Hey, I LOVE beans in chili, BUT there’s a restaurant chain here in Ontario called Mexicali Rosa’s that does an amazingly good beef chili without any fillers.
It’s basically beef, chili peppers, and spices. Man, oh man, do I crave a bowl of that right now. The best chili I’ve ever tasted…
So, if you’re ever in the neighbourhood…
ETA: Texas Red Hot. Order the Texas Red Hot.
Chili is what I say is chili. It has what I say is has. I just made a batch, and it was goooood.
And it had beans. But it wasn’t obsessed with the bean experience. It was obsessed with the chili pepper experience: habaneros, serranos, jalapenos, thai peppers. Mmmmm…
Those blasphemous of The One True Chili could consider using hominy (canned, not grits) in lieu of beans. Consider it masa in another form.