Wood-Fired Chilli Con Carne

A proper chilli that cooks low and slow in the residual heat of your pizza oven, picking up a deep smokiness that no kitchen oven can match. The spice mix is built from scratch - cumin, chipotle, smoked paprika, cocoa, and cinnamon - and the treacle adds a dark, sticky richness. Start this after your pizza session and let the dying embers do the work while you relax. Three hours later, you will have the best chilli you have ever made.

Ingredients

Chilli Spice Mix

• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp diced chipotle
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• Half tbsp brown sugar
• Half tbsp smoked salt
• Half tbsp ground coriander
• Half tbsp dried oregano
• Quarter tbsp paprika
• Quarter tbsp smoked paprika
• Quarter tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Main Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 50g chilli spice mix (from above)
• 500ml beef or chicken stock
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 tbsp treacle
• 500g leftover cooked beef, diced (or 750g stewing steak, or 750g beef mince)
• 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Method

1. Make the spice mix by combining all the dry spices. This makes more than you need - store the rest in an airtight container for up to a month.
2. Bring your pizza oven down to 120-160°C. If you have smoking wood, add a chunk to the embers every 45 minutes for deeper flavour.
3. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot and gently cook the diced onion until softened.
4. Add the spice mix, stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, treacle, meat, and kidney beans. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cook low and slow for 2-3 hours, adding small pieces of wood periodically. Stir every 30 minutes or so.
6. The chilli is done when the sauce is thick and rich and the meat is tender. Serve with rice, soured cream, grated cheese, and warm tortillas.

Safety note: We have used tinned kidney beans here, which are pre-cooked and safe. If substituting dried kidney beans, they must be soaked overnight and boiled hard for at least 10 minutes before adding to the chilli - undercooked kidney beans can make you very ill. If serving with rice, cook it fresh and serve straight away. Do not leave cooked rice sitting at room temperature - refrigerate leftovers within an hour.

Vegetarian version: Replace the meat with 750g chopped butternut squash and use vegetable stock. Reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes.