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My aunt swore by adding a pinch of cinnamon to chili, I thought she was crazy
She always said it brings out the heat without making it sweet, so I tried it last weekend for a potluck. Ended up winning the whole thing against 12 other entries, now I'm wondering if this is a regional thing or just her secret. Anyone else got a weird family trick that sounds wrong but actually works?
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bennett.jana22d ago
My buddy from Texas put me onto the same thing a few years back. He said a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon in a big pot of chili is the sweet spot, any more and it gets weird. I tried it and won our office chili cook-off too, so it’s definitely not just your aunt. For the spaghetti sauce trick, start with a tablespoon of strong black coffee per jar of sauce, and if you’re worried about sweetness, add a tiny dash of cayenne to balance it out. Cocoa powder in chili is solid too, but use unsweetened and go light, like a teaspoon for a whole batch.
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Honestly that cinnamon trick is legit. My grandma used to put a tiny splash of coffee in her spaghetti sauce and I thought she was losing it until I tried it myself. It doesn't make it taste like coffee at all, just deepens the whole flavor somehow. Now I do it every time and people ask me what my secret is, I just tell them it's a family thing and let them guess. Ngl I've also tried her weird suggestion of adding a pinch of cocoa powder to chili and that one works too, just don't tell anyone or they'll think you're making dessert.
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