Chili? Love it? Hate it? Beans or no beans?

[bjscheel]

My version is very simple- pound of ground beef, large can of crushed tomatoes, large can of chili beans. Top my bowl with a little sugar, crackers, and cheddar cheese. I love it.

 

[easyas123]

The fritos are really good in chili.

mmmm, sounds good. Chili may make an appearance this weekend at our table!

 

[tvguy]

So?

Maybe we ought to move onto something less controversial like clam chowder.

 

[Marrila]

mmmm, sounds good. Chili may make an appearance this weekend at our table!

We're having it tomorrow. I freeze it ziploc bags so all I have to do is thaw and heat. Great for game day.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not if it is being entered in a chili competition. Beans are prohibited.

A very large (as in 200 teams going on for 35 years) Chili Challenge is about to start in a few weeks here and they have two different categories that teams can sign up in. One category is for chili with beans (they call that Homestyle Chili). Beans are not prohibited by the fact that it's a chili competition. Some competitions may prohibit them if they want to though.

I really wasn't going to chime in here but alas here I am. Now I'm going to go back to talking about what peeps do with their chili

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We're having it tomorrow. I freeze it ziploc bags so all I have to do is thaw and heat. Great for game day.

I've never frozen our chili we make (we usually just do 2 meals worth of it with just us 2) but I may experiment with this and see how it sets up. Our recipe technically calls for stove top but we converted it years back to crock pot (I think we do like 4 hours on high).

 

[NotUrsula]

[snip]
No beans means tomato sauce, just like no pasta is just sauce, not spaghetti.

FWIW, traditional Texas Red Chili not only lacks beans; but it also doesn't contain any tomato products, so, not tomato sauce.

Lots of folks who are purists about the beans in chili will serve baked beans as a side; you can stir them in before eating if you like, but they don't want them cooked in with the chili itself.

(For those wondering, the liquid of this sort of chili is still red, because most recipes call for about 1/3 cup of chili powder. It also normally contains a LOT of meat; about 3 lbs for a 6 qt. recipe.)

 

[Allison]

Not if it is being entered in a chili competition. Beans are prohibited.

Well, we aren't discussing competitions. We are discussing chili.

 

[Chili327]

Not if it is being entered in a chili competition. Beans are prohibited.

Not according to the International Chili Society.
https://www.chilicookoff.com

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I love it! I made a big batch of chili today and it is simmering in the crockpot and I can’t wait for dinner.

I made mine today with bacon, ground beef, sausage, tomatoes, peppers, onion and celery and a mix of pinto and kidney beans. We definitely like the beans in our house.

Do you like it? Hate it? Beans or no beans? Feel free to share your favorite way of making it!

Without beans it is spicy tomato sauce....

However, good chili is amazing..... but not everyone can make good chili

 

[Meriweather]

I never tried Kielbasa, usually just ground pork if adding anything besides beef.
No onions on top?

It adds a smoky flavor.
No onions on top for us.

 

[mumto3girls]

Well, I learn new things on here all the time. I thought chili was beans with tomatoes, spices and a bit of meat (ground beef, ground turkey or sausage) for flavor. The only exception to that that I knew of was Cincinatti chili and I never really considered that chili.

I like it and make it often during the colder months. Often make a large pot and freeze some in little containers to take for lunch.

I tend to use kidney and pinto beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, diced pepper, diced onions, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and top with sour cream, cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeños if I have them. We sometimes use crackers or tortilla chips.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Love it! Lots of beans, since my variety is vegetarian. I don't usually add any meat substitute, just lots of beans, tomatoes, and veggies, but sometimes I'll put in some vegan chorizo.

 

[tvguy]

Well, we aren't discussing competitions. We are discussing chili.

Exactly my point.

 

[Marrila]

We are discussing chili.

I've gotten some great variation ideas from this thread. Fun chili discussion!

 

[disykat]

In my world, chili has beans, but I don't live in the SouthWest.

 

[magik]

My chili is all beans and no meat (lentils, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans…any and/or all) like this recipe.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My chili is all beans and no meat (lentils, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans…any and/or all) like this recipe.

Ooooo....that sounds good!

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

We love chili. I make it with ground beef, onions, green pepper, sometimes jalapeño, garlic, crushed tomatoes, kidney and pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, smoked paprika, beer. We serve it with corn chips, crackers, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Next weekend is supposed to be cooler, so now I’m in the mood to make chili.

 

[fly girl]

This is not chili.

The only exception to that that I knew of was Cincinatti chili and I never really considered that chili.

Those are fighting words in the 'Nati.

Is this my hill after living here so long . . . nah!

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FWIW, I don't make scratch Cincinnati Chili, that is left for Dixie Chili (forget Gold Star and Skyline, Dixie is where it is AT!)

My chili is what you'd first think of when you think of chili, and *gasp* yes with beans. I read crackers and frito scoops, we serve ours with Tostitos scoops! So good when you get that scoop with the meat, bean, and melted cheese. Oh yeah!