Just to show PFG how easy it is to start a new thread instead of hijacking another one.



Me-Titus County (NE Texas)
Grew up eating chili without beans, but now typically cook it with beans



Wife-Tarrant County (Fort Worth)
All of her family recipes had beans....and that goes back to at least her grandparents who all grew up in the Fort Worth and Mineral Wells area.

Stive - I don't know you, but I'd buy you a beer. No harm meant on the hijack.

My - Fayette County - no beans

Wife - Fayette County - no beans

I grew up eating chili with beans in Robertson County. The first time I made chili for myself I got to that part of the recipe that called for beans and thought to myself that I really don't care for the beans and omitted them and still do.

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Stive - I don't know you, but I'd buy you a beer. No harm meant on the hijack.

My - Fayette County - no beans

Wife - Fayette County - no beans

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No harm taken! I was laughing as I started the new thread.



I too have often wondered what the history is behind the bean/no-bean wars. I've heard/read comments that the old cowboy chili's had beans (it was a cheap staple that was easily preserved and traveled well). It served as filler when meat was at a premium, but I don't know where I read or heard that.


I like it either way and I'm not militant about it. I can make it with or without, I can eat it with or without. In fact, a few years ago on Texags was the first time I was ever exposed to an argument about it.

Me--Dallas/Upshur--Beans, no bones about it, stretched the pot.
Family out of Jack--old school rancher, might be more beans than meat.

It may come back to how hard the folks had it through the Depression and Dust Bowl.

With beans for good eating the chili.

No beans if I'm going to use it for hot dogs or a frito pie. (I have eaten hot dogs that had chili with beans on it and they were quite good.)

For me, beans are an economics decision, not historical or cultural. Chili and beans come in at about $2.50 per serving, whereas it's more like $4 per serving without it. Pocketbook made that decision and not my tongue.

I told my sister that I'm tempted to make a canned dog food chili and mark it "Woof Brand Chili". I'd probably get a few angry letters about that.

Father's family --- poor---- with beans.

Mothers family ---not poor ----no beans

My family - generations from all over north and west Texas and Arizona - no beans. My wife understands no beans in my chili.

Wife's family - middle Kansas - beans but her grandfather refers to it as "chili soup" when he makes his version

I put this in the other thread before I saw this.

Parts of my family from between Lake Charles and Lafaytte, and also Cut and Shoot.

No beans. Served over rice cause when parts of the family comes from that part of Louisiana everything is served over rice.

My wife's family is food ignorant.

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For me, beans are an economics decision, not historical or cultural. Chili and beans come in at about $2.50 per serving, whereas it's more like $4 per serving without it. Pocketbook made that decision and not my tongue.

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I'm fine with a few pintos in chili, but, if beans are impacting your costs by 50% you're adding way too many beans. You now have soup

Me - Dallas County - No Beans
Fiance - Hamilton County (Ohio) - They eat Skyline all the time and think its amazing....doesn't count

Grandfather - pearland in the 40's, was a rice farmer. No beans, over rice.
Grandmother - german, thought beans were for communists
Father - pearland - no beans

Mom's side - british. They don't get a vote

It's all fun and games until you get food poisoning from Austex chili.

me- GA/SC beans on both sides

rib- Caldwell no beans in anything or by themselves. She ate green beans for the first time this spring

My family called the chili "dutch chili". Beats me.

For me, with chili or bbq, you need a good pot of collard greens to go with it. Don't know why, but I love the mix of flavors (yes, occassionally literally mixed together).

One big challenge on trail drives was feeding the crew. So much so they had a guy strictly for cooking. One good answer was chili. Many times the meat was less than fresh, so chili peppers were used to hide that. Beans were used to make the chili go farther. That's how chili came to be feeding the guys that sent cattle north from Texas.

My understanding is the no beans chili idea come about as a result of cooking competitions. They claim it distracts from the judging of the flavor. Chili snobs if you will.

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One big challenge on trail drives was feeding the crew. So much so they had a guy strictly for cooking. One good answer was chili. Many times the meat was less than fresh, so chili peppers were used to hide that. Beans were used to make the chili go farther. That's how chili came to be feeding the guys that sent cattle north from Texas.

My understanding is the no beans chili idea come about as a result of cooking competitions. They claim it distracts from the judging of the flavor. Chili snobs if you will.

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That's the way I always heard/understood it as well.

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One big challenge on trail drives was feeding the crew. So much so they had a guy strictly for cooking. One good answer was chili. Many times the meat was less than fresh, so chili peppers were used to hide that. Beans were used to make the chili go farther. That's how chili came to be feeding the guys that sent cattle north from Texas.

My understanding is the no beans chili idea come about as a result of cooking competitions. They claim it distracts from the judging of the flavor. Chili snobs if you will.

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That's the way I always heard/understood it as well.

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Regarding Competition Chili, I've often said that nobody makes competition chili for their own eating unless practicing for a competition. Take a look at this thread on the subject of competition rules: http://texags.com/forums/67/topics/2698383. From the thread:

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As a CASI cook, I can tell you nobody uses fresh anything except the meat. As other posters have alluded, points will be counted off tif they can discern anything but the meat. So if you want to dehydrate your