Years ago, I showed you my secret chili recipe. I showed you where it started, I showed you how I made it mine. As I evolved, so did the chili. So when I decided to make this chili again (Thanks Skyline), I thought I’d take it step by step and share with you the 2026 version. How good is it? Damn good.. and damn hot.

The Prep Table

A chili so bad (Skyline) that I had to come back and make my own to re-establish the love that I have for the dish. This post really just for the recipe, since I’ve gotten a few requests for it specifically. Let’s start with what we’re looking at here:

Yeah, I knew this was going to be special when i saw that Ro*Tel had a Ghost pepper variety. For the other canned goods, we have Hot Chili Beans, Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato paste. I used to do whole peeled, but I’ve changed.

For the garden, a simple equal amount of Habanero, Serrano and Jalapeno is a nice rule of thumb. Some shops here you can only buy containers of habanero, so if there’s 7 in the pack, I’ll do 7:7 Jalapeno and Serrano. Makes it easy. Diced onion, garlic and green pepper round out the fresh.

The meat is always special. I’ll typically default to the ancestral beef blend by Force of Nature, but I had some freezer packs to get through. Bacon is always typical, but this year we’re doing smoked steak.

The diced photo is always a great photo.

The Process

Did a pretty methodical trim of the steak. Kept all the unrendered fat outta the dutch oven. We trimmed pretty small, kept all the meats from stealing the show.

The Result

Best with some tortilla chips, some melted cheese and always some fresh peppers. You came here for the recipe, so I give it to you in full.

The Recipe

ForensicBBQ

Chili Inferno w/ Smoked Meat

2026 version of the ForensicBBQ Chili!

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1.5 lbs Steak
1 lb Ground Beef I prefer Force of Nature Ancestral Blend
1/2 lb Bacon
6-10 Habanero Peppers Diced
5-8 Jalapeno Peppers Diced
5-8 Serrano Peppers Diced
5 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Green Pepper Diced
1 Yellow Onion Diced
3 Cans Ro*Tel (Ghost if possible, Habanero if not)
2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cans Hot Chili Beans Drained
3 oz Tomato Paste
1 oz Chili Paste (Sambal Oelek)
12 oz Beer
1.5 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Flakes
3 Tbsp Hot Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Beef Granules
2 Cups Water

Method

Smoke Bacon/Steak, Dice and set aside.
Brown beef in dutch oven. Add Peppers (Green, Jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero), Onion/Garlic, Seasonings (Cumin, Chili Powder, Bouillon/granules, Pepper flakes, tomatoes, beer, chili paste, water)
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer for an hour, reduce.. Stir occasionally.
After an hour, add beans, steak, bacon and stir. Simmer for an additional 30min.
Eat.