BBQ Diaries; Over The Top BBQ Chilli

Chilli Sauce Method
Peel and finely chop the onions, then trim and dice the carrots and the chilli (remove the seeds and membrane to keep things mild). Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan and add the veg, the star anise and bay leaves, then cook on a low-medium heat until soft. It sounds weird, but the star anise enhances the beef flavour and won’t taste at all like aniseed, unless you forget to remove it later! Next, add enough tomato purée to coat everything – this will make sure the sauce binds and thickens up beautifully. Cook off the tomato purée for a minute or two, then add the wine and keep cooking until the sauce has reduced to a syrup-like consistency. At this point, remove the star anise. Put the garlic, spices, kidney beans and chopped tomatoes (with a pinch of sugar) into the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Add enough beef stock (between 500ml and 750ml) to make it very saucy, but not too watery. It will reduce down, and you can always add more if it gets too thick in the end. Carefully pour the chilli into a deep roasting tin, ready for the BBQ, and set aside.

Meatballs Method
Put the mince in a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper - you can get creative here, with extra spices and/or herbs, but I’m going pure beef. Form the mixture into 2-3 large meatballs. Next, set up your BBQ with coals on either side and make a gap between them large enough to fit the roasting tin containing your chilli sauce. Place the tin into the gap, down low between the coals. Put the giant meatballs on the grill, above your chilli (this is the moment to add some woodsmoke flavour if you like – a small handful of smoking chips or a golf ball-sized chunk would be perfect. My favourite smoke comes from cherry wood, but any fruit tree wood or even oak will work well). Put the BBQ lid down, to create a smoky BBQ oven, and leave until the meatballs are cooked through (about an hour or so). For best results, use a meat thermometer and cook to temperature (74°c), not time. The meatballs will form an epic crust on the outside, which adds to the texture of the dish.

When the meat is cooked, crumble it all up and mix it gently into the chilli, together with most of the coriander and the lime juice. This is a rich and deep chilli, so the lime really helps give it a little lift. Serve with rice and a decent dollop of sour cream (guacamole and tortilla chips are also excellent accompaniments) and – I’m a massive fresh coriander lover – the rest of the coriander scattered on top.