Chili Meat Suggestion

[KevinJ]

Quit using ground beef years ago and I'll smoke a brisket sometimes just so I have meat for chili, also have used pulled pork, smoke chuck roast and chicken but the smoked brisket chili is by far the favorite in my household and it's the only meat for chili I use anymore. Have 2.5lbs of chopped brisket in the freezer now that will be used for my next batch.

 

[medic92]

Try adding some au jus to the chili. It really intensifies the beef flavor.

 

[Pocchampion]

I prefer chuck but have had success with brisket flat. HEB is still only 1.96 a pound for brisket and twice that for chuck. Bonus of brisket is smoking the point.
I cube about 1/2 inch. Too big and folks have trouble eating.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I like a combination of ground beef and chuck

 

[JohnH12]

I prefer chuck but have had success with brisket flat. HEB is still only 1.96 a pound for brisket and twice that for chuck. Bonus of brisket is smoking the point.
I cube about 1/2 inch. Too big and folks have trouble eating.

Brisket is $2.99 a pound here. That's why I'm asking about pork. It's less than $2 a pound here.

 

[dadsr4]

Given the high price of beef in my NE Florida area I've been looking for an alternative meat.
Brisket is the cheapest beef at about $3 a pound and pork is running less than $2 a pound.
Has anyone tried a smoked pork butt, shredded or cubed, for their chili?
It might be a little too fatty but I'll bet it's tasty.

I trim the little tags of meat from spareribs and throw them into a ziplock bag in the freezer till I have enough for something. I've used them ground in the food processor a number of times for chili. If I was going to use a pork but in chili, I'd probably remove most of the fat before adding it to chili.

 

[Kade]

I believe a lot of the comp chili cooks use tri tip.

 

[cowgirl]

White tail and elk are my favorites. I also prefer chunks of meat but will use ground.
Cubed beef rib meat is great, sometimes my butcher has boneless beef rib meat. It's so tender..

I'm a fan of chuck too. For something different, I like to make chicken chili with Hatch chiles.
Pork chili or posole is tasty.

I always make fresh hot flour tortillas with my chili. I love them slathered in butter and rolled, for dippin' into the chili.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=205965&highlight=chili

elk and white tail

pork posole

Good luck with your cook. I'm sure what ever you come up with will be tasty!

 

[jasonjax]

Leftover brisket is my go-to for chili now. I also save the juices from a brisket cook, strain, separate most of the fat and incorporate that into my chili stock.


Matter of fact, I made a batch today with leftover burnt ends. No beans trying to go low-carb for a bit.

 

[Grabnabber]

Illinois has stupid hunting laws. You can't use a rifle, you might hurt someone. So no Venison this year. I get some from my brother in Arkansas every now and then.

Season is still open, Andy. Deer are wary to the Malort breath, though. :caked:

 

[WilliamKY]

Smoked chuck roast and hot breakfast sausage.

 

[Grabnabber]

Jeanie-

You put all of us to shame. :caked:

General question: If you grind meat for chili, what grind plate do you use? Once through the biggest? Something else?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[cowgirl]

Jeanie-

You put all of us to shame. :caked:

General question: If you grind meat for chili, what grind plate do you use? Once through the biggest? Something else?

Thanks,
Tom

You're too kind Tom, but thanks! :grin:
I put it through the grinder once, with the biggest plate. On white tail, I like to grind three parts deer to one part pork fat. I use the burger for other meals too. When I process a deer, I like to cube some of the meat and go ahead and grind and bag burger too.
It's nice to have on hand. :grin:

 

[Grabnabber]

Jeanie-

Thanks for the tips! What part of the deer do you cube up?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[cowgirl]

Jeanie-

Thanks for the tips! What part of the deer do you cube up?

Thanks,
Tom

You're sure welcome Tom.
I use roasts from the hind leg for cubes. I like to save some of the roasts for pastrami so I keep them whole, but most of my cubes come from the hind end.
I save the front shoulders whole for cooking over the campfire. I cut half of the backstraps into steaks and leave some backstrap pieces whole for stuffing. One year I saved a tri tip from a deer, It was small but tasty. :grin:

Here's some cubes/steaks/roasts/backstrap/heart from a couple of weeks ago..

I have two whitetail from this season so I'm stocked for winter.

 

[Grabnabber]

Wow, you have it dialled in! :shock:

Thanks for the info- I'm trying to get one this year- if I do I'm going to try this. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

Tom

 

[cowgirl]

Wow, you have it dialled in! :shock:

Thanks for the info- I'm trying to get one this year- if I do I'm going to try this. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

Tom

Thanks Tom! Good luck with your hunting. Hope you have a great weekend too!

 

[LYU370]

Wow, you have it dialled in! :shock:

Thanks for the info- I'm trying to get one this year- if I do I'm going to try this. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

Tom

Too late for this year, tomorrow is last day for muzzle loaders. I've never bothered to try deer hunting in Illinois because of their stupid firearms regulations. Been down by my brother in Arkansas a few times hunting but never got one. Never saw a legal one I could shoot, down there it's does or bucks with at least three points on one side.

 

[fantomlord]

Too late for this year, tomorrow is last day for muzzle loaders. I've never bothered to try deer hunting in Illinois because of their stupid firearms regulations. Been down by my brother in Arkansas a few times hunting but never got one. Never saw a legal one I could shoot, down there it's does or bucks with at least three points on one side.

Wisconsin's not too far from you. pretty friendly hunting regulations...there's seasons for bow, rifle, or muzzleloader.

got one with my bow in mid November this year.

 

[jermoQ]

Maybe shake it up a little...