I know this has been fought over many a time before, but with SBS coming up, what better time to open up the debate once more?
Chili does not contain beans.
There. I said it.
Chili contains delectable, spicy meat and that’s it.
Beans (preferably Pinto) are a side dish.
Preach it!
Chili should look something like this:
1 ½ lean sirloin chunks
2 tblsp of cumin
2 tblsp of paprika
1 tblsp of cayenne
1 cup minced onion
2 tblsp minced garlic
1 tblsp fresh ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of dried basil, crushed
1 tblsp California chili powder (hot)
1 tblsp Gebhardt chili powder
1 tblsp Hot New Mexico chili powder
1 tsp of brown sugar
Tabasco sauce to taste
½ cup water
If you subscribe to the Tomato Heresy, add:
1 16 oz. can of tomatoes cut up
2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
Simmer until you can’t stand it any more, then serve with grated cheese, sour cream, or whatever else you want to top it with.
Jesus, was that recipe handed down by the Gods or something? I will definitely be trying that come Sunday. Thanks!
Alton Brown’s chili episode featured some lamb stew meat alongside the beef. That couldn’t hurt either.
ETA: Only stands to reason that a guy with that moniker would post this OP. Of course you’re anti-bean.
If you want to improve pretty much any chili recipe, consider making your own chili powder. It’s easy and way better than store bought. It will make your eyes water a bit and you’ll probably sneeze a lot and your house will smell like delicious chili powder all day, but it’s a small price to pay. Actually, the chili powder smell is a perk, as far as I’m concerned. This stuff is really good.
1/2 lb. dried ancho chilis
1/2 lb. dried new mexico or anehiem chilis
1-5 dried cayenne peppers (or none or more, depending on your taste for hot stuff)
1oz cumin seeds.
-Remove the stems and seeds from the chilis, and cut them up with scissors into strips.
-Heat a largish skillet to medium and dump in the chili pepper strips.
-Stir until it’s all warm to the touch then add in the cumin seeds. They’ll sink to the bottom so keep them moving so they don’t burn.
-Roast everything until it’s too hot to touch, then throw it in a blender and blend into a powder. Get it as fine as you can within reason, but a bit on the coarse side is ok.
-Throw the mix into an airtight container and there you have it, the best chili powder ever.
If you like, you can add garlic powder, oregano, or whatever else you think sounds good. Different types of chilis give a different taste too, just be careful with the hotter ones or your house might feel like it’s full of pepper spray.
Oh, also, be sure you wash your hands really well before the next time you rub your eyes or go to the bathroom.
Got a week to spare? (Well, obviously not.) Regardless, here’s Heston Blumenthal’s* take. Thrill! at the nine (count 'em) types of chilli; wince! at the ingredients list longer than the Great Wall of China; give up! when you realise you need dry ice just to prepare the sour cream. 
And yes, beans are present.
(* He of Fat Duck fame, 2nd best restaurant in the known universe…)
You all can blow it out your beanless, tomato-less butts. Chili contains exactly what you feel like putting in it.
Ahem. For those of us teaching the food groups to the Boy Scouts, we put beans, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers in our chili. This is to satisfy the calling of the One Pot Meal as detailed in Requirement 3b of Cooking Merit Badge while still hitting every food group (once you add the cheese on top for dairy).
I printed that recipe for posterity. And dear goddess, 2 bottles of wine and over a fifth of whiskey?
I’m from Texas, and my mother has the best chili recipe. She always apologizes for it, though, saying “it’s not real Texas chili, because it has beans in it.”
So anyway, the OP is correct, of course, but if it’s got beans, it’s still chili, just not Texas chili.
I don’t have Mom’s recipe in front of me, but IIRC it uses cube steak, ground beef, and equal amounts of kidney and pinto beans. Mom also sends me high-quality chili pepper every year, because she feels bad that we’re way up in Connecticut.
silenus, I was planning on making chili this weekend, and my chili recipes always end up a bit more on the “creative” side than I planned.
I’ll try yours instead.
(and of course, it doesn’t contain beans.)
Not really “my” recipe, although it’s real close to what I usually make. It’s the recipe (more or less) that the writers of Green Arrow came up with when forced to address Ollie’s Killer Chili, which had been referenced for years in the comic. I just tweaked it a bit to bring it into line with All That Is Correct And Proper With Chili, ie I removed the beans. 
Hey ChefGuy, you and me should make a batch. <rummages in garage to find the 20-quart pot> I’m fond of tossing in a square (or two, depending on how big a batch I’m making) of baker’s unsweetened chocolate along with my **beans ** and my tomatos. It adds a nice depth of flavor - doesn’t taste a bit like chocolate, actually.
Dang… it’s a dreary rainy day. The kind of day that can only be improved by making chili, and I’m stuck here in an office.
All I can say is, I’ve had some damn fine chili sans carne, just beans. I won’t presume to say that it’s the Best Chili in the World, since I haven’t tasted all of them, and if you have a recipe you think is a contender, I’d be happy to try it. Regardless of what you do or don’t put in it.
Cowboy Pinto Beans
1 lb. dried pinto beans, debris removed, soaked overnight and drained
¼ lb. salt pork
8 cups water
1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes with juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder (Use Gephardt’s)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Chris & Pitts, but any regular sauce will do)
1 tsp kosher salt
Pick over beans. Make several cuts into the salt pork down to, but not through, the rind. Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven or crockpot. Cook, covered, slowly, stirring occasionally. Cook at least 3 hours. 5 is better. Add water as needed.
These are a whole meal when served over proper cornbread.
This is the best one I’ve ever tried:
2 teaspoons oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 lb beef sirloin, cubed
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 can dark beer
1 cup strong coffee
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 can beef broth
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
4 chili peppers, chopped (I only used a quarter of one pepper 'cause I’m a wuss)
Heat oil.
Cook onions, garlic and meat until brown.
Add tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth.
Add spices Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans and peppers.
Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans and simmer for another 30 minutes. (Recipe say’s 30 minutes, but I simmered it for another 8 hours on very low until the beef chunks were falling apart.)
Hands down it’s the best chili I’ve ever had.
Any chili recipe link that goes to the BBC is automatic heresy.
I made chili last week at work, and I left out the beans at the plea of my co-workers. It was one of the few soups* that I actually had a full bowl** of. I am looking forward to making it again.
*Is chili a soup? I vote yes.
** Try making soup every single day. I hate soup.
Yeah, cos over here it’s just Spicy Socialist Stew. :rolleyes:
I am actually making my famous Taco Chili now:
1 lb ground beef, browned
~30 oz. crushed tomatoes
~30 oz. chunked tomatoes
12 oz. hot and spicy chili beans (!!)
12 oz. dark red kidney beans (!!)
12 oz. canned corn
1 packet taco seasoning
a good bit of red pepper
a good bit more of garlic powder
about 2 tsp. of cumin
Cook in a slow-cooker on low for about 7 hours. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and a spoonfull of sour cream on top.
I tell you what, them’s good eats. And it has beans.