Traeger Smoked Chili

A no-tomato, no-bean chili with smoked peppers, smoker roasted garlic, and beer braised onions with chili seasoned meat smoked over the top.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 45

Servings Servings

Calories 368kcal

Author Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

For Smoking

2 pounds Lean Ground Bison or Ground Beef 90/10
2 packets Chili Seasoning
12 oz Mexican Beer or beef broth
2 Onions peeled and quartered
4 Poblano or Green Bell Peppers
2 large Jalapeño Peppers
4 Fresno Peppers
1 bulb Garlic
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

For Simmering

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cups Beef Broth
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce or Your Choice of Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Smoking the Meat and Veggies

Preheat your smoker to 250ºF with the lid closed.
Pat the ground bison or beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with the chili seasoning in a deep grill pan or Dutch oven. Transfer to a wire rack. Place the quartered onions and beer in the same pan and place the wire rack with the meat over the pan.
Use a knife to slice off the top of the bulb of garlic. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over the cut side and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Tightly wrap in foil.
Place the wrapped garlic, whole peppers, and pan topped with the meat on the smoker. Cook for 2 hours. (There's no need to worry about internal temperature of the meat since you will fully cook the meat after smoking in a pot over a burner.)

Bringing the Chili Together

After 2 hours, set the wire rack with the meat aside while you slice the peppers open and remove the stems, seeds, and membranes. Add to a food processor or blender.
Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the bulb (they should be soft and golden brown) into the food processor with the peppers.
Add the onions and remaining beer to the food processor and blend until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Heat a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the meat and break it apart to fully cook before adding the blended peppers, onions, and garlic.
Add 4 cups of beef broth and bring to a boil before reducing to a low heat, covering, and simmering for at least an hour before serving. (For an extra smoky chili, you can simmer on the smoker uncovered at 250ºF, adding broth as needed.)
Before serving the chili, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce or vinegar along with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, pico de gallo or salsa macha, and diced avocado, if desired.

Notes

I used a Traeger Pro 575 with pro blend pellets (blend of oak, hickory, and cherry) for recipe testing.

If you wanted to keep the chili on the smoker for the entire cook, you could dice all the veggies before going on the grill and add to a pot with the beer. Smoke the bison until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. My smoked beef taco soup takes 3-3.5 hours at 275ºF for 3 pounds of ground chuck, for reference. Then break the cooked bison up and add the broth to simmer with everything else for another hour or two before serving.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you want to add beans to this smoked chili, you can add 1-2 cans of beans (I typically use undrained) before adding the broth in step 5. You won't need as much broth.

You can also add crushed tomatoes during step 5 if you like tomato-based chili.

For a milder chili, use more poblano or bell pepper instead of jalapeño or Fresno peppers. Or for a spicier chili, add more jalapeño or a hotter pepper like serrano or habanero.

Nutrition