Best smoked beef for chili?

[jjdbike]

Hello friends,

I take my chili very seriously. I love smoky, beef flavor, and complex chili flavor from both dried and fresh chilis.

I’m not a big fan of ground beef.

I’ve used smoked brisket and enjoyed it.

I’ve used cubed chuck, it was okay, one click above ground beef.

To date, my favorite chili has been smoked marrow bones and short rib chili. It was very good. It was also expensive, a good deal of work, but so good.

I’m a big fan of Matt Pitman from Meat Church. He talks about venison chili. I’ve read about bison and elk chili.

All of that being said, what is your favorite smoked meat cut for chili?

Respectfully,
JD

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Brisket!

[barelfly]

This past weekend, for the beans that I made using Franklin’s bean recipe, it called for brisket. I didn’t have that ready as it was cooking, so I used some left over skirt steak I cooked the night before for tacos. It was really good and had held up to the pressure cooker bean cook really well! I had diced up the skirt steak and marinated in chopped onion and garlic, a bit of soy sauce and oil, then rubbed with Meat Church Blanco and Holy Voodoo. I then cooked it on the flat top - it was outstanding for tacos, but it really did well in the beans.

So, thought I’d throw out something I don’t know that I’ve read about skirt steak in chili. You could get some smoke on it and vac seal over night to really penetrate the meat, then sear it off on a griddle or hot fire and into your beans, perhaps??

just something different. Have fun!

[TripleB]

You stated "cubed chuck" and I assume browned in a skillet. Have you tried smoked chuck?

I would love to try chili with smoked marrow bones and short rib. Sounds so good.

[jjdbike]

Thanks,
Yes, I smoke all my chili meat first.
Smoked & short rib chili is spectacular, expensive, and a good deal of work.
Worth it!
Cheers,
JD

[shify]

Smoked chuck. Leave it in big slabs to smoke for about 2-3 hrs. Then cube it into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes and continue with the chili from there.

[jjdbike]

Thanks,
Interesting that you leave it in a slab. Why not break it down a bit for more seasoning, bark, & smoke?

[shify]

jjdbike - the smaller the pieces you brown, the more moisture loss and drier final product.

When I braise large cuts of meat that are browned or smoked first, I always leave it in big chunks if not totally whole for the initial brown/smoke and then cube after. Being its going in a very flavorful and spicy braise for a few hours, I don't need max smoke flavor. Plus the smoke portion is only 2-3 hours anyway as you aren't smoking to tenderness - just to get some color/flavor

[texastweeter]

Venison

[glitchy]

If you ever cook a choice brisket that you’re not flattered with, the leftovers make the best chili you’ll ever have.

[randy.56]

I do smoke a chuck roast and add 1 lb of sausage to my chilie.

[jjdbike]

I’m sure that’s good.
Thanks,
JD

[TripleB]

Yes, I add sausage to my chili too. Tri-tip (not smoked and large grind) + sausage.

[jjdbike]

I’m psyched
I called the meat counter at my local grocery store. They will do a custom course grind for me. I’m thinking brisket and rib meat.
The deep beefy flavor - connective tissue, with out having to tend the smoker all day.
Thoughts?
JD

[TripleB]

I've judged a chili competition once and have talked with a few chili competitors. Got the chili recipe from a guy that took 2nd in world championship chili competition. The overall sentiment is that they went away from brisket and chuck to Tri-tip. This was a couple of years ago so maybe it has gone back over to brisket/chuck. The chili scene is always changing.

[Hulagn1971]

I typically smoke a whole chuck weighing 3.5-4lbs for about 3 hours. Rub it first with a chili powder blend that I make up. Then I let it rest on the counter to cool off, put it in a freezer ziploc and throw in the fridge until the next day. Cube that up the day of and brown a pound of spicy breakfast sausage. Those are the meats I use for smoked chili. The best chili I've ever used was smoked brisket, from the point. Actually won a Winston Salem Jaycees annual contest with it one year. I use Malcom Reed's recipe.

[jjdbike]

Thanks for sharing that!
It sounds great.
JD

[realdocBBQ]

Smoked chuck. Leave it in big slabs to smoke for about 2-3 hrs. Then cube it into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes and continue with the chili from there.

This - I also like to SEAR the hell out of it in my large cast iron or on my Blackstone. I do this with both chili and with Mississippi pot roast. Sear, then smoke, then cube and put in the chili.

[jjdbike]

Nice!

[jjdbike]

I have a question for you folks,
Duanessmokedmeats , shify , glitchy , Hulagn1971 , realdocBBQ and SheilaAnn ,

What do you think about the idea of doing an over the top chili using extra course ground brisket, rib meat, and some chuck for fat content?

In my mind I’d get the benefit of the deep beefy flavor from the connective tissue breakdown, the smoke, bark & seasoning, without having to tend the smoker all day with a brisket or beef ribs. The rendered fat and drippings would be captured in the pan below.

I could even sear the seasoned loaf of ground meat to add some umami.

Thoughts?

JD

[glitchy]

I think you need to try it and report back, sounds like it would be awesome. The one thing I like when I’ve used leftover brisket for chili though is the texture change from the usual ground beef version I make regularly.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Sounds yummy!

[bbq_esq]

I can't say I understand the idea behind over the top chili. I don't really want a slick of fat on my chili. Fat is flavor, sure, but there is such thing as being greasy.

[dpearce]

I'd like to try brisket chili, but I think that'll be from a restaurant, instead of my own cook...

When using ground beef... half ground beef, half Italian sausage. Dutch oven on the grill, leave the lid off to get the smoke flavor for about a half hour or so, then low & slow with the lid on for as long as you can before all the liquid boils off. If it does, just add some beef tallow or (preferably) beef bone broth back to it.

[jjdbike]

I'd like to try brisket chili, but I think that'll be from a restaurant, instead of my own cook...

When using ground beef... half ground beef, half Italian sausage. Dutch oven on the grill, leave the lid off to get the smoke flavor for about a half hour or so, then low & slow with the lid on for as long as you can before all the liquid boils off. If it does, just add some beef tallow or (preferably) beef bone broth back to it.

Thanks dpearce,

While I enjoy sausage and chorizo in my chili, I think I want to keep this batch all beef, unless I can find some beef chorizo.

I like your plan. Thanks SheilaAnn, I got some high quality Butchers Bone Stock.

Ill report back.

JD

[Spinaker]

my favorite is brisket for sure. Other than that I use chuck, pork belly, pulled pork, sausage........it is so good to have a variety in that hot tub!