# Chili question re: thickness/consistency **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059 "2013-07-09T17:20:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/21 "2013-07-10T10:08:10Z")
Texan here. I’ve never heard of chili with out a tomato base. That sounds more like a Coney sauce! (Not really) I actually won third place with this easy recipe: Various (charred) bell peppers, charred hot peppers, an onion, garlic cloves, a can of whole tomatoes. Puree the shit out of all that in a bleder. Pour mixture in crock pot along with browned chili ground beef, simmer for a good 8hrs (I threw in various other spices along with some red wine vinegar.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/22 "2013-07-10T13:56:50Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Texan here. I’ve never heard of chili with out a tomato base. That sounds more like a Coney sauce! (Not really) If you Google “Texas chili” with “no tomatoes” you will find a number of sources that suggest the addition of tomatoes is met with a raised eyebrow in at least some parts of Texas. Hell, like I said, there’s even those who go a step further and say “no onions,” too. For example, [from here](http://www.moutons.org/Recipes/Original%20Texas%20Chili%20con%20Carne.htm): > [@](#): > > The original Texas-style chili didn’t contain any vegetables except chili peppers, the burning capsicums, a few other spices derived from the plant kingdom – no tomatoes or chopped onions.” No beans, either, though it’s OK to add cooked beans to the bowl after all is done. Or [here is something suggesting tomatoes as a controversial ingredient](http://www.chilicookoff.com/history/history_of_chili.asp): > [@](#): > > Wimberly brings to light yet another controversy that has raged among chili cooks since the beginning of time: whether or not one should put tomatoes in chili. (Also, note the chili recipe given is tomato-less.) I’m certainly not saying most Texas chilis are made that way–the few times I have had a bowl of red in Texas it’s usually been with tomatoes, but not always. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/23 "2013-07-10T14:13:56Z")
It’s kind of interesting to me, as you get the same sort of argument in Hungary with pörkölt (often called “Hungarian goulash” here), which is a similar dish to the purist’s Texas chili, except that onions are essential. While tomatoes, when they are used, are fairly minimal, (and usually in the form of a couple tablespoons of paste), there is a contingent that argues for no tomato products of any kind ever in the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/24 "2013-07-10T14:24:32Z")
FTR **pulykamell** , I never doubted you. I just found it interesting I’ve never heard of Texas chili with out a tomato base. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/25 "2013-07-10T14:29:34Z")
I abandoned tomatoes several years ago and haven’t looked back. I was just getting tired of the acidic finished product. I find that it just tastes a bit richer without tomatoes. I don’t mind a small amount of tomato paste, but don’t use it myself. ETA: I think it’s a little odd that we have a Texan here that hasn’t heard of tomato-less chili. My Texas friends were the ones who suggested I was a heathen for using it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/26 "2013-07-11T00:20:09Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > I like a thick chili, and it sounds like your recipe is similar to mine, except I usually roast my vegetables before throwing them in. They get a little char on them, and it adds to deepening the color and flavor of the chili. What, under the broiler? I’ve tried roasting the peppers, but I’ve never noticed it makes any difference to the flavor, and it’s an awful lot of trouble to peel the burnt skins off. BTW, for a four-pounds-of-meat recipe, I use 4 habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, 8 Anaheims or New Mexicos, 4 poblanos and 4 jalapenos. > [@](#): > > You mention you simmer the meat. I’m assuming you brown it first and drain the grease? If not, that might be where you’re getting some additional liquid. 😕 . . . Chili without grease? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/27 "2013-07-11T00:21:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Teaxs-style is no beans (at least not in the chili; they can be on the side), chili grind beef (larger than standard grind) or cubed beef, and sometimes no tomatoes and even no onions. Basically, it’s beef + chile peppers and spices. Invented to make trail-jerky palatable, by some accounts. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/28 "2013-07-11T00:26:05Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > As a former state chili champion, I both disagree and state that the idea of chili that thick repulses me. Well, what do you use to thin it – water, beer, broth? And is the resultant consistency like chicken soup, or split-pea soup, or what? > [@Smapti](#): > > CASI, the main organization that sponsors chili cook-offs in the US, defines “Texas style” as being composed of beef in red sauce, with no visible vegetables; basically, any solid matter in the end product which is not beef is disqualifying, but as long as it’s invisible to the naked eye it’s OK. Wait, is beef the only acceptable meat in Texas-style? No pork or lamb? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/29 "2013-07-11T00:27:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Anyhow, even though they allow tomatoes, “no tomatoes” is a common prohibition in Texas-style chili. (And I actually do like the tomato-less version of Texas chili, but I don’t do no-tomatoes and no-onions. I like my onions.) If there are no tomatoes, why is Texas Red red? Paprika? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/30 "2013-07-11T00:29:50Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I use chicken broth for the liquid in my chili. > > PS: Corn? You sick bastard. Watch your mouth or I take the next step to okra. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/31 "2013-07-11T00:35:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > For chili contests (like, not serious ones, but like, say, at Super Bowl at a friend’s house), I use tomatoes and onions, with some beans, otherwise Midwesterners get confused as chili here is almost always with beans. Unless it’s Cincinnati chili, or a chili-like substance with that name, which is essentially a spaghetti sauce . . . actually; meat fine-ground, boiled without browning, served over spaghetti, with optional toppings (beans, raw chopped onions, oyster crackers, shredded cheddar cheese). Most recipes include chocolate. I guess when you live in Ohio you have to complicate things to make life interesting. