Smoked Chili Guide: How To Make OTT Chili (Over the Top Chili)
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Smoked Chili, often referred to as Over the Top Chili (OTT Chili), brings together the wood-fired flavor of slow-smoked meat and the bold, spicy flavors of chili into one tantalizing dish all cooked on the Traeger Grill.
What is Over The Top Chili?
OTT chili is the ultimate smoked chili recipe. The process to making over the top chili is relatively simple. You start by cooking a giant meatball directly over a pot of bean and vegetable chili simmering on your Traeger as shown in the image above. As the meatball cooks, it gets subtly infused with smoke, and its flavorful drippings get deposited right into the pot below. Then, when the meatball is fully cooked, you crumble it into the perfectly stewed chili for a one-two punch of smoky and savory flavor.
OTT Chili Ingredients
Over the top chili resembles traditional chili in most aspects, boasting a combination of meat, an array of aromatic spices, tomatoes, and typically, a generous inclusion of beans.
What sets OTT chili apart from the conventional variety, however, is its distinctive preparation method and how the smoked meat imparts a unique flavor. When selecting meat for OTT chili, ground beef is always a reliable choice, and we prefer one that is 80% lean. Another option is a blend of beef and pork, as is called for in our version of the recipe. More adventurous types might try adding some ground lamb, elk, or bison.
The exact spices you use for your chili is be up to you, but we recommend seasoning the meat with our new Fajita Rub, which provides the essential kick of chili peppers as well as garlic and other flavorings.
Other commonly used aromatics include garlic, onion, and bell peppers as well as chile peppers.
Tomatoes and beans will form the bulk of your stew. You can use regular or fire-roasted tomatoes, with or without chiles. As for beans, there’s a wide variety of options. We’re big fans of using a mix of beans, including red kidney beans and pinto beans. Canned beans will also work just fine in this recipe.
How To Make OTT Chili (Over the Top Chili)
When you’re making over the top chili, you’re really cooking two separate things — your chili base and your big meatball over the top of it.
A Traeger Grill with multiple grates at different levels, such as in our Timberline series of grills, makes the whole process quick and easy; you can simply place the meatball on a high grate and the pot of chile on a low one. If your grill does not have multi-level grates, you can place a wire rack over the chili pot, and cook the meatball on it.
You can start cooking the chili base on your stove or Traeger Induction cooktop, then transfer it to the bottom grate of your Traeger Grill set between 225°F and 275°F. Position the meatball on a rack directly above the pot, close the lid on your grill, and get the whole party smoking. When the meatball is fully cooked, crumble it into the chili and let everything simmer together for a bit to meld the flavors.
How Long Does Over The Top Chili Take To Cook?
If you are cooking a 2-pound meatball, the chili can take 2 to 4 hours from start to finish, depending on the temperature at which your grill is set. But don't be scared as most of that time is hands-off. In addition to the time it takes the meatball to become fully cooked (more on that in the next section), the meat, once crumbled, simmers in the chili pot for about another half hour for optimum wood-fired flavor.
For a more detailed recipe on over the top chili explore our page.
What Internal Temperature Should You Cook Over The Top Chili Meat?
The meatball is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. For easy hands-off monitoring of the meatball, use a leave-in meat thermometer, such as MEATER.
Best Pellets for OTT Chili
Which wood pellets to pick really depends on how strong you want the smoke flavor to be. For a subtle smoke flavor, go with one of our fruit pellets, such as cherry or apple. Another good choice is our Traeger Signature Blend pellets, which is a combination of hickory, cherry hardwoods. If you prefer a stronger smoke flavor, opt for mesquite (perfect for the strong chile flavors in OTT Chili).
Over The Top Chili Variations To Try
Once you learn this method for making chili, you can have fun making tasty variations of it. Start with just about any chili base that you’d like, turn the meat in that chili into a meatball, and smoke it over the top.
Below are some of our favorite Traeger chili recipes that, with a little experimentation, could be adapted into OTT chili.
Starting with Eva Shockey’s recipe for Smoked Venison Chili, you can switch the steps around when it comes to cooking the meat. Form the ground venison into a meatball, add in a few of the spices called for in the recipe to make it even more flavorful, then cook it until done.
For an OTT variation on Bennie Kendrick’s recipe for Smoked Pork Chili Verde — use ground pork instead of chunks of pork shoulder for the meatball. Then cook it over the top of the green salsa-based chili for a rich and chunky chili with a distinctly south-of-the-border flavor.
Serving Over The Top Chili
Over the top chili is delicious on its own — but it’s even better when served with a handful of toppings and a side or two. Here are some suggestions on how to dress up your OTT chili.
Picking the Perfect Toppings
There are many options for toppings to boost the flavor of this meal. Try any or all of the following ideas to make your over the top chili truly special:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Chopped chives
- Diced red onions
- Chopped avocado
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Fresh or pickled jalapenos
Presentation Tips and Techniques
With the many different options for OTT chili toppings, we think the best way to serve this meal is by serving them on the side so that each person who’s enjoying the chili can pick and choose toppings to suit their own taste. Plus, this variety of colors, flavors, and textures of toppings makes for a nice presentation at the dinner table.
What To Serve With Over The Top Chili
Last but not least, what goes best with over the top chili? It all comes down to adding some starches to your meal to complement the smoky and meaty flavors of the chili. Consider serving any of the following sides:
- Steamed rice
- Cornbread
- Baked potatoes
- Tortillas or tortilla chips
- Corn chips
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Like most chili, OTT can be made a day or two ahead of serving and reheated whenever you're craving it as leftovers hold well over time. Here’s how best to store and reheat your chili for maximum flavor.
How To Store Over The Top Chili
If you cooked your over the top chili in a Dutch oven with a lid, storing it can be as simple as letting it cool down then putting that lid on and storing it in the fridge. Otherwise, find the right size containers to store your chili in, and tuck them safely away in the fridge for up to a few days. Chili also takes well to freezing and will keep frozen well for up to 2 months.
Reheating Methods
Additionally, there are many ways to reheat over the top chili: On your stovetop, in the oven or Traeger, or in the microwave.
If you’ve stored your OTT chili in the same Dutch oven you cooked it in, the stovetop and Traeger methods will be the easiest. Simply place the whole batch on top of the stove or inside of a preheated Traeger Grill, add a splash of water to compensate for any evaporation that’s happened while the chili has been in the fridge, and reheat it on medium heat.
For a quick reheating, though, you’ll want to dish out individual portions into microwave-safe bowls and reheat them for about a minute at a time. Stir and taste in between one-minute heatings, as the exact amount of chili in each bowl will change how long each bowl needs to be reheated in the microwave.
Repurposing Leftovers
If you don’t want to eat the exact same meal twice consider repurposing your OTT chili as a topping for nachos, chili dogs, or loaded tater tots. Any way you serve it, this deeply flavorful chili will make for a delightful meal.
Smoked Over the Top Chili
by Mandy Tanner
Prep Time
10 Min
Cook Time
4 Hr
Serves
8
Pellets
Cherry
Here’s the Traeger take on a popular smoked over the top chili internet recipe. Ground meat is cooked on a rack positioned above a pot of bean chili for optimum smoke penetration. As the meat cooks, it drips fat and flavor into the pot below. The wood-fired meat then gets crumbled into the smoked chili recipe. It’s truly a fun way to make an old favorite. Note that our Traeger Spicy Fajita rub is, well, spicy. If yours is not, add the optional chili powder and, if you want more heat, some cayenne pepper, too.
Ingredients
Chili
| canola or other neutral flavored oil | |
| 1 Medium | yellow onion, diced |
| 1 Medium | red or green bell pepper, diced |
| 2 Tablespoon | Traeger Spicy Fajita Rub |
| 3 | 16-oz cans beans, preferably a mix such as pinto, great northern, and kidney, drained and rinsed |
| 1 | 28-oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained |
| 4 Cup | beef broth |
Meat
| 1 Pound | ground beef, preferably 80% lean |
| 1 Pound | ground pork |
| 2 Tablespoon | Traeger Spicy Fajita Rub |
| 1 1/2 Teaspoon | chili powder (optional) |
Serving
| 4 | scallions, thinly sliced |
| 2 Cup | grated cheddar cheese |
| 1 Cup | sour cream |
| Cornbread (optional) |
1
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large enameled Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season the onions and peppers with 2 tablespoons of Traeger Spicy Fajita Rub and stir to combine. Add the beans, the tomatoes and chilies, and the beef broth, bring to a simmer.
2
Meanwhile, if your grill allows, position the upper rack high enough to fit a Dutch oven below it on which you will cook the beef for the chili right over the pot. (If not, you can set a wire rack on top of the pot.) If necessary, scrape the upper grate clean. Preheat the Traeger with the lid closed to 225°F; this will take about 15 minutes. If available, use Super Smoke.
3
In a bowl or on a work surface, mix the ground beef and ground pork with 2 tablespoons Traeger Fajita Rub and the chili powder, if using. Form into a large ball and coat lightly all over with about 1 tablespoon oil to prevent the meat from sticking to the grates.
4
Transfer the chili to the bottom grate and place the ball of meat on the rack above the pot, positioning it so that any drippings will fall into the pot. Close the lid and smoke for 90 minutes.
5
Increase the Traeger temperature to 350°F and continue cooking until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about 2 hours.
6
Transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully raise or remove the upper rack to allow better access to the pot. If you have heatproof gloves, hold the meat over the pot and break it up into smaller pieces into the pot along with any juices. (If you don’t have gloves, break up the meat on the baking sheet with a wooden spoon or similar and transfer it and any juice to the pot.) Close the lid and let the chili cook for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
7
Serve the chili topped with scallion, cheese, sour cream, and cornbread, as desired. Enjoy!
