The Unconventional Chili Ingredient You'll Start Craving Constantly

Some great dishes are born from minimalism, but not chili. To make a good, cookoff-worthy chili, you should be dumping about half of your spice cabinet in there, and that's only a slight exaggeration. Chili should have a bold flavor. Of course, that means plenty of chili powder, cayenne pepper, and hot paprika, but you need more than just spiciness. A touch of smokiness will help you harken back to the early versions of chili eaten around campfires on the American frontier.

There are a couple of ways you can add a smoky flavor to chili. One would be to cook it in a smoker, but that takes a long time, and most importantly, requires you own special equipment and wood for smoking. You could also use smoked peppers like chipotles or guajillos in your chili. That said, the easiest way to add a hint of smoky flavor to chili is by using liquid smoke, a common and cheap ingredient that might be one of the most underrated pantry staples out there.

You can incorporate liquid smoke to chili along with the rest of your wet ingredients. It is very potent, so you don't need much at all. This way, you'll end up with a subtle campfire flavor that accentuates all the spices in your chili. It doesn't stop at chili either. Once you start using liquid smoke in your cooking, you'll find it's a surprisingly versatile and irresistible ingredient.

Liquid smoke is exactly what it sounds like: smoke that has been turned into a liquid. It is made by burning wood chips, like the kind you would use to turn your grill into a smoker. Popular wood varieties include hickory, applewood, and mesquite, all of which are classics commonly used in the smokers of barbecue restaurants. As the wood burns, it produces smoke, which is then captured and cooled down so that it condenses into a liquid. Once the liquified smoke is filtered to remove any remaining bits of ash, it is ready to be bottled and sold as liquid smoke.

Liquid smoke tends to be very cheap, running around two dollars per bottle. Moreover, a single bottle can last you for years, as liquid smoke is highly concentrated, and you should only use a couple of drops of it in any given recipe. Be careful when shopping for liquid smoke, though, as not all brands are created equal. Some include additional flavorings and colorants like molasses and caramel. Look for a brand that only contains smoke and water for the purest smoky flavor.

It should be noted that liquid smoke is a somewhat controversial ingredient. Its critics argue that the seasoning is a shortcut that can't achieve the true flavor of a smoker, while its proponents say they can hardly tell the difference. The trick is understanding that a little goes a long way, and not letting the liquid smoke take over the dish. When it's used properly, however, it can do a lot of heavy lifting, its smokiness accentuating the spices in chili and more. It's particularly great for vegetarian versions, like a three-bean vegetarian chili, where liquid smoke can bring some extra umami flavor, filling in where meat usually would.

Aside from chili, liquid smoke can be used in any dish where you want a bit of smoky flavor without actually having to smoke anything. You can make home kitchen-friendly versions of barbecue classics like pulled pork by using a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or sous vide, but none of them will have the same smoky flavor you'd expect from a pitmaster unless you throw a few drops of liquid smoke in there. The same goes if you're making homemade barbecue sauce. And if you still have chili on your mind, try these other secret ingredients to upgrade chili.