Smoked Taco Soup

This smoked soup is a fun spin on making over the top chili on a pellet smoker. Taco seasoned ground beef is smoked over a pot of fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles, Mexican beer, and diced onion. The beef develops an amazing bark before it’s broken apart into the soup and joined by pinto beans, corn, and beef broth to finish.

It’s easy to make and perfect for the cooler weather months. Served with tortilla chips or cornbread, your choice of cheese, and pico de gallo, you won’t be able to get enough of this taco soup.

Part One: Taco Ground Beef and Soup Base

Just like with over the top chili, you will form a large ball of ground beef that goes on a rack above a pot of soup ingredients. It doesn’t get much easier than the ground beef rub. You just need three packets of your favorite taco seasoning. I used Siete spicy taco seasoning, but any seasoning packet or even homemade taco seasoning will get the job done.

Going underneath the ground beef on the smoker will be the soup base. Crushed tomatoes, green chiles, diced white onion, and Mexican beer are the four horsemen of flavor in my recipe. But you’re more than welcome to get creative. Just be cautious of adding too much liquid at this stage.

If you wanted to add more fresh veggies to your smoked soup, you could take inspiration from my chuck roast chili and toss some mini seedless peppers on the smoker for an hour or so before chopping and adding to the Dutch oven. You can also take a shortcut from my taco chili recipe and use frozen fajita veggies to keep your cutting board clean.

I even smoked a block of cream cheese alongside one of the test batches to add at the end before serving. That was almost my final version, but all the taste testers decided they liked adding their own choice (and amount) of cheese at the table.

Part Two: Over the Top Smoked Soup

What’s the best temperature for over the top chili and soup on a smoker? Most people make it in the 225ºF to 300ºF range. I’ve found my Weber Searwood XL takes three to three and a half hours at 275ºF to get three pounds of ground beef to an internal temperature of 165ºF. I think that’s plenty of time to develop a nice bark and pick up great smoky flavors.

If you want to go slower at 225ºF to pick up even more smoke, go for it. You can also crank the temperature or break the ground beef ball into smaller pieces to speed things up. There’s also the option of pulling the beef early and browning in a pan on the stovetop before going back in the soup like my bison chili. There’s no wrong move here.

I like to make sure the ground beef is fully cooked to a safe internal temperature before breaking apart into the soup, even if the soup will finish cooking the beef as it simmers. Food safety first!

Part Three: Magical Fruit and Finishing Touches

I like holding the beans until the final simmer so you can let the ground beef go as long as needed without any concern of the beans going to mush. Once the beef is fully cooked and in the soup, you will add your choice of beans (it should be pinto), corn, and beef broth or stock.

My recipe calls for four cups of beef broth, but you can add more as needed if you plan to let the soup simmer on the smoker all day. The broth will slowly reduce if you leave the pot uncovered on the grill. Good for flavor, bad for soup vs chili debates.

While it’s not a requirement, if you want to splurge on a quality beef bone broth or frozen beef stock with lots of gelatin, it takes this smoked soup to an even higher level. Though as long as you’re using something like 80/20 ground chuck, the soup should be plenty rich.

Garnishes and Tips for Serving

The number one tip I can give here is to include some fresh ingredients in your garnish lineup for this taco soup. It’s got plenty of salt, smoke, and hearty flavors going on. A big dollop of pico de gallo is perfect, as are pickled peppers, fresh diced onion, cilantro and other herbs, and avocado.

That leaves tortilla chips or cornbread and a bit of cheese. Cover those bases, and you’re ready to rock.

All that’s left to do is fire up the grill. Leave any questions about ingredients, substitutions, or cooking methods in the comments section below. I hope you enjoy this pellet smoked soup! If you do, recipe reviews are always appreciated.