Melody’s Smoked Over the Top Chili

Name: Melody’s Smoked Over the Top Chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 200 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsps Vegetable Oil; 1 Onion, diced; 1/2 cup Diced chilies or peppers (like hatch or jalapeño or bell peppers); 1 28 oz can Diced tomatoes in juice; 28 oz Water; 1-2 cans Chili beans (brown, kidney, chickpeas... whatever your preference); 1 package Chili seasoning mix; to taste Salt, pepper, garlic; 2 pounds Lean ground beef; 1 tbsp Chili powder; 1/2 tbsp Hatch chili powder; 1 tbsp Salt, pepper, garlic

Chili

Vegetable Oil		2 Tbsps
Onion, diced		1
Diced chilies or peppers (like hatch or jalapeño or bell peppers)		1/2 cup
Diced tomatoes in juice		1 28 oz can
Water		28 oz
Chili beans (brown, kidney, chickpeas... whatever your preference)		1-2 cans
Chili seasoning mix		1 package
Salt, pepper, garlic		to taste

Meat

Lean ground beef		2 pounds
Chili powder		1 tbsp
Hatch chili powder		1/2 tbsp
Salt, pepper, garlic		1 tbsp

There is nothing like a good chili on a cold day. This delicious “smoked over the top chili” is a keeper! Smoked seasoned ground beef cooks in the smoker over the chili before being crumbled into the rich chili base.

Instructions

Heat a large Dutch oven on a stovetop over medium heat until hot. Add onions and chilies and cook until soft.
Add in all the tomatoes, the water, and the chili seasoning mix and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until simmering.
In a large bowl, mix together the meat ingredients, form into a large ball, and place the whole thing on a smoker rack above the chili.
Place the Dutch oven onto your preheated pellet grill at 275^o F. Cook for 45-60 minutes stirring the chili periodically.
Turn the grill up to 325-350^o F and continue cooking until the meat is 145-150^o F degrees.
Place the meat into the chili and break it apart.
Cook another 20 minutes, stirring well, and serve hot.