Texas Chili on weber kettle in Dutch oven

[jasonwilliams14]

Hey folks! hope everyone is doing great! I was down for a bit with a pretty bad cold, but I am bouncing back and chili sounds like just the right thing about right now.

I found a recipe for Texas chili in a Dutch oven that sounds great.
this is the one:

https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/texas-chili

I have everything I need. I just need to adjust the seasoning a bit, and should be good to go.

I just have one question. Since I want to smoke this on my weber kettle at about 225 to 250, I had a question about recommendations for my charcoal setup.

1. should I go indirect or direct for smoking the chili? I was thinking of direct with charcoal spread across the bottom, but looking for recommendations. My plan is to smoke for 4-6 hours, with the last 1-2 hours having the lid on.
2. if i do decide to do direct charcoal method, since this is going to be a longer cook, how should I add charcoal? I am going to use my easy spin grate. Should i just add some briquettes in, move them around on the bottom? or take the chili and grate off?

I think that is about it. The only thing I did not get for the recipe is the chuck roast. That is ok. I plan to do it on my next attempt. This will allow me to dial in my cooking for this.

I appreciate the help as always.
Hope everyone is going well!

Jason

[jfmorris]

Jason, if you go DIRECT, it's going to be harder to know the dutch oven is at 250 than if you setup a 2 zone cook. And any lit coals under the dutch oven could lead to scorching or burning I think, since this is a cook where you won't be stirring things. I simmer chili in a dutch oven on the stove, but stir it occasionally.

Just my thoughts, but I think I would go direct UNTIL you get to a simmer/boil, then move to indirect at 225 to 250 the rest of the cook.

[jasonwilliams14]

I like that idea. I can use my charcoal baskets for direct, then once I get a boil, move the baskets to go indirect for a few hours? Then the chili can slowly cook and meld the flavors for a few hours, which sounds amazing.
Thank you again!

[Panhead John]

Yep, stirring occasionally of course.

[jfmorris]

jasonwilliams14 yes - doing it over the charcoal baskets, then sliding it to indirect, would work perfectly. Maybe toss a wood chunk on one of the baskets to get some smoke with the lid off during the indirect part of the cook....

[Steve B]

Yeah. No beans. 🙌🙌

[Panhead John]

+1

[texastweeter]

+2

[UncleSpike]

Hear, Hear!

[Troutman]

This is a really good chili recipe, one of Matt Pittman’s best imo. Definitely indirect, there’s plenty of ambient heat in a Weber kettle ‘oven’. Low and slow is the key.

Oh and please, NO BEANS !!

[Panhead John]

Indirect and definitely NO BEANS!

[texastweeter]

Smart folks here. NO BEANS

[Willy]

I do have to laugh at the no beans folks who load their "authentic" Texas chili with 'maters. For me, 'maters AND beans are required, but then, it ain't "Authentic Texas Chili". ;-)

[texastweeter]

No maters here either. Members some corn chips, onions and cheese once in the bowl though.

[Panhead John]

Willy there is “authentic” Texas Chili, which doesn’t have tomatoes or tomatoe sauce, but there’s also “Texas Chili” which CAN have tomatoes and or tomatoe sauce. Sorry bud, we live here so we can make the rules. 😂 😉

[Steve B]

Nope on the matos as well. I have however used mater paste on occasion as a thickening agent as well as mesa.

[Rod]

I've made this recipe and think it's the best chili I've had.

Definitely indirect. I stir every hour and rotate the DO 180 degrees. The coal side of the DO can get a lot hotter.

[Panhead John]

Just a little tip here, I saw his recipe called for crushed and diced tomatoes, I’d get whole tomatoes instead. Pour them into a large bowl and crush them up with your hands instead. It’s mo bettah, trust me.

[jasonwilliams14]

Definitely will do that next time.I like the idea of this a lot. Canned stuffed can be hit or miss.

[Panhead John]

You can do that with canned whole tomatoes, that’s what I usually use. Either fresh or canned is fine.

[CaptainMike]

And please, roast the Brussels sprouts prior to adding them to the chili. It ain't proper chili unless the Brussels sprouts are roasted.

[Michael_in_TX]

....and the clams!

[58limited]

Beets, gotta have beets. That's how we Texans get that red color in chili.

[CaptainMike]

That's what makes it Authentic, Michael_in_TX. Or so I've heard....

[smabrito]

Made the Meat Church Texas Red Chili recipe (https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/rec...exas-red-chili) & it we loved it. This was cooked indoors on the stove. Had to make a couple of change when making this:
=Used Bolner's Fiesta Quick Chili mix instead of Meat Church chili powder because that's what i had on hand. I didn't have the Meat church one when the urge to make chili hit me!
=Recipe calls for 5 oz dried ancho chili (~4 chilis) and 16 oz dried guajillo chili (~12 chilis) but I switched the quantities around to about 16 oz of anchos & 4 or 5 oz guajillos because that's what was available at that time at grocery store I went to (HEB).

[HawkerXP]

Here is a handy temp guide for using Dutch ovens.

[jasonwilliams14]

Thought I would post a quick follow up cook report.
Cook went well. I had a lot of fun. (I am still amazed how much I learn each cook...i)

I smoked the chili in the Dutch oven for just under 6 hours. Had to shut it down because we had some rain start to move in. I would probably go another hour (with the lid on) next go around.
The smell was amazing. My family said several times how good it smelled.

One thing I need to figure out is that the chili came a tad high on the spicy side (for my kids). Not entirely sure why. I suspect two reasons:

• when i seasoned the chili, I messed something up trying to create my own. I try to create my own rubs/seasonings. I suspect I messed up the ratio of salt/spices etc.....any suggestions/tips on this side?
• i was not able to do the chuck roast this time. I am wondering if missing that meat, not as much of the spice was "soaked up" providing a more even balance in the chili.

I only added a single can of chipotle in adobe sauce.
We did not use jalapeno for topping.
Those are my guesses.

Little sour cream and cheese on the top and it was really good.

Really appreciate the tips and suggestion. Turned out fantastic.

Cheers!

[CaptainMike]

Cut back to 2 - 3 adobo peppers, or just a couple of Tbsp of the sauce if you want to tone it down. I make a similar recipe that my friends love and request, and the littles can eat it too. Spicy and flavorful, but not picante.

[surfdog]

Indirect for sure. For me anyway. Stir or don’t stir is a matter of whatever else I have happening at the time.

But for something like this, in a dutch oven…I just treat my WSCG like an oven and let it do its thing.

As noted above, with direct heat…you run the risk of scorching, especially if you’re not babysitting & stirring as needed.

Lid off early/late/both is a matter of preference and smoke profile that you’re going for. That also depends on whether or not you actually use wood in there. Charcoal by itself will add a touch of flavour, but obviously wouldn’t be the same as adding a couple chunks of “smoke wood.”

[surfdog]

Oh fine, just saw that the cook was already completed.
Note to self: read the entire thread BEFORE commenting. Derp

[JeffJ]

Kettle cooking is awesome. I have an unfinished cast iron pot exclusively for this purpose. Off the grill I use an enamel Dutch oven.