Smoked Texas Chili is amazing. It’s life changing. The first time I added smoked meat and onions to my chili, I was bowled over at the difference it made. You have to try it!
Smoked Texas Chili Backstory
There are three main sources for this recipe. Many years ago, I started making my own chili rather than buy it in a can (I know, I know). I started with sort of the classic home made chili recipe involving ground beef, onions, some basic dry seasonings, tomatoes, and beans (I know, I know). That evolved some over time, including that I learned to use fresh garlic, not garlic powder, and I started cooking my own beans, not buying them in a can. About that time, the Internet got to be a big deal and I was getting ideas off the internet, which is when I switched from ground beef to stew meat. Better, but still not great. At some point, I found Amazing Ribs, but I was really only using it for ribs, rubs, and sauces. One day, poking around, I discovered that Meathead had a Texas Chili recipe and it called for smoking the meat and onion!
I added that twist into my recipe and had already dumped the beans not long before. But I still wanted some crunch in there, so I added diced carrots. Yes, I know, that’s just wrong and all Texas Chili purists will denounce me. But I like it. I leave the carrots out of the recipe, but feel free to add them in to see what I mean. If you do, add the diced carrots right at the end and cook an additional 10 minutes after adding them.
Notes
A few quick notes. First, the chuck roast (and it’s fat) makes a big difference. Don’t try to go lean meat from stew meat or the top round or whatever. This is chili, not white chicken chili. It’s supposed to be big, hearty, bold, and have lots of beef flavor going on.
The wine should be rustic, a chianti or rioja is a great idea. The beef stock, ideally, is home made. If not, buy good quality beef stock or bone broth.
The first time, make it with all of my ingredients. After that, you can start swapping out and substituting and modifying. This chili is moderately spicy, not mild and not melt your face hot.
We are going to dry brine the chuck roast to enhance flavor and tenderness. This is a basic method you should use for all beef. See my post on Dry Brining.
Serve with
Crusty bread, green salad, corn bread, rice, and all the usual chili toppings (if you insist): shredded cheese, sour cream, avocados, tortilla chips, diced white onion, etc. Personally, I like chili all by itself, no toppings, a small green salad, and a Shiner Bock. Or a glass of the wine you used to cook the chili.
Special tools
A grill or smoker to smoke the meat and onion. You don’t have to do this, but it makes a huge difference.
Dutch oven, enameled or cast iron, for cooking the chili
Good instant read thermometer for checking meat temp.
What It Looks Like Cooking
Getting the right ingredients together 
Browning the Chuck without crowding 
Everything is in the pot and starting to cook 
Chili is very close to finished 
Chili served with a green salad, bread, and wine
Life Changing: Smoked Texas Chili
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Recipe by Eric Course: Soups, Stews, ChilisCuisine: TexasDifficulty: Easy
Servings
8
servings
Prep time
20
minutes
Cooking time
3
hours
Calories
510
kcal
Time on Smoker
2
hours
Dry Brine Time
24
hours
Total time
5
hours
20
minutes
This is Smoked Texas Chili. There are no beans. Just meat, onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes. And smoke. And tons of layers of flavor.
Ingredients
Smoked Chuck Roast and Onion
1 medium onion, cut in quarters, root end on
1 chuck roast – 2.5 to 3 lbs
1 1/2 tsp Morton’s kosher salt
2 tbsp Eric’s Beef Rub (2 tsp per pound of chuck roast. There 3 tsp in a tbsp)
For The Chili
1 chuck roast, smoked
1 medium onion, smoked
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb bacon
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 serrano pepper, deseeded, diced
1 red bell pepper, deseeded, diced
2 tbsp chili powder – American or Ancho
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 can diced tomatoes OR 1 lb tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
1 oz dark chocolate
2 cups red wine – Chianti, Rioja, or similar rustic red
3 cups beef stock – preferably you made it. If not, get good quality bone broth
20 whole tortilla chips, crushed
Method
Dry Brine
Liberally cover the chuck roast with the kosher salt, 1/2 tsp per pound of meat
Place chuck roast on a tray or plate in refrigerator for at least one hour, preferably 24 hours
Smoke chuck roast and onion
Prepare smoker/grill for 2 zone cooking. Indirect zone should be 250F. Add a chunk of wood to your fire if using charcoal or gas grill, preferably some sort of oak.
Remove dry outer skin of onion, cut into quarters. Leave the basal plate (where the roots are) on the onion quarters so they don’t fall apart on you
Liberally rub the chuck roast with Eric’s Beef Rub – about 2 tsp per pound
Put chuck roast and onion on indirect to smoke.
Remove onion after 30 minutes
Remove chuck roast when internal temp is 150F, about 2 hours
Cooking The Chili
Cut chuck roast into 1″ cubes (roughly), removing large fat chunks and gristle
Rough chop the onion
Dice bacon into lardons (about 1/4″ on a side)
Mince or crush the garlic cloves
De-seed and dice the serrano and bell pepper
If using fresh tomatoes, peel and dice
Cook bacon in dutch oven, over medium low heat, until fat is well rendered and bacon is starting to get crisp. Reserve bacon
Increase heat to medium high and brown the chuck roast in the bacon fat, working in batches, until all meat is browned on all sides.
Do not crowd the meat. Reserve the chuck with the bacon
Reduce heat back to medium low, add olive oil and allow heat to settle.
Add onion, serrano, bell pepper to the pot and cook until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes
Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute
Add cumin and chili powder and cook about 30 seconds, stirring into the rest of the onions, peppers and garlic.
Immediately deglaze with half the red wine, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon
Now add the beef, bacon, tomatoes, lime juice, beef stock, remaining wine, chocolate, and crushed tortilla chips into the pot
Stir everything together well, make sure the meat is barely covered with liquid. Add water or stock to fully cover.
Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce to a very bare simmer with cover on.
Simmer chili for about 3 hours, until the beef is cooked and tender, but not falling apart.
While cooking, if the chili is getting too thick, add some more wine, stock, or water. If it is not thick enough, add a few more crushed up tortilla chips
At the end of 2 hours, start checking for flavor. You may need salt to taste.
When meat is tender and chili is thickened properly, cover and remove from heat
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to add any preferred toppings, such as avocado, raw onion, shredded cheese, diced jalapeño, tortilla strips, and so on.
Can be served over rice, if desired
Goes well with corn bread, crusty French bread, green salad
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per container
Amount Per ServingCalories510
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 100mg 34%
Sodium 457mg 20%
Potassium 112mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 5g
Protein 30g 60%
Vitamin A 7%
Vitamin C 41%
Calcium 3%
Iron 21%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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