy? Add a full teaspoon of chipotle powder or jazz it up with some hot chili pepper flakes. Or, swap out the green chilis for jalapeno peppers or cayenne pepper.
What To Serve With Over The Top Chili
This amazing chili is just fine all on it’s own – grab a spoon and a big bowlful and dig in! But it also pairs perfectly with a crisp salad, or a green veg like Smoked Asparagus. Make a feast of your meal and use the extra room on the smoker for Smoked Queso!
Can I Freeze Smoked Chili?
This chili recipe makes a fairy big batch – enough for 8-10 hearty appetites. But yes, it does freeze amazingly well, and like most chilis, it benefits from being tastier the second time around!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you can control the temperature then set it for 225-F for one hour, then 325-F until the beef is cooked through. If controlling the temperature isn’t so easy, just cook it low and slow until the beef hits 165-F, then proceed with the recipe.
Yes! This chili is plenty chunky and if you don’t like the beans, just skip them!
Chipotle powder! Not only has it got a nice level of spice to it, but it is smoky so it really adds a nice level of smoky heat to this recipe. And, you can even add more at the table if you like it spicier than your guests.
Over The Top Chili
Add Preferred SourceIngredients
- 2 pounds ground beef 80/20
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
For the chili
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 14.5 ounce canned beans drained and rinsed
- 4.5 ounce canned diced chilis
- 2 tablepsoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Form the meat mixture into a giant meatball, then flatten it down a wee bit but leave it quite thick.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sautee the onions, garlic, and bell pepper for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the spices to the sauteed veg and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, diced chilis, drained and rinsed canned beans, tomato paste, and beef broth to the veggies. Bring this up to a simmer. Season with the salt.
- Fire up your Traeger or pellet smoker to 225-F.
- Put the chili on the bottom rack of your smoker, and position the giant beef flattened meatball on the rack above the chili, placing it directly ABOVE the chili pot so that all the beef drippings go into the chili.
- Cook it at 225-F for about an hour, then turn the heat up to 325-F and cook for an additional 40-60 minutes or until the beef comes to an internal temperature of 165-F. Use your probe or digital meat thermometer to check the temperature.
- Stir the chili every 30-40 minutes, and if it starts to get too thick, add up to 1 cup of beef broth a bit at a time so it doesn't get too runny. Heat the broth first so you don't drop the temperature of the chili.
To assemble the chili:
- Set the giant beef patty to the side to cook for 10 minutes or until you can easily handle it.
- Using your hands or meat shredders, chop up the ground beef and add it to the the pot of chili.
- Mix it all together, adjust the seasoning, and dig in!
Video
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
Wow! This chili looks and sounds absolutely amazing!
We tried this chili on our Traeger and it was fantastic. Thanks for a great recipe!
I can see where the chili gets its title name its the best chili and over the top for sure!
I love all of the spices you added to this chili! It made it super flavorful and hearty, and my family absolutely loved it!
Smoking the nerf separately is a real game changer! What a delicious chili recipe!
Oil and salt are in the description in this post, but missing in the actual recipe.
The oil is used to sautee the veggies for the chili base, and you season it with the salt before popping it onto the Traeger. Adjust the seasoning before serving. Hope that helps! ~Jenn
Suggest you use black eyed peas instead of beans!
Great suggestion – I bet they’d be tasty in this chili! ~Jenn