Smoked Chili

Step 1

Preheat your grill or smoker to 225 degrees with thin blue smoke from soaked wood chips or chunks.

Step 2

While your grill preheats, prepare your meat and vegetables for smoking. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Evenly spread the onions, peppers, and garlic across the foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Set an elevated cooling rack over the vegetables. Gently spread your ground beef into a large patty, about 1/2 inch thick, and set on the cooling rack.

Step 3

In a small bowl. combine all of the spices. Sprinkle liberally over both the vegetables and ground beef. Set the baking pan on the grate of your smoker, close the lid and smoke at 225 for about an hour.

Step 4

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Slowly transfer the vegetables and meat into the pot and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces. Pour in the can of tomatoes, beef broth, and beans.

Step 5

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for an additional hour. Watch the liquid level and stir often to prevent anything from burning to the bottom. If you like your chili to be thicker, you can add 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste. If you like it thinner, you can add more beef broth.

Step 6

While the chili is simmering, you can prepare the fried jalapeno rings! Preheat your cooking oil to 375 degrees and set up your breading station.

Step 7

Place the flour, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs each in their own bowl. Begin by gently tossing the jalapeno rings in the flour, coating lightly. Then move from the flour to the eggs and stir to coat. Finally, transfer the rings from the eggs to the breadcrumbs and ensure all are coated entirely. From there, fry the jalapeno rings in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain and season with salt.

Step 8

Once the chili has simmered and the jalapeno rings are fried, it is time to eat! Serve the chili with sour cream and cheddar cheese as a garnish and top with the fried jalapeno rings.