Similar to adding beer, another way to enrich your chili and play with the balance of sweet and spicy is by adding brown sugar to the chili pot. Brown sugar is often used in meat marinades, glazes, and sauces because it helps to caramelize and boost the natural flavors in the meat. In stew, soup, and chili recipes, the sugar also cuts through the spicy and tangy flavors to offer a more well-rounded and nuanced taste.

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Although you could use white sugar, it won’t work quite as well. Brown sugar has darker, richer notes that better play off the spices and other hearty ingredients in chili.

As a word of caution, be sure to be light-handed when you add sugar. While a hint of sweetness and caramelized flavor enriches chili, it’s key not to add too much. You don’t want to tip the scale and make your savory dish taste sickly sweet. To avoid this, add a little at a time and taste test as you go if necessary. 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar is plenty for a full pot of chili. If you’re only preparing 1-2 servings, then you’ll want to decrease that amount accordingly.