Chili: Beans or not?

[macpappy]

Born a Texan, raised a Texan, eat chili like a Texan.

It was originally called chili con carne and it didn't have beans in it. It didn't have bacon in it. You don't serve it over rice.

All it is is cubed or ground beef with chili peppers and onions seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin and cooked over a slow fire in a cast iron dutch oven. It was made by the camp cook while the ranch hands were out on the range. It was served with warm tortillas or cornbread.

Then there was a desire to stretch the chili to feed more people, so the cooks started adding tomatoes and beans. BUT THEY STILL DIDN'T SERVE IT OVER RICE.

Then there is that stuff they call hot dog chili which is usually just a liquified chili.

Now, good chili can be made with beef, buffalo, venison, or even elk. IF IT'S MADE USING CHICKEN, TURKEY, VEGETABLES OR SOY PRODUCTS DON'T CALL IT CHILI. Call it soup or stew or something but it ain't chili.

Now, all that being said, I occasionally like to have my chili (with or without beans) over Frito corn chips and topped with red onions and cheese.

Chili doesn't have to be hot to be good. However, when I'm cooking chili people know it's right when they walk into the kitchen and break out in a sweat. I measure how hot the chili by the number of beers you have to drink per bowl. I like two beers to the bowl.

[TonySmith]

Originally Posted by macpappy

Born a Texan, raised a Texan, eat chili like a Texan.

It was originally called chili con carne and it didn't have beans in it. It didn't have bacon in it. You don't serve it over rice.

All it is is cubed or ground beef with chili peppers and onions seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin and cooked over a slow fire in a cast iron dutch oven. It was made by the camp cook while the ranch hands were out on the range. It was served with warm tortillas or cornbread.

Then there was a desire to stretch the chili to feed more people, so the cooks started adding tomatoes and beans. BUT THEY STILL DIDN'T SERVE IT OVER RICE.

Then there is that stuff they call hot dog chili which is usually just a liquified chili.

Now, good chili can be made with beef, buffalo, venison, or even elk. IF IT'S MADE USING CHICKEN, TURKEY, VEGETABLES OR SOY PRODUCTS DON'T CALL IT CHILI. Call it soup or stew or something but it ain't chili.

Now, all that being said, I occasionally like to have my chili (with or without beans) over Frito corn chips and topped with red onions and cheese.

Chili doesn't have to be hot to be good. However, when I'm cooking chili people know it's right when they walk into the kitchen and break out in a sweat. I measure how hot the chili by the number of beers you have to drink per bowl. I like two beers to the bowl.

It needs to be hot

[chippewastud79]

This thread inspired some home made chili, can't wait until tommorow

[ucla695]

Originally Posted by TonySmith

It needs to be hot

Great point!

Originally Posted by macpappy

Born a Texan, raised a Texan, eat chili like a Texan.

It was originally called chili con carne and it didn't have beans in it. It didn't have bacon in it. You don't serve it over rice.

All it is is cubed or ground beef with chili peppers and onions seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin and cooked over a slow fire in a cast iron dutch oven. It was made by the camp cook while the ranch hands were out on the range. It was served with warm tortillas or cornbread.

Then there was a desire to stretch the chili to feed more people, so the cooks started adding tomatoes and beans. BUT THEY STILL DIDN'T SERVE IT OVER RICE.

Then there is that stuff they call hot dog chili which is usually just a liquified chili.

Now, good chili can be made with beef, buffalo, venison, or even elk. IF IT'S MADE USING CHICKEN, TURKEY, VEGETABLES OR SOY PRODUCTS DON'T CALL IT CHILI. Call it soup or stew or something but it ain't chili.

Now, all that being said, I occasionally like to have my chili (with or without beans) over Frito corn chips and topped with red onions and cheese.

Chili doesn't have to be hot to be good. However, when I'm cooking chili people know it's right when they walk into the kitchen and break out in a sweat. I measure how hot the chili by the number of beers you have to drink per bowl. I like two beers to the bowl.

Spoken like a true native son. Couldn't agree more. Matter of fact, though, my wife (who's not from Texas) asked me tonight to make some chili, but only if it didn't burn both ways like it usually does!

Originally Posted by livwire68

I usually just do a pot of pinto's and add my pulled pork or brisket. I really have not made chili, but was thinking of doing the same. Put me in for beans with chili.

My mom does this. But she doesn't call it chili

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

An additional dimension to this discussion: What do you eat with your chili??

Saltine crackers or cornbread.


If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got know beans. "Chili" is "chili con carne" shortened, and refers not just to the chili pepper, but a preparation using chili peppers and various spices. With meat added. I've eaten at a lot of Mexican food joints and I've never seen chili con carne y frijoles, or chili con carne y arroz on any menu.

Having said all that, I use a recipe called "Chili Blanco" that calls for chicken, great northern white beans, and green chilis (Anaheim is best). Garnished with green onion and grated pepper jack. It is awesome.

[Comicbookfreak]

Bean!

Where did I leave off at.... Oh yeah, 1969. As it turns out, this is one of the 2 or 3 that are multiple winners

1969 & 1971 Wold Champion Chili Recipe

Winner - C.V. Wood's World's Championship Chili

Ingredients:

1 3-pound stewing chicken, cut into pieces
1 ½ quarts water
OR 10-ounce cans chicken broth s
½ pound beef suet
OR ½ cup Wesson oil
4 lbs flank steak
5 lbs thin, center-cut pork shops
6 long green chilies, peeled
2 TSP sugar
3 TSP ground oregano
3 TSP ground cumin
½ TSP MSG (optional)
3 TSP pepper
4 TSP salt
5 TBS Gebhardt chili powder
1 TSP cilantro, also known as chinese parsley
1 TSP thyme
8 ounces Budweiser beer
4 15-ounce cans Hunts Tomatoes
¼ cup celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium onions, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 green peppers, cut into 3/8 inch pieces
1 pound Jack cheese, grated
1 lime -- Dash of Tabasco sauce


Instructions:

Combine chicken with water in a large pot and simmer 2 hours. Strain off broth and reserve chicken for other use, or use canned chicken broth. Render suet to make 6-8 TBS oil or use cooking oil. Trim all fat and bones from pork and cut it into ¼ inch cubes.

Trim all fat from flank steak and cut it into 3/8 inch cubes. Boil chilies 15 minutes or until tender. Remove seeds and cut the chilies into ¼ inch squares. Mix sugar, oregano, cumin, MSG, pepper, salt, chili powder, cilantro and thyme with beer until all lumps are dissolved. Add the tomatoes, celery, chilies, beer mixture and garlic to the chicken broth.

Pour about a third of the reserved suet or oil into a skillet, add pork and brown. Do only half total amount at a time.

Add the pork to the broth mixture, cook slowly 30 minutes.

Brown beef in the remaining oil, about one third of the total amount at a time. Add the beef to the pork mixture and cook slowly about 1 hour. Add onions and peppers. Simmer 2-3 hours until meat is broken down, stirring with a wooden spoon every 15-20 minutes

Cool 1 hour and refrigerate 24 hours. Reheat chili before serving it. About 5 minutes before serving time, add grated cheese. Just before serving, add the juice of the lime and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Makes 6 quarts.

1970 World Champion Chili Recipe

Interestingly, There are only 2 people that actually marketed their recipe and you can not get the exact recipes, You can go to the market and buy their packaged chili recipe.

This is one of them.

2 Alarm Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds meat coarsely ground or diced
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of 2 Alarm Chili Ingredients*
Salt

Instructions:

Sear the meat until it becomes gray. Add tomato sauce and water. Add all the ingredients except the masa flour. Cover kettle and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes, until meat is tender. Stir occasionally. Skim off excess grease. Mix masa flour with warm water into a smooth paste. Stir into chili to tighten it and add flavor. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes and salt to taste. Chili is ready to serve.

For 1-Alarm, use only half of the red pepper. For False-Alarm Chili, leave out the red pepper. For 3-Alarm Chili or hotter, merely add hot pepper.

*2-Alarm Chili mix is available in many areas. It was developed by the late Wick Fowler but for obvious reasons, the exact ingredients cannot be released by the Caliente Chili Company of Austin, Texas, who packages and distributes the mix.