The Simple Addition That Gives Chili A Flavorful Punch

Chili is a dish that is near and dear to my heart, easily ranking among the best meals for cold weather in the world. While chili lovers likely began eating the stew by way of an old family recipe or, if you're anything like me, by falling in love with Wendy's sustainable chili, as time goes on, many of us desire to begin making it our own way, improving the dish to fit our tastes and needs. So, for the chili makers who have found themselves wanting to add a brand new boost of flavor to their dish, liquid smoke has become the answer to putting their rendition of the classic meal on a whole new level.

Alongside the many different things you can put in your own personal chili concoction, liquid smoke is a flavoring agent perfect for your favorite cold-weather meal. The ingredient is made by collecting the condensation of smoke that emanates from burnt woods like mesquite or hickory. As a result, liquid smoke is a concentrate typically used for things like homemade BBQ sauce or sloppy Joes but can also grant your chili a major flavor boost by providing a woodsy, smoky taste that can truly elevate the dish.

When it comes to how to use liquid smoke in a chili recipe, the rule of thumb is that less is typically more. For example, when following a chili recipe that calls for 1 ½ pounds of ground beef, using just 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke should be more than enough to positively impact the taste of the chili without completely overwhelming the other ingredients and their flavors. Even then, some homemade chili connoisseurs suggest using as little as ⅛ teaspoon of liquid smoke when making a batch. While the exact amount of the ingredient you should use depends on your own personal tastes, it's unlikely that you'll need much more than a teaspoon to get the job done.

Furthermore, if you can't find liquid smoke at your local grocery store but would still like to give your chili that smoky taste, ingredients like smoked paprika or chipotles in adobo sauce — a canned good that you should always keep in your pantry — could provide a similar service while also increasing your chili's spiciness in the process.