For Chili With Full-Blown Smoky Flavor, Make It This Way (No Added Ingredients)

Chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, black pepper ... does a pot of chili really need any more ingredients? Maybe not, but with a fun and simple technique, smoked "over the top" chili can enrich the dish with deep, smoky flavor without calling for more spices out of the pantry. 

Start with your favorite chili recipe or take some inspiration from these four best chili recipes you'll ever try. Combine everything but the meat into a Dutch oven, and light up the grill. Nestle the pot among the charcoal, being careful to arrange the coals so the pot doesn't get too hot and burn the ingredients. 

After that, it's time to take it over the top — literally — by placing a ball of ground beef directly over the top of the open Dutch oven. It can go right on a wire rack set onto the pot, or an upper rack if the grill has one. As the fragrant smoke wafts off the charcoal, it sticks to the tacky surface of the ground beef and dissolves the flavor compounds in its fat. As that fat renders and drips into the simmering chili, all those aroma compounds go right in with it. Crumble the cooked beef into the chili to finish.

Some chunks of cured wood laid atop the white hot charcoal make the barbecue smoke smell even better. Hickory or fruit woods like cherry are the classics. But watch out for freshly cut wood; the moisture content sabotages clean combustion, flooding your grill with billowing dirty smoke that will make your food bitter. And just because you're bumping up the flavor with smoke, don't think you can skip proper seasoning. Watch out for these other mistakes everyone makes with chili at home.

Smoked barbecue is typically a slow, low temperature affair that makes fork-tender meat from tough cuts like pork butt or beef brisket. Soft ground beef does not need nearly as much time, and could dry out. Ground beef with an 80/20 fat ratio keeps things moist, as will regular check-ins on doneness. If there's concern over the fattier beef turning the chili too greasy, skim the fat off the top. It's even easier to separate after the chili has chilled in the fridge. 

The day after its refrigerator rest, the over the top chili can taste even better. Flavors get to mingle and merge, but more importantly, your time away from the smoker gives your senses a chance to rest too. Smoky flavors pack more punch when you haven't spent hours tending to smoldering charcoal. If you want to kick up your smoking game beyond a charcoal kettle grill, take a look at the best smokers for slow-cooking.