The Best Smoked Tri Tip Chili Recipe

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By Priscilla

On February 17, 2021 (Updated April 15, 2022)

5 reviews

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This Smoked Tri Tip Chili is the perfect, hearty chili when you have leftover tri tip to use up, or you’re simply looking for a tasty meal on a cool day. Packed full with all the good stuff, this chili will leave you full and satisfied.

Tri Tip Chili

Stop the search for a smoky beef chili! You’ve found it! With a great tomato base as the flavor, and a kick of spice from the blend of chilis and peppers in the seasoning mix, this is the best chili ever. Not only that, but you’ll find the tri tip is tender as well with a robust beef flavor profile.

I like to go big with my chili – which means I pack it full of tons of good ingredients. Not only is it full of tender tri tip, but you’ll also find bell pepper, beans, onion, diced tomatoes, and lots of seasoning as well. Feel free to alter this chili to your liking, and add or substitute ingredients to fit your family’s preferences.

Tri Tip Chili Seasoning

The seasoning in this chili makes for some tasty magic. Here’s what you’ll need to make this chili the perfect combo of savory with a bit of heat. (Full ingredient amounts can be found in the printable recipe card below):

Sea salt
Smoked paprika
Chili powder
Black pepper
Cumin
Mexican oregano
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cayenne pepper
Crushed red pepper

You can adjust the amount of cayenne and crushed red pepper to make your chili more or less spicy.

Leftover Tri Tip Chili Recipe

The instructions for this chili call for you to make your tri tip fresh before you add it to the chili, but feel free to use up any leftover tri tip in this recipe as well. Some of my favorite methods for making tri tip are linked at the bottom of this post, but I think you’ll be pleased if you make the tri tip from the recipe card for this particular chili.

The tri tip in this recipe is fall apart tender. And while many will scoff at cooking this tri tip to this texture, trust me when I say it makes all the difference in this chili!

Tips for Making Tri Tip Chili

Ready to dive in to this recipe? Take a quick pause and check out these tips first. They’ll help you make the most out of your meal.

Cook that steak! Tri Tip is typically cooked to medium rare, but it has amazing flavor and texture when cooked until it falls apart. The meat in this recipe becomes decadent and so rich!
Don’t forget toppings! I love a loaded chili. Top this batch with sour cream, cheese, chopped raw onions, avocados, candied jalapenos, and even crumbled up corn chips for some added texture and flavor.
Change up your method. If you have time to smoke the tri tip and veggies earlier in the day, you can add them to a crock pot or dutch oven with the rest of the ingredients and let it all simmer on low heat for hours until you’re ready to serve.

More Tri Tip Recipes

Tri tip is an amazingly flavorful and juicy steak that is just as delicious smoked as it is grilled. Eat it as-is, or enjoy it on a sandwich, and check out some of these popular tri tip recipes from Hey Grill Hey!

Smoked Tri Tip
Tri Tip Cooked Like a Brisket
Grilled Tri Tip

Tri Tip Chili Recipe

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Smoked Tri Tip Chili

By: Susie Bulloch (heygrillhey.com)

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings6 people

Ingredients

▢ 1 2-3 pound tri tip roast
▢ 1 large sweet onion diced
▢ 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
▢ 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
▢ 4 cloves garlic
▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
▢ 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
▢ 2 cups beef broth
▢ 1 14-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
▢ 1 14-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
▢ 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Chili Seasoning Spice Blend

▢ 1 Tablespoon sea salt
▢ 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
▢ 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat the smoker. Preheat your grill or smoker to 225 degrees F using your favorite hardwood. I recommend oak for this recipe.
Prep the veggies and steak. While your grill preheats, prepare your meat and vegetables for smoking. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Evenly spread the onions, peppers, and garlic across the foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Set an elevated cooling rack over the vegetables and place the tri tip on the rack.
Make the seasoning. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the chili seasoning spice blend. Sprinkle the rub on all sides of the tri tip and sprinkle any remaining rub over the vegetables on the sheet pan.
Smoke the meat and vegetables. Set the baking pan on the grate of your smoker, close the lid and smoke the veggies and meat at 225 degrees F for about two hours.
Make the chili base. When your tri tip and vegetables are almost done smoking, prepare the base of your chili. Pour the tomatoes, beef broth, and beans into a large pot. Remove the vegetables and meat from the grill. Carefully pour the smoked vegetables into the pot with the tomatoes and beans. Slice the tri tip into small pieces and stir that into the chili pot as well.
Finish cooking the chili. Finally, stir in the tomato paste. Cover the pot and simmer over very low heat for 2 more hours. This time simmering is crucial to a chili that is well balanced and tri tip that will melt in your mouth. Stir the pot regularly while simmering to prevent burning. You can also do this step in a crock pot on low heat.
Add toppings and serve immediately. Serve your finished chili with sour cream, avocados, candied jalapenos, and a sprinkle of your favorite cheese.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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