“Over The Top” Chili
“Over The Top” chili gets its name for cooking the meat on a rack over the pan with the chili in it, so as the meat cooks, it drips juices into the chili. If you choose to cook the chili in a BBQ instead of the stove or oven, the chili picks up the smokey flavors from the charcoal adding a deeper flavor profile. For this recipe, I prefer red onions to add “punginess” and use a mix of beef and pork meat.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef (I prefer 80/20 or 85/15 for higher fat content)
1 pound of ground sausage
2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
2 4-ounce can of tomato paste
2 jalapenos, chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 head of garlic, chopped
7-ounce can of chipotles in Adobo sauce, chopped
Avocado oil
Preferred chili seasoning
Directions:
If using a charcoal grill, which I highly recommend, get the charcoal started and shoot for a stabilized temperature in the 350-400 F degree range. You need a set up where you can place the dutch oven or pan above the coals and then place a grill grate above the pan to hold the meat while it cooks.
Combine the beef and pork into a loaf for cooking. Work in the chopped white onion into the meat and season with salt and pepper. Bonus points if you can form a football-shaped loaf during football season also known as “chili wheather”.
Saute the red onions and green peppers in your dutch oven or pan with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Note - I would not use butter or olive oil for this step due to the high heat of the grill. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and stir for about a minute until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chipotles. Stir well. Add seasoning and place in your grill rack.
Place a grill rack above the pan and add the meat loaf. I highly recommend a meat thermometer for this step. Keep cooking the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 F. When done, pull pan and meat rack from grill. Crumble the meat into the chili and stir well.
Cook for another hour while checking the seasoning and spiciness levels, adjust as needed.
Crumble the smash burger meat into manageable chunks into the chili.
Cook for at least 1-2 hours.
Optional garnishes: green onion, sour cream, yellow onion, cheddar cheese, and cilantro. As we say in the Texas, “all the way,” which means onions plus cheese.
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