Delicious Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe: Get the Most of Leftovers

If you have a leftover smoked brisket and two hours of free time, this is a perfect dish you could cook.
By
Jeremy Bivens
Jeremy Bivens
Research Writer
Jeremy Bivens is a passionate writer and grilling enthusiast. He's been working as a freelance journalist for over 15 years now and has a particular interest in food writing read more
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Reviewed By
Bruce Williams
Bruce Williams
Expert Consultant
Claims that grilling is the art that he has been learning all his life long and is not planning to stop. Has been grilling for as long as he can remember. Author of numerous read more
Last updated: August 07, 2023
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Who would prefer a leftover to a freshly made dish? Few people will openly admit to that, but when it comes to briskets, there’s a different recipe for the leftovers that makes it worth the wait. For those who ask questions such as “who eats leftover brisket,” you don’t know what you’ve been missing, and there are many reasons people end up with such.

If you have one of these brisket leftovers in your kitchen, we will show you how to put it into use and make mouth-watering dishes for your family. One of the best ways to do so is by making smoked brisket chili. If you have no idea what this is, at the end of this article, you will have concrete first-hand information needed to make a large pot of the dish.

Chili with Leftover Smoked Brisket: The Recipe

The taste of the smoked brisket chili is spicier than that of traditional chili. What makes the difference is the smoked brisket which has an earthy taste. If you have fresh beef brisket, you will have to smoke in a barbecue or over open heat with woods supplying fire to dry its moisture. However, you don’t have to go through that trouble for leftover smoked brisket, and you can jump right into assembling the required ingredients.

Ingredients

This dish requires a lot of ingredients because of its richness. However, the principal ingredient for this is beef brisket. The quantity of ingredients used depends on the number of mouths to be fed. If you’re using up to 10 pounds of brisket, we’re assuming that you’re looking to make this as a main course and not as a side dish.

However, we’re against using large numbers if you’re trying this out for the first time. This is because you can make errors that might leave the briskets wasted.

Delicious Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe: Get the Most of Leftovers 1

Smoked Brisket Chili – The Recipe

Follow these easy steps to get the perfect brisket. Don't forget to choose garnish to your liking.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Main Course
Servings 6 people
Calories 275 kcal

Ingredients
  

Brisket

  • 2-4 pounds smoked leftover brisket
  • 2 tbsp olive or canola oil

Chili

  • 3-4 tbsp chili seasoning
  • 1 diced white onion
  • 1 chopped large red bell pepper
  • 2-4 diced fresh garlic cloves
  • 1-2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can beans black eye, kidney, or brown beans
  • 1-2 cups tomato sauce
  • 2-3 cups beef stock
  • 1-2 tbsp sugar

Garnish (you can combine two to three at once)

  • Corn
  • Onions
  • Cheese
  • Tomato sauce
  • Vegetables
  • Yogurt or cream

Instructions
 

  • Bring out your leftover smoked brisket from its storage point. This could be your smoker or refrigerator.
  • Set the brisket on a flat surface and begin to cut into thin slices.
    Delicious Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe: Get the Most of Leftovers 3
  • Set the briskets aside and proceed to make your chili. Fortunately, the chili is the easiest part, and if you get the taste right, the entire dish will come out well.
  • Preparation of the chili doesn’t start immediately; rather, it begins with sauteeing the vegetables.
  • Place a cooking pan on your stove and allow it to steam up.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl it around the pan to coat it completely.
  • Return the pan to the stove and allow it to heat up for a minute or two.
  • Add onions, bell pepper, garlic cloves, and cumin to the pan and stir it for 3 minutes. For proper sauteeing, you want to ensure the vegetables are chopped in the same size.
    Delicious Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe: Get the Most of Leftovers 5
  • Integrate your brisket into the mixture at this point and steer together. Once that is done, you will have to add all your dry powdered ingredients next.
  • Add chili powder, salt, and black pepper to the vegetable and continue stirring for an extra 2 minutes.
  • Add your beef stock to the mixture to introduce some liquid and allow it to come to a boil.
  • Now, pour in your diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and other wet ingredients into the pot and stir to mix them.
  • At this point, the content of the pot will be thickened. Raise the temperature of your cooker to bring the mixture to a boil faster.
  • Cover the pot and allow it to cook for 2 hours.
  • Open the cover of the pot after two hours, and you will notice that the mixture has been cooked. The beans would have softened up.
  • Bring it down from the stove and serve.
  • Add your garnish at this point. We prefer using some green pepper, shredded cheese, or some creams. If you love these options, you can go for the same.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal

Chuck Roast Chili Smoked on Grill (Video Recipe)

Garnish Options

For our smoked chili brisket recipe, you aren’t tied to one option. Over the years, we’ve tried countless options to see which one is perfect for our test bud. And guess what? You can use more than one type of garnishing at a point.

Corn

You can choose what you want as well as what you don’t want in your smoked briskets. A lot of people prefer corn because of the natural sweetness it adds to briskets with low-sugar content. This is a smart way to introduce natural sugar into the meal. We find corn to be a healthy option for older adults as well as kids.

Cheese

Cheese can also serve as a topping. A lot of people love well-prepared shredded cheese. Aside from its salty flavor, it adds more taste to brisket sauce which makes the dish thicker than it already is.

Hot sauce

Only a few people try this, but it adds an extra kicker to the taste of any chili dish. This hot sauce is meant to be spicy and with a lot of hotness in it. Its taste can range from sweet and spicy to tangly. Just a quarter cup of it will do wonders to the taste and thickness of your smoked brisket chili.

Smoked Brisket Chili Recommendations

Below we answer some of the most commonly asked questions and give recommendations on cooking brisket chili.

How long will it take to cook?

Well, it takes as long as 2 hours for the content to cook. If you can wait for that long, you will have a perfectly cooked smoked brisket chili. The longer it takes, the more you’re confident that the sour taste of the tomato sauce will subside.

Also, consider the quantity in the pot. If you are serving two people, your dish should be ready after 1 hour.

Choosing the right ingredients

When it comes to the dried ingredients, there are a lot of options out there. Hence, their taste and flavor vary from one brand to the other. You will notice that some chili powders sold in supermarkets are dark while others have light colors in addition to a smoky flavor. Just go for whatever you’re comfortable with. Delicious Smoked Brisket Chili Recipe: Get the Most of Leftovers

Beer or beef stock?

Well, if you don’t have some beef stock around, you can use beer as an alternative. When you use beer, you will give it more minutes to simmer for the strong flavor of the beer to vanish before pouring your tomato sauce.

When should you add corn?

Corn can be used as a garnish; however, many people prefer to add their corn when adding other wet ingredients in. For your corn and beans, ensure they’re drained before adding them to your pot. We don’t want our dish to be too watery.

Also, if you’re not a fan of beans, you don’t have to add them. You have the freedom of choosing what goes into your pot and what doesn’t.

Why should I sautee?

The act of sauteeing leaves vegetables soft, crispy, and at the same time, forms a brown crust on its surface. Sauteeing adds a bit of smokiness to foods. However, the benefit of Sauteeing goes beyond the flavor it adds to vegetables. There are others you should be aware of.

Experts say that sauteeing minimizes the breakdown of nutrients that are experienced when you cook foods and vegetables. Hence, this method helps us maintain the nutrient in the vegetables. Be rest assured that when we ask you to sautee rather than cook, we’re trying to ensure the nutrient doesn’t leave your pan.

Can I smoke my brisket?

Well, you can, but it’s easier to go for smoked ones. If you can’t find one, go for fresh options, and marinate its body with canola oil, chili powder, salt, and black pepper before smoking in your barbeque till it turns brown.

It’s possible to know when the brisket is moisture-free and at the perfect temperature by using a meat thermometer. This ensures you don’t end up with burnt meat.

Then, you can proceed to slice with a knife into tiny pieces suitable for your smoked brisket chili recipes.

Final Thoughts

You can tell that the smoked brisket chili makes for a good dish during the winter. It has a smokiness that will reactivate your taste bud. The dish is rich, and you can use any garnishing of your choice. However, we advise you follow the steps we mentioned here accordingly for best results.

Don’t attempt to cook vegetables rather than sauteeing and only throw in ingredients you’re comfortable with. It’s possible to use different species of beans for this, but if you’re not a fan, you can leave it out for something that doesn’t cause discomfort. Try this out and tell us what it tasted like.

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