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

[slim1836]

Just a reminder to those that put beans in their chili. Never, ever, put more than 239 beans in in a batch of chili. One more makes it too farty.

Slim

[Hickory]

When I want chili it has to have meat & beans in it, anything less is doctored up tomato soup.

[texasnative46]

Hickory,

TOMATOES in chili?? - Sounds like spaghetti sauce to me.

yours, tex

[Wag]

Someone in the early days of this thread said, "Real chili ain't got no beans in it."

That's a fact, of course. Beans are only really a side dish. Good if done right, but still, not meant to be included in chili.

New Mexico chiles are the best. Green chile chicken stew is just that: A stew. And so far, I've only seen the occasional white bean added to it and it's still just stew. Very very good, though.

My mother used to make green chile with New Mexico green chiles and pork. Very good stuff. With no dang beans in it!

--Wag--

[rockrat]

Sorry guys, I use tomato puree in my chili and I prefer NO BEANS, although I will eat it with beans. As long as its HOT (I call it flavorfull, some call it nuclear waste). Like mine with crackers, although I have eaten it with cornbread. I make it in the late Summer and let it "age" in the freezer for a few months and let the flavors meld together, before its ready to eat.

[Chad5005]

beans,tomato puree and stewed tomatoes are all part of good chili

[Outpost75]

No beans allowed in Texas Red, Carne Adovada or Chili Verde of Arizona or New Mexico.

If you are from Kansas City, Cincinnati, Springfield, or New York then beans are cheaper than meat, but it ain't chili.

And God help anybody who puts TOMATOES in chili, banish the thought!

A proper recipe for Texas Red https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/f...s-chili-355049

A proper recipe for Chili Verde https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/

And very close to La Casita's Carne Adovada in Sierra Vista, AZ

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...rk-recipe.html

[Chad5005]

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ground-beef-chili/ this is almost the same recipe I use

[tommag]

Chile verde? No, the refritos go on the side. Red Chile? As a stand alone dish, definitely needs beans.
We made chili in our restaurant without tomatoes. That seemed normal to me, but when I discovered what a little tomato did with cumin and chili powder, I became a convert!

[wingspar]

I was in my 50's before I even knew chili wasn’t supposed to have beans. No beans, it’s Not Chili!

I recently bought a can of chili and got home, put it away and went to use it one night only to discover it did not have any beans. I almost tossed it, however, it made a good base for some burritos and I made a dip out of it. No idea why it was labeled chili.

[Walks]

Chili STRAIGHT or with PINTO/SMALL RED BEANS.

I'll eat it either way. Except it has to be straight to make a chili dog.

But no ****ed ****ing kidney or black beans. Anybody who would do that should be drug/hung through a cactus patch until dead.

It's the ****ing new yorkers, they'll **** up anything/everything.

[EDG]

I am sorry you bean advocates do not understand economics.
Go into any Wendy's and get a bowl of chili and you will find the junk is half beans. The reason is the beans are just like the excessive celery that some places use in chicken salad. The beans are a cheaper food item used as filler. Sort of like chili helper.
I love beans and grew up on meals of corn bread and beans. But when used in chili they are used to adulterate what should be a dish with no beans....

[smokeywolf]

Well, made chili yesterday. Stuck pretty close to the recipe that Outpost75 noted on epicurious.com. No tomatoes or tomato sauce. Beef, beef broth, onion, garlic, chilis, bacon grease, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, ancho powder, salt & pepper. Didn't add sugar or vinegar.

Family loved it. Anybody ever made a big batch and canned it?

[gwpercle]

When I took this poll I was a beans man....I always put beans in my chili.....until the day I made a pot and low and behold I had no cans of Trappey's red chili beans in the pantry to add !
Best tasting pot of chili I ever made !!!!! Now I heat the red beans separate and add them to my bowl, here lately I've just been omitting the beans altogether....lets be honest , beans are just a way to stretch a pot of chili to feed more people.
You got a pot of gumbo and people show up unexpectedly....you just cook more rice....another stretcher !

[texasnative46]

gwpercle,

"Stretching" foods to fill more empty bellies in Northeast Texas is often with pasta. = We routinely add macaroni to most soups/stews because our mothers & grandmothers did.
(My late wife used to laugh & say, "Honey, it's 1983 instead of 1933 & we can afford to cook without all that macaroni, spaghetti & rice, that everybody used during the Depression. We both grew up in families that had a lot of kids back then & HAD to stretch scarce food dollars as far as they would go.")

yours, tex

[Rick N Bama]

got to be some traitorous southerners here cause the beans are winning two to one!

As much as I hate to say, this old Southerner voted with you and the other yankees. Yes Beans do belong in the Chili! We use either Red Kidney or Bolita Beans from Adobe Milling.

[MyFlatline]

When I took this poll I was a beans man....I always put beans in my chili.....until the day I made a pot and low and behold I had no cans of Trappey's red chili beans in the pantry to add !
Best tasting pot of chili I ever made !!!!! Now I heat the red beans separate and add them to my bowl, here lately I've just been omitting the beans altogether....lets be honest , beans are just a way to stretch a pot of chili to feed more people.
You got a pot of gumbo and people show up unexpectedly....you just cook more rice....another stretcher !

For the most part you are correct but beans do add to the substance. Either while eating or the next day.

I prefer it with red kidney beans even on my nachos...

[9.3X62AL]

I asked Marie to make a LARGE pot of chili on Monday, and she took me at my word. DELICIOUS. I love the stuff, and have it as part of one meal each day until it runs out. This morning I fried two eggs over hard and plopped them on top of a hot 2/3 bowl of Marie's chili, and a couple flour tortillas made it a meal. No need for bacon or sausage when you have a pot of chili in the fridge.

[SSGOldfart]

Hummm this can of worms is back again ¿??????
Chili must have beans or you just have a hotdog sauce....

[EDG]

Hummm this can of worms is back again ¿??????









Chili must have beans or you just have a hotdog sauce....

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.