In Belize, the most popular hot-sauce (Marie Sharp's) has a carrot flavor. After a trip to Belize last year and eating with this all week long, I decided to try to make a chili with Marie Sharp's that leaned into the carrot flavor. Here's what my creative partner (chatGPT) and I settled on. It came out really nice! I'm about to make it again for the first time in a few months and thought some folks here might enjoy as well.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 carrots, grated 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (fire-roasted) 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Marie Sharp's Hot Habanero Pepper Sauce

Slow Cooker Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until they become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and grated carrots, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Once cooked, drain any excess fat.

Transfer the cooked onion, garlic, carrot, and meat mixture to your slow cooker.

Add the kidney beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. The longer cooking time on low will allow the flavors to meld even more.

Taste the chili and adjust the seasonings if needed, adding more brown sugar or cayenne pepper to your liking.

Serve the chili hot, adding the Marie Sharp's to your preference level.