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/32 "2013-07-11T00:37:13Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I agree, I use a cup or more of chili powder in a 6 quart chili pot. I also add 3-4 tablespoons of mole paste, which has thickening properties, plus masa harina. What does the mole paste do to/for the flavor? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/33 "2013-07-11T00:49:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Unless it’s Cincinnati chili, or a chili-like substance with that name, which is essentially a spaghetti sauce . . . actually; meat fine-ground, boiled without browning, served over spaghetti, with optional toppings (beans, raw chopped onions, oyster crackers, shredded cheddar cheese). Most recipes include chocolate. > > I guess when you live in Ohio you have to complicate things to make life interesting. Cincinnati chili is, indeed, an odd thing. But I like it! Your description of it being more a spaghetti sauce than a chili is pretty much right-on. I was surprised at how liquid Skyline chili was. But I gotta tell ya, I love the way it tasted on a hot dog with that giant mound of cheese, as well as in a 5-way over spaghetti. I normally am not a big fan of chili dogs, but the chili was the perfect foil for the rather lackluster hot dogs they use. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/34 "2013-07-11T01:21:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What does the mole paste do to/for the flavor? I like it, it adds a another layer of complexity. Subtle, but detectable. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/35 "2013-07-11T02:45:11Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Invented to make trail-jerky palatable, by some accounts. Once again, the parallels I mentioned with the Hungarian pörkölt dish are intersting. Essentially, herdsmen would take dried meat out into the field with some onions and paprika and make themselves a stew by cooking it and adding water. Kind of interesting to see how two similar dishes developed thousands of miles apart. (To my knowledge, Texas chili predates the Hungarian dish by a bit.) > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If there are no tomatoes, why is Texas Red red? Paprika? Chile peppers (which paprika is, of course, a type of, but different chiles are usually used in chili). ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/36 "2013-07-11T04:42:57Z")
I use corn meal as a thickener. what? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/37 "2013-07-11T05:39:04Z")
Nothing wrong with that, although masa harina is a bit more common. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/38 "2013-07-11T06:40:13Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If there are no tomatoes, why is Texas Red red? Paprika? Paprika is just ground chili peppers, just a specific variety of them. New Mexican ground chilis tend to be bright red, while ground anchos can be red/brown. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/39 "2013-07-11T07:24:43Z")
1lb. ground beef browned, seasoned and drained. 1lb. sirloin cut into 1/2" cubes browned and seasoned. 2 lg. green bell pepper 2 lg. red bell pepper 2 lg. yellow bell pepper 2 or 3 scotch bonnets (or favorite hot pepper) 1 lg. sweet white onion (vidalia) 1 lg. red onion 3 sticks celery 2 lg. carrots 1-24oz. can whole pealed tomatoes 1 lg. head garlic 1 bottle beer chili powder thyme cumin smoked paprika garlic powder onion powder salt black pepper white pepper oregano cilantro bay leaf -Process in the food processor 1 ea. of the peppers, white onion, celery and carrots till fine paste. -Add to stock pot with can of tomatoes (crush tomatoes in hand to desired consistency). -Cut remaining peppers and red onion into 3/4in. pieces and roast on sheet pan in 350[sup]o[/sup]F. oven till edges start to blacken. -Add to pot along with browned seasoned meat. -Add whole head of garlic and 2 or 3 bay leaves (remove before refrigerating). -Season to taste. -Simmer for 2 hr. at least. -Add beer while simmering to maintain desired thickness. -Refrigerate overnight reheat to serve. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059/40 "2013-07-11T09:19:57Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Wait, is beef the only acceptable meat in Texas-style? No pork or lamb? In cook-offs which are using “homestyle” rules, anything goes for what you put in. If it’s Texas-style, though, any meat which isn’t beef is disqualifying. (Some cooks will use bacon grease to sauté the meat at the beginning of the recipe, or put pork/porkbones in that they remove before judging, which is perfectly legal.) Many cook-offs are both, and cooks will make one pot of Texas-style and one pot of homestyle and be judged separately on each. Tomato sauce/paste/puree _is_, BTW, acceptable in Texas-style. For the curious, here’s my recipe for homestyle chili; 1/4 cup olive oil 1 sweet onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb. ground beef chili grind 1 lb. ground pork 1 tbls. salt 1 tbls. black pepper 4 tbls. chili powder 2 tbls. cumin 1 packet Sazon Goya (You can find this at Mexican grocery stores) 1/3rd cup cornstarch, dissolved in 1/3rd cup water 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped 3 Anaheim peppers, seeded and minced 4 serrano peppers, chopped 1 habanero peppers, seeded and minced 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce 1 cup beef broth 1 cup chicken broth 1 tsp. white vinegar 1 drop liquid smoke In a large, thick-bottomed stockpot, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper, and saute for 3-5 minutes until onions are softened. Add beef and pork, combine thoroughly, and cook until fully browned. (Do NOT drain.) Add beans and all peppers and stir to mix. Add chili powder, cumin, and Sazon Goya, and stir to mix. Reduce heat to medium-low and add cornstarch drop by drop, as necessary until all the grease in the pot is bound, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Add tomato sauce and broth and stir to mix. Bring to boil and add vinegar and liquid smoke. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring often to prevent scorching, until sauce has thickened and peppers have softened. The most important thing is to keep the heat low and stir often enough to prevent the bottom of the pan from scorching. Having a thick-bottomed pot will also help here. If you do happen to scorch the chili, transfer it to a new pot as soon as possible and add a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter - it neutralizes any burnt flavor left over and won’t be noticeable in the final product. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-question-re-thickness-consistency/663059.md?page=3)