Many Brits enjoy a chilli con carne, whether that’s made at home or ordered at the pub. While it may not be as common as some other dishes, it is the perfect choice for a quick one-pot-meal, one which can feed the entire family.
While traditionally made with beef, it can be adapted to use ground beef, diced beef, or even vegetarian substitutes, and is often served with rice or tortilla chips and other sides.
With all these different variations of the dish, we urge you to try adding this one ingredient to ‘perk everything up’ – and it’s not wine or vinegar.
The special ingredient to turn this routine meal around is – brine.
With just a few tablespoons from a jar of pickles or jalapeños, for spice lovers, stirred in towards the end will add that flare of acidity, bringing life to the tastebuds.
Other ingredients that you probably never considered to liven up your chilli are:
- Chocolate – The chocolate offsets the acidity of the tomatoes and chili powder and ups the chili’s rich, earthy flavor. Use dark chocolate to get the best results.
- Coffee or Espresso Powder – Coffee adds a roasted, earthy flavor that complements the spices and richness of chili.
- Peanut Butter – Peanut butter adds creaminess, richness, and depth of flavor while boosting the chili’s protein and healthy fat content
- Marmite or Vegemite – Add either of these in for a complex, strong, salty flavor bomb that boosts the baseline tastes of your chili.
- Liquid smoke – This will add that concentrated smoky flavor without needing to grill or smoke anything.
There’s loads of different recipes to choose from online – BBC Good Food, Delish, The Kitchn – the list goes on, but if you’re looking to enrich the dish, look to the list above for inspiration.
