# Let's all have a seat, crack open a beer, and talk about chili. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [March 10, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347 "2018-03-10T17:47:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/41 "2018-03-11T02:44:14Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > …Ok, honest question here: if tomatoes and beans are out in **Gray Ghost** land, what does that leave you besides meat chunks in a thick sauce? That sounds to me like a North American version of a curry… You’re not far off. The flavors come from the rendering and browning of meat, plus the chiles/onions/garlic. I make some curries in about the same way I make chili, and I picked up the spice blooming tip from a Madhur Jaffrey book before I saw Rick Bayless do it on his show. [Picture of ‘typical’ Texas red](https://static.thespicehouse.com/images/image/3724/large_Texas-roadhouse-Chili.jpg) I personally don’t use tomato paste—she thinks it makes it too sweet, but I don’t see it as objectionable. I see enough “Texas chili” recipes that include it. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/42 "2018-03-11T02:57:04Z")
My suggestion from down in Texas - cubed boneless chuck, homemade chili powder (from toasted whole dried chilis (ancho, cascabel, arbol, etc) and cumin seeds whizzed up in a blender, plus some smoked paprika), a few garlic cloves, beef broth, some masa harina for thickening, S&P…brown meat, add liquid and other ingredients and simmer in a dutch oven for a few hours until the meat is falling apart…cook some dried kidney or pinto beans and add them if you must. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/43 "2018-03-11T03:02:51Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Texans like beans just fine. Just not in chili. Just like potato salad is something that goes _with_ a hamburger, not _on_ one… Indeed. [Charro beans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frijoles_charros) are proof that God loves us and wants to be happy. Even if we may be stuck in Texas. I’ve made red chili with and without beans. And I’ve heard of chili recipes minimalist enough to omit onions. I like it without beans, but you do you. OTOH, white chicken chili, with gobs of fresh roasted Hatch chiles, is outstanding with white beans like cannellini. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/44 "2018-03-11T03:45:59Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Indeed. [Charro beans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frijoles_charros) are proof that God loves us and wants to be happy. Even if we may be stuck in Texas. > > I’ve made red chili with and without beans. And I’ve heard of chili recipes minimalist enough to omit onions. I like it without beans, but you do you. OTOH, white chicken chili, with gobs of fresh roasted Hatch chiles, is outstanding with white beans like cannellini. Yeah, I was going to say, I’ve heard of recipes that skip out on the onions too, but leave in the garlic as the alium flavor. I use the onion because, well, I love onions and I’m very much influenced by how I cook the aforementioned _pörkölt_. I basically use the onions for sweetness and liquid (they release a LOT along with the meat when cooking down) and add a minimal amount of beef broth, just enough to keep it from scorching, so maybe a half cup for a couple-two-three pounds of meat? So the liquid that is left over is pretty concentrated beef, onion, and chili pepper goodness. But, yeah, white chicken chili? Definitely beans in that. One of my friends does a white chicken chili that in addition includes fennel (as in the bulbous vegetable, not the seeds). I thought this was the craziest idea I’d ever heard, but it’s delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/45 "2018-03-11T06:10:03Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I always add corn. Mmmm, I love it! Adds lovely flavour, texture and colour . No. Just … no. Corn belongs on the cob, or mixed with peas on Grandma’s dinner table, or in a livestock feed trough. It has no place in chili. Not much to add, other than I’m looking forward to trying some of the suggestions here. Never though about cumin, for example. But no corn. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/46 "2018-03-11T08:28:20Z")
just don’t make bean and tomato soup with ground beef and call it chili …my northeast relatives do this and I have to hold my tongue … ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/47 "2018-03-11T08:28:47Z")
Former WA state chili champion (well, OK, I was third place, but they put my photo in the paper, consarnit) checking in. > [@Lancia](#): > > 1. I’m a Yankee, which means beans will be expected and must be included. I know the purists out there will get the vapors, but a bean-less chili would likely be laughed out of the contest. So what beans do you use? You’d better check the cookoff rules before you go using beans. Some of the major sanctioning bodies for chili cookoffs, such as CASI, explicitly forbid the use of beans or any other vegetables visible in the final broth. I use pinto beans if beans are expected - they add texture and stretch out the meat without throwing off the flavor too much. > [@](#): > > 1. I’ve heard of people using Guinness or other dark beer for the liquid, but when pressed nobody can seem to answer _why_ they do that—apparently it doesn’t add much to the flavor. Is it really worth it or just a macho thing? I’ve never found it necessary. I make my broth with equal parts beef broth, chicken broth, and tomato sauce. (Keep an airplane bottle of vodka on hand, though - it can potentially save the batch if you scorch the pot.) > [@](#): > > 1. Thoughts on tomatoes? Folk around here are used to soupy chili, so having big chunks of tomatoes and diced chuck probably won’t go over very well. I’m thinking of using either a chili grind from my local butcher (or hell, maybe a mix of beef and pork… hmmm…) with tomatoes that have been diced small. For God’s sake, man, at least thicken your chili a little. I recommend a roux made with cornstarch and the rendered beef/pork fat. Equal parts beef and pork is generally the way to go - again, unless the cookoff rules prohibit pork. I don’t recommend chunks of tomato either - just go with sauce as I mentioned above. > [@](#): > > 1. Spices. I have chili powder available, the standard McCormick stuff available at every Safeway. What should I do to up my chili game? I’ve heard of adding cumin, chocolate powder, Mexican oregano, paprika, cinnamon… some of these are present in the commercial chili powder but I’m not sure which ones and in what proportions. Should I abandon the commercial chili powder and use individual spices? If so, tell me what works. Whatever I use it has to be available from my local grocery store. I don’t have a Penzey’s or similar local (although if there is something that is absolutely vital for good chili I’m willing to order some online). As mentioned above, you won’t win any cookoffs with McCormick’s. My go-to is a 50/50 mix of Gebhardt’s and Mexene (which you can order online if it’s not available locally. The only other spices I use are salt, pepper, cumin, and Sazon Goya (which you can find online or in a Hispanic grocery store, or possibly at Walmart). Possibly some onion powder and garlic powder if you’re not planning on using fresh stuff. Cocoa and cinnamon don’t belong in chili unless you’re in the greater Cincinnati area and you’ve got a hankering for spaghetti. > [@](#): > > Heat. In a perfect world I’d put a big handful of Carolina Reapers and Scotch Bonnets in the blender with enough diced tomatoes to make them damp and blend it until the peppers are mostly puréed and then adding that to the chili (or maybe adding them to the onion as it browns in the pan after the meat). Anyway, since I’m going to be serving this to other people, my standard hot-enough-to-cause-chemical-burns approach probably won’t be appreciated. I’d like to make it hot enough to be noticeable but not so hot that people can’t eat it. So any other heat suggestions are welcome. I like to kick up the flavor with some chopped green peppers - I usually use a few jalapenos, a few serranos, and one or two Anaheims. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/48 "2018-03-11T09:14:04Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > No. Just … no. Corn belongs on the cob, or mixed with peas on Grandma’s dinner table, or in a livestock feed trough. It has no place in chili. > > Not much to add, other than I’m looking forward to trying some of the suggestions here. Never though about cumin, for example. But no corn. That’s what I said. Till I tried it! Now I’m sold. It goes really wonderfully with it. I have no time for regional purists, to be honest. It’s yummy lots of different ways, as far as I’ve been able to determine. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/49 "2018-03-11T12:10:32Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > That’s what I said. Till I tried it! Now I’m sold. It goes really wonderfully with it. I, personally, would only use corn in a vegetarian chili, along with zucchini and yellow squash, and some extra beans, and maybe some cucumber. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/50 "2018-03-11T14:20:14Z")
Beanless chili is sloppy joe mix, meant to be put on a bun. Use pinto and kidney beans. Green Peppers for sure. And I like to add some sliced celery. Nice texture, and adds a little bitter flavor. Jalapenos and Tomatoes and chopped onion of course. Now I’m sure I’m probably wrong for the true connoisseur. Pay attention to the rules as Smapti suggests. A buddy of mine got third place in our local chili cook off. I had some of his. He used elk meat. Zero vegies. It was… not something you could eat for a meal, and I did not particularly like it. It was, I donno, just stewed meat with some spices. Boring as can be. Anyone can do that. IMHO, chili should be alive with different flavors, and textures for a good mouth feel. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/51 "2018-03-11T14:53:41Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > That’s what I said. Till I tried it! Now I’m sold. It goes really wonderfully with it. > > I have no time for regional purists, to be honest. It’s yummy lots of different ways, as far as I’ve been able to determine. Yeah, corn is part of my “everything but the kitchen sink” style of soupier Midwestern chili. (I’m not saying this is necessarily the definitive style in the Midwest, but I see it around at least the upper Midwest, hence why I’m calling it that. Or maybe just “Yankee” chili, I don’t know.) That’s also when I’ll throw the diced bell peppers in, and stuff like that. Even elbow macaroni. Maybe even celery if I’m feeling nuts. But, when serving it or describing it to others, I make sure to qualify it as “kitchen sink chili.” Similarly, when I make Texas style chili, I qualify it as that, as well. Of course, I’m probably only of 1% of the general population who gives a shit, but I just feel dirty calling it “chili” when I throw all that stuff in (unless it’s a “vegetarian chili” or a “white chili,” then anything goes.) ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/52 "2018-03-11T14:57:21Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Beanless chili is sloppy joe mix Depending on whether you’re making it with ground beef or hand chunked cubes. I tend to do it the latter way, so it ends up like a beef stew. See the photo in my previous link on the subject, or [this photo here](https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/texas-red-chili/). T’aint sloppy joe mix. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/53 "2018-03-11T15:13:36Z")
At least no one has mentioned spaghetti so far. When I first read this thread I was sitting at a Primanti’s (Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain, which among other things means fries on burgers for some reason) finishing one of their signature dishes consisting of French fries covered with chili. The chili tasted largely of pickle relish. Not a taste I’d try to emulate, but different strokes, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/54 "2018-03-11T15:17:14Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Ok, honest question here: if tomatoes and beans are out in **Gray Ghost** land, what does that leave you besides meat chunks in a thick sauce? That sounds to me like a North American version of a curry. Carne adovada. ---
**Author:** ![PlumBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@PlumBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlumBob)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/55 "2018-03-11T15:23:19Z")
If somebody else already hasn’t said it… Homemade stock is very important. I like chicken stock, beef will work. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/56 "2018-03-11T15:43:16Z")
Annnnd this thread wins the big prize as our ONE MILLIONTH THREAD ABOUT CHILI!!! I’m not typing out another huge damn essay. The final word on chili is that your chili should please you and those you offer it to. My Personal Bowl of Red nails me as a native of the Great Rust Belt. Southwesterners and Westerners would scoff at my use of beans, onions, and (a small amount of) tomatoes. A Vermonter or Minnesotan would say that I was using an insane amount of chile. A goor-may foodie would choose stout or homemade broth or some sort of artisianal beer for the liquid — I use the water I blended the chiles into. I also use ground beef exclusively, lots of oregano and garlic, and a modest amount of cumin. My chili may not win any blue ribbons, but it’s mine and I like it. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/57 "2018-03-11T15:49:58Z")
^ That actually does sound like a perfectly acceptable bowl of chili. 🙂 Man, here we go again. Now it’s gonna have to be chili time at chez pulykamell again. It’s been awhile since I did Texas red (last couple times it was “kitchen sink chili”), so that’s gonna be on the menu sometime this week. I got excited, as my wife told me the parish we attend (well, really, that she mostly attends) is having a chili cook-off, but I’m working that weekend. I have like every weekend in the next two months free, except for that one. Grr… This is like the fifth year in a row its happened to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/58 "2018-03-11T15:50:41Z")
One more thing, because everyone’s been mocking McCormick Chili Powder. It actually was rated as the best pre-mixed chili powder by Christopher Kimball’s “board of experts” at COOK’S ILLUSTRATED. I think it compares very well to Penzey’s or Gebhart’s. When I feel like fiddling, I get dried anchos and guajillos and negroes and New Mexico and chipotles, toast them, seed them, simmer them, and then blend the chiles and water into a smooth liquid. When I’m not in the mood for all that shit, I use a half-cup of McCormick. And doctor with extra garlic, oregano, and cumin. The second version is really good, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/59 "2018-03-11T16:02:14Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > So I want to make a note of something that occurred to me today. I remember an old episode of that wonderful documentary on Texas life, _King of the Hill_. In at least one episode Peggy brags about one of her signature dinner dishes that calls for Wolf brand chili. [That’s apparently a real thing, and the popular stuff is made without beans](http://www.wolfbrandchili.com/). Here in the PNW if you walk into any supermarket or convenience store the most prominent brand you’ll see on the shelves is [Nalley, made of course with beans](http://www.nalleyfoods.com/ourproducts/). The other usual offerings is [Dennison’s, made of course with beans.](http://www.dennisonschili.com/) > > So yeah, obviously Texans and other southern folk don’t like their beans, and the rest of us do. I used to buy Wolf chili when I lived in L.A. Now in the Pacific Northwest I don’t know if I’ve seen it. But Nally and Dennison’s offer bean-free varieties. I like to keep a can or two around in case we feel like pepper bellies/Frito pies/walking tacos. But Mrs. L.A. likes those with beans, so I just get that. For actually eating chili, I like chili colorado (meat and red sauce) that I make ‘from scratch’. If I want something quick, Bear Creek’s [Darn Good Chili](https://www.soupsonline.com/p-287-bear-creek-darn-good-chili.aspx) is darn good. (It has beans.) Or I’ll make some quick chili on the stove with ground beef, with or without beans. But for me, no beans. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347/60 "2018-03-11T16:02:51Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > One more thing, because everyone’s been mocking McCormick Chili Powder. It actually was rated as the best pre-mixed chili powder by Christopher Kimball’s “board of experts” at COOK’S ILLUSTRATED. I think it compares very well to Penzey’s or Gebhart’s. I actually have no opinion on McCormick chili powder, and I’m sure it’s a perfectly acceptable product, but the Cooks Illustrated panel endorsement only makes me more skeptical. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-all-have-a-seat-crack-open-a-beer-and-talk-about-chili/810347.md?page=4)