The great chili debate of 2015. Beans or no beans?

[Char-Gar]

I said so in 2015 and continue to say so in 2018, if it has beans in it, it isn't chili. I do realize that while chili is a SW dish, some form of it is made throughout this great land. Folks can eat it with any kind of filler they wish, even wadded up toilet paper.

Lots of things happened to food during the Great Depression, that continue today out of habit and not out of necessity.

[Rick N Bama]

Real chili has real chunks of chili meat in it. Putting it on a hot dog is just a way to adulterate the chili.
Beans are nothing but cheaper filler... Bondo for chili that is not needed.

We've been making our Chili with a Chuck Roast cut up into small chunks and browned in a CI Skillet. It's made with Tomato Sauce and Beans........of course!

[smokeywolf]

My effort at traditional Texas chili was pretty successful. Made about 2/3 gallon; it's gone. I had 2 servings, kids had 2 ea. and Mrs. smokeywolf ate 4 servings in 3 days.

[Wag]

I have a pot of NM green chile on the stove right now in a cast iron skillet.

Everything tastes better if you cook it in cast iron.

--Wag--

[Newboy]

You can call pork chops collards, but it doesn’t make it so.

Chili with beans isn’t chili.

People who think chili is spaghetti sauce or meat soup have never had chili, just some yankee **** they call chili.


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[abunaitoo]

Many years ago, a friend from Texas made some chili for a bunch of us.
Best chili I've ever had. nothing comes even close.
No beans.
But I'll eat it either way, as long as it taste good.
Best can chili for me.
Chef-mate chili with beans.
Have a herd time finding it here.

[Beagle333]

I'm putting beans in mine this week, as always.

[sparkyv]

Putting beans in chili is a hanging crime in Texas.

You'd have to call it something else if you put beans in it.

Chili-beans!

[Reverend Al]

Everything tastes better if you cook it in cast iron.

--Wag--

Absolutely!











And sorry ... I put beans in my chili ... always have!

[texasnative46]

Reverend Al,

Were you perchance raised by a lady who was alive during the Great Depression, as I was??
(My governess was raised on a plantation in MS & spent her girlhood there until she married at 16 & moved to TX.)

yours, tex

[KenH]

Many years ago my wife and I were walking thru the grocery store and happened to see cans of chili, they had both with beans and without beans. She looked and says "Look, that can is most expensive and it doesn't even have beans!!"

While I "can" eat chili with beans, I MUCH prefer cornbread.

[Reverend Al]

Reverend Al,

Were you perchance raised by a lady who was alive during the Great Depression, as I was??
(My governess was raised on a plantation in MS & spent her girlhood there until she married at 16 & moved to TX.)

yours, tex

Well, close ... My Mom did live through the Depression up here in Victoria, but she and my 2 uncles were lucky in that they were living on a farm that my grandfather ran for a local businessman. They ate better than most since they grew a variety of crops for themselves as well as for the owner. I still have my grandmother's hand written recipe book from that era. One of my favorite recipes from her cookbook is for meatloaf, and it starts off by saying "take 5 cents worth of ground beef" ... LOL ...

Don't know where I got my love of cast iron cooking from ... it just came naturally. I love to cook and bake and after I tried using a bit of cast iron I was hooked and just kept buying more and more of it.

[texasnative46]

Reverend Al,

My late father used to say that, "I romanced your mother when we were in college at ETSTC on 25 cents a week. 2 movie tickets, popcorn & 2 Cokes."

yours, tex

[Outpost75]

Tex,

Please correct me if this is incorrect, but IIRC chili with beans was an attempt to stretch the contents of the pot farther when there were more mouths to feed, but not enough meat, either due to poverty, or bad luck hunting.
I believe also that beans were promoted by overseers and landlords because they were cheaper, and the recipients didn't complain because eaten with enough tortillas they made for a full belly and were healthy.

Tortillas were traditionally corn masa harina and never white flour until the government started giving it to reservation Indians. Bread as whites know it was not part of their culture, so they used it in the manner in which they were accustomed. Do I have that right?

[Elroy]

In my house the big question with chili is whether it has sugar,or not.We always use kidney beans,but go heavy on the burger.We grind and freeze a lot of deer.My wife,and me have been razzing each other for years over who makes the best chili.I like a little sugar with mine,and I use more garlic powder,as well as chili powder.Her chili is good,but not greatly suited for my taste.

[6bg6ga]

Got to have beans but not kidney beans

[Elroy]

I've ate chili with left over pinto,and ate the chili with several different beans ,but I still favor dark kidney beans.

[6bg6ga]

I've ate chili with left over pinto,and ate the chili with several different beans ,but I still favor dark kidney beans.

If God had wanted kidney beans in chili you wouldn't see cans of chili beans or chili beans and mix on the grocers shelves.

[Outpost75]

Hopi yellow, or black pinto "Maawiw' ngwu" beans are wonderful if you live somewhere you can get them. My late aunt used to send them to me from Arizona.

These days seek out October Bush or Six Nations Beans you can find at farmer's markets in Allegheny County, New York, produced in the Seneca Nation. I buy a load of these whenever I get up there.

[lightman]

I prefer mine without beans. I'm just not fond of beans. We grind a lot of deer and it usually gets used for Chili or Tacos.