Personally, I don’t care oen way or the other if someone puts beans in their chili (but then, I’m not frmo Texas, so that’s prboably standard fare.) But, IMO< the first chilis probably did have beans in them.
Although it’s not mentioned in that history of chili article linked to, I still think it to be true. Why? Well, think about it. Chili was served out on the trail as a means to both make the tougher parts of meat more palatable, and to use up meat on the verge of spoilage. Why did they have to use these less desirable meats? Because the less cows they killed on the trail, the more they had to sell when they got to wherever it was that they were going. So you’re a trail cook, and you know that you will get a better cut of the profits by keeping more cows alive. Wouldn’t it make sense to use nice, cheap and filling beans in this mixture so that less beef could be used? Sure makes sense to me.
But, Texas being what it is, when Chili start to get popular, they had to ''Texas it up" and get rid of those namby-pamby beans. Just lots of DEAD COW and HOT CHILES! Woo, doggie! Texas style! Etc…
I think you put the cart before the horse. By many (most, all?) accounts, Chili was invented in Texas. When it became popular is when people started modifying the recipe by adding stuff like beans.
I don’t think this is ever going to be settled once and for all, can’t you just accept that there are some dishes that vary by regions? There’s barbeque (I hear some people put coleslaw on their BBQ sandwich!), pizza, hot dog toppings and even cornbread varies by region.
If Texans want to shout “that’s not real chili!”, they can do that and we’ll just roll our eyes, pile on the beans and call it chili anyway.
So who elected Texans the arbiters of good taste? Other Texans, most likely, which negates the hypothesis that no beans=good chili. Black bean chili is the food of the gods. Pintos are okay. Kidney beans are an abomination. So endeth the lesson.
All you blasphemers can put beans in your chili if you want, but if you show up at this chili cook-off with your unholy gruel, you might as well bring your own rope because, if they can find a tree, they will hang you!
Directly opposed to Chefguy, I think that if you have to put beans in chili, then kidney beans are the way to go. Pinto beans belong alongside, not in chili.
And Wile E…proper Carolina BBQ is served with coleslaw on the sandwich. Quite good, it is.
Chili was invented in Texas? So, you are saying that Mexicans_who had long been using chili peppers, comino, beef, pork, etc._never thought to cook those things together? Frankly, sir, I find it about as believable that Texans invented chili as I do that Russians invented baseball.
Nobody. We’re not (or at least I’m not) saying that good chili equals no beans. However, they’re the ones who invented chili, so I feel they should have a say into what constitutes real chili.
I disagree with bouv’s assumption that the original chilis probably contained beans. First of all, there’s no evidence for it. Secondly, there’s nothing unusual about using your cows on the trail for food without filler. Hungarians used to do it all the time in their gulyasleves (“goulash soup” or “real” goulash). They’d take one sickly cow along for the journey, butcher it along the way, and not add any filler or extender: just meat, onions, paprika, and some carrots and parsnips. There are variants of gulyas with beans in it, but the standard was beanless. So there seems to be historical precedent across cultures that would say that while your hypothesis is logical, unless you have any evidence other than mere supposition for it, it’s not necessarily true. And why would they have to put the beans in the chili itself anyway? They may have just as well–if not more probably–served it as a side dish.
I’m from Texas- lived all my life there. However, I disagree with the standard Texan’s opinion on beanless chili. I highly prefer beans, preferably pinto beans, in my chili. I also like chunks of tomato, and chunks of meat as opposed to ground beef.
“Texas Red”, for me, is a condiment. It’s a meal with beans and tomatoes.
I do agree, however, that Chili Pie (chili over fritos, with onions and cheese… preferably right out of the Fritos bag) is the best way to eat chili, beans or no.
[SUB]Damn, now I know what I want for dinner tonight.[/SUB]
Beans should be an option, as they promote regularity. In Cincinnati, they understand that some chili eaters are constipated, and some aren’t. They also offer cheese, for those who aren’t, but would like to be. And the chili is better than anything in Texas (boiled beef, chocolate, allspice; don’t knock it till you’ve tried it).
I’m getting the feeling some people dismiss what is referred to as “Texas-style chili” because of distaste for Texas and/or Texans. Just because something has the word Texas attatched to it shouldn’t make it automatically suspect. As far as Texans being the arbiter of good taste, I think it should be obvious that chili has been made in the Southwestern U.S. for a longer period of time than in other parts of the country. Doesn’t it seem possible that people living in that region for generations might have a little better idea of what has historically been in the dish?
If you look at the link I provided above you will see a couple of chili recipes that are pretty old. One of them is from the late 1800’s. No beans are in the recipe. This appears to be more or less the case throughout the southwest.
Obviously, this argument is never going to be settled in anything like a definite way. Fine, you want beans in your chili go ahead and put them in. But I do think there is a strong argument to be made that 150 years ago most chili apparently did not have beans in it.
Personally, I prefer to have the beans, usually pinto beans, cooked and served on the side. If you want to add the beans to the chili or eat them by themselves, fine. I have noticed that cooking the beans in the chili changes the flavor of the dish in a way I don’t care for. Sort of a soapy quality. Same goes for using tomato. It makes it too acidic for my taste.
I have tried it. Skyline “chili” may be considered food by people in Cincinatti, but not out West. When I ask for a “three-way,” I expect something more than “chili” on spaghetti with cheese.
Without the sour cream, this is known as Frito Chili Pie. I first learned of this dish in Camp Fire Girls. It was popular with both the girls and the leaders, as it tastes good and is very easy to prepare. For many people, it’s a comfort food. Try it some cold day.
I remember as a kid going to Little League games where the concession stand always had Frito Pie. They would take the small bag of Fritos®, cut it lengthwise on one side, glop the chili on top of the chips, add cheese and onion and stick a plastic for in it. A delicious snack in a handy disposable container. Yum.
