All American Chili - Help me fix it!

[RBarry]

Our neighborhood's having a chili cookoff and I thought I'd have a "healthy" entry by using the AAC. I cooked it yesterday so the flavors would set in overnight. I just warmed it up and noticed that it tastes WAY too sweet. My husband agrees. I know I used the correct amt. of brown sugar (2 T I believe) so I can't figure out why it tastes sweeter than normal.

Is there any advice on how to cut the sugar taste out of something? (Kind of like the "put a potato in something that's too salty" trick.)

Thanks everyone!

[Cookin4Love]

You could try something that has an acidic note to it. I haven't made the recipe, so couldn't tell you which would work, but you could try:

Lime juice
Balsamic vinegar
Wine (probably red for chili)

Start with a little, stir, and taste. I've saved several too-sweet things that way.

[RBarry]

It has red wine in it (Merlot). I will try adding more to see if the acid helps. Thanks!