Tantalize your senses with Chef Tom's top secret recipe for Classic Beef Chili! Slow smoked using charcoal and wood on the Kamado Joe Ceramic Charcoal Grill, this chili is sure to be an unforgettable addition to your Fall festivities.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The dutch oven goes straight onto live coals before switching to indirect heat. Browning the beef and sausage directly over the hot coal bed first, then adding the diffuser plate partway through, gives the chili a sear-based flavor base before it settles into a slower, smoke-infused simmer.
- A fist-sized chunk of hickory gets added mid-recipe, not at the start. Timing the wood addition to when the chili moves to indirect heat means the smoke flavor builds during the simmer phase specifically, not while the meat is still just browning.
- Beer and beef stock work together as the liquid base. Combining both rather than using stock alone adds a subtle malty depth that a straight-stock chili wouldn't have.
- Chipotles in adobo bring smokiness independent of the grill. Mincing them into the pot means some of the recipe's smoky character comes from the ingredients themselves, layering on top of whatever the hickory chunk contributes.
Classic Beef Chili with Ground Brisket
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.6 stars by 31 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Calories
342
Nothing says “Fall” like a bowl of chili and a football game. Today Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Ceramic Charcoal Grill for a charcoal and wood smoked Classic Beef Chili with ground brisket.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef brisket
- 8 oz smoked beef sausage, diced
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
-
1 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Salt
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup poblano pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup jalapeños, diced
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
-
1 (28 oz) can Ciao Italian Tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained, rinsed
- 1/4 cup chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup amber beer
- Sharp cheddar, for garnish
- Sweet onion, diced, for garnish
- Sour cream, for garnish
Directions
- Build a hot charcoal base in the Kamado Joe Classic III ceramic charcoal grill and stabilize the temperature at 400ºF, set up for direct grilling. Place a Lodge 7 Quart Dutch Oven on the grill grates to preheat.
- When the cast iron is hot, add the ground brisket and smoked beef sausage. Stir in the Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning, Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Salt and cumin. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion, poblano and jalapeño. Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about one minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the Ciao Italian Peeled Tomatoes, kidney beans and chipotles in adobo. Stir and break up the tomatoes.
- Add the beef stock and beer and bring to a simmer.
- Carefully remove the dutch oven from the grill. Remove the grates and add a fist sized chunk of hickory wood to the coal bed. Add the diffuser plate to create an indirect cooking setup. Return the grates to the grill and the dutch oven to the grates.
- Stabilize the temperature at 300ºF and smoke for one hour, or to your desired consistency.
- Remove the Classic Beef Chili from the grill and serve one cup portions topped with diced onion, sharp cheddar and sour cream.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why brown the meat directly over the coals before switching to indirect heat?
Cooking over direct heat first sears the ground brisket and sausage, developing a base flavor that a purely indirect, low-and-slow simmer wouldn't build on its own.
Why add the hickory chunk partway through instead of at the start?
Timing it to when the chili switches to indirect cooking means the smoke builds specifically during the simmering phase, giving the chili time to actually absorb it rather than losing most of the smoke during the initial browning.
Why use both beer and beef stock as the liquid base?
Combining the two adds a subtle malty note from the beer on top of the stock's savory depth, giving the chili more complexity than stock alone would.
Why mince the chipotles in adobo rather than adding them whole?
Mincing distributes their smoky heat evenly through the chili instead of leaving concentrated pockets of spice in a few bites.
What internal temperature should the ground beef reach?
The recipe doesn't list one explicitly, but ground beef should reach at least 160°F — the extended browning and hour-long simmer in this recipe comfortably exceeds that in practice.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the whole process works on a stovetop with a dutch oven; the hickory chunk adds a layer of smoke flavor that's the one thing you'd be missing indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Direct-heat browning before indirect smoking: Searing the meat over live coals first builds a flavor base the later low-and-slow phase alone wouldn't create.
Mid-recipe wood addition: Adding the hickory chunk when switching to indirect heat times the smoke to the simmering phase, when the chili can actually absorb it.
Beer plus stock as the liquid base: Using both adds a malty complexity beyond what stock alone would provide.
Minced chipotles in adobo: Breaking them down evenly distributes smoky heat throughout the pot instead of leaving it concentrated in a few spots.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 12.43 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 342
- Carbs
- 23 grams
- Protein
- 26 grams
- Fat
- 16 grams
- Sodium
- 568 milligrams
