Smoked Chili (Over The Top)

• servings: 10 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large yellow onions (diced)

3 large green bell peppers (seeded, ribs removed, and diced)

3-4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 Tbsp chili powder (plus an additional 1 teaspoon)

2 tsp cumin

28 oz crushed tomatoes

28 oz petite diced tomatoes

15 ½ oz red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

2 ½ pounds (85/15) or (80/20) ground beef (lean beef/percent fat)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning

¼ cup dark chocolate morsels

Directions

Prepare the chili base

On the stovetop, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 6-qt Dutch oven (*see Notes). Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Remove from the heat.

Add the remaining ingredients for the chili base. Set aside.

Prepare the ground beef "loaf"

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Montreal steak seasoning until just combined taking care not to over work the meat.

Form the meat into a loaf without packing too hard. Set aside.

Smoke the chili in a smoker

Prepare the smoker to smoke with hickory wood at a steady 275°F-300°F.

Place the Dutch oven with the chili base, uncovered, on a grill rack.

Place the ground beef "loaf" on a grill grate over the Dutch oven.

Cook 2 hours or until internal temperature of the beef is 150°F.

Break up the meat into small crumbles and add to the chili. Cook an additional 2 hours or until chili is nice and thick. Do not add more wood for smoke.

Remove chili from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Serve as desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 434 kcal
• Total Fat: 22 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 75 mg
• Sodium: 841 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 31 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8 g
• Total Sugars: 13 g
• Protein: 27 g