Dinner
Smoked Over-the-Top Chili with Spicy V8
Once the weather starts moving toward fall, chili is one of the first things that sounds good again. This is the version we make on the pellet smoker. It is a big batch, it has no beans, and instead of browning the ground beef in the bottom of the pot, we smoke the beef above the chili. As it cooks, the drippings fall into the pot underneath. Then we break the smoked beef up, stir it into the chili, and let everything finish together. The other thing that makes our version a little different is Spicy V8. I use a 64-oz bottle of Spicy V8 in the chili base along with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapeños, and Kinder's chili seasoning. It is simple, smoky, a little spicy, and exactly the kind of meal we want once cooler evenings start showing up.
Why we start the chili on the stove
Before anything goes on the smoker, I make the chili base on the stove. I do not like putting all of the ingredients into the pot cold and hoping they come together while they smoke. Starting it on the stove gives the onions and jalapeños time to soften and lets the tomato, V8, garlic, and seasonings start cooking together. It only needs a short simmer. Once the base tastes like chili instead of separate ingredients, the whole pot goes onto the smoker.
The beef goes over the top
The ground beef is seasoned separately from the chili. I mix it with finely diced onion, garlic seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. There is no chili seasoning mixed into the meat itself. Then I divide the beef into three large loose rounds. The chili pot sits underneath the rack and the beef sits directly above it. That is where the “over-the-top” part comes from. As the beef cooks, the smoke hits the meat while the drippings fall into the chili underneath.
Breaking the smoked beef into the chili
Once the outside of the beef has a deep smoked crust, we pull it off the rack, break it into large crumbles, and stir it right into the chili. The pot goes back on the smoker for another half hour to an hour so the beef finishes cooking through and the chili thickens up.
How spicy is it?
This chili definitely has some heat, but I would not call it painfully hot. There are three jalapeños, Spicy V8, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a large pot. For us, that gives it enough heat to taste like chili without overwhelming everything else. Jalapeños vary quite a bit, so it is worth tasting as you go. If your family prefers mild chili, reduce the cayenne and crushed red pepper first. If you like it hotter, those are also the easiest ingredients to increase.
Why we use Spicy V8
Spicy V8 does two things for this chili. First, it gives us plenty of tomato liquid without watering the chili down with plain broth. Second, it adds another layer of seasoning and mild heat. I usually keep some tomato juice in chili anyway, so using Spicy V8 makes sense for the way we cook it. If the chili gets too thick while it finishes on the smoker, it is also what I use to loosen it back up.
What we serve with it
We usually keep chili night simple. Set out whatever your family likes with chili — shredded cheese, crackers, corn chips, sour cream, chopped onion, or jalapeños — and let everyone build their own bowl.
What I've learned
Over-the-top chili sounds more complicated than it really is. Most of the work is still just making a pot of chili. The difference is that instead of browning the ground beef on the stove, we let the smoker do that part while the chili cooks underneath. Starting the base on the stove first is still worth the extra few minutes to me. The onions soften, the seasonings come together, and by the time the pot goes onto the smoker, it already tastes like chili. Then the smoke and beef drippings take it the rest of the way. It is one of those meals that fits the pellet smoker especially well once the weather starts cooling down.
What we use
Our Pit Boss Competition Series pellet smoker, a Dutch oven that is safe to use on the smoker, and an instant-read meat thermometer to check that the beef reaches 160°F. You can find the rest of the tools and products we actually use on our Favorites page.
Printable Recipe Card
Smoked Over-the-Top Chili with Spicy V8
Prep: 20 min • Stovetop: 15–20 min • Smoker: about 2½–3 hr at 250°F
Ingredients
- FOR THE BEEF
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 small onion, very finely diced
- 1 to 1½ tsp garlic seasoning
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- FOR THE CHILI BASE
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 jalapeños, diced
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 (64-oz) bottle Spicy V8
- 2 packets Kinder's Chili Seasoning
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Yield: one large pot, about 8–10 servings
Instructions
- 1Preheat the pellet smoker to 250°F.
- 2Start the chili base on the stove. In a large Dutch oven or smoker-safe pot, cook the diced onion and jalapeños over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook briefly, just until fragrant.
- 3Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, entire bottle of Spicy V8, both packets of Kinder's Chili Seasoning, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
- 4Let the chili base simmer on the stove for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The goal is not to completely cook the chili — you simply want the onions and jalapeños softened and the tomato, V8, and seasonings cooked together enough that the flavors begin to come together.
- 5While the base simmers, prepare the beef. Combine the ground beef, finely diced onion, garlic seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Mix gently and do not overwork the meat.
- 6Divide the beef mixture into three large loose rounds.
- 7Transfer the chili pot to the smoker and place it underneath the smoker rack. Position the three beef rounds on the rack directly above the pot so the drippings fall into the chili.
- 8Smoke at 250°F until the centers of the beef rounds reach 160°F, usually about 2 hours depending on the smoker and the size of the rounds. The outside should also have developed a deep smoked crust.
- 9Remove the beef from the rack and break it into large crumbles. Stir the smoked beef directly into the chili base.
- 10Return the pot to the smoker and continue cooking for another 30–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened to the consistency you like and the flavors have come together.
- 11Taste and adjust salt, black pepper, cayenne, or crushed red pepper if needed.
NO BEANS
Do not add beans. This is intentionally a no-bean chili.
Helpful Tips
Start the base on the stove — the few extra minutes get the onions and jalapeños softened before the pot ever hits the smoker.
Keep the beef rounds loose rather than packed tight so more surface picks up smoke.
Check the centers of the beef rounds with an instant-read thermometer before crumbling them into the chili; ground beef should reach 160°F.
Jalapeño heat varies, so taste before you add more cayenne or crushed red pepper.
Products Used
- Pit Boss Competition Series pellet smoker
- Dutch oven or smoker-safe pot
- Instant-read meat thermometer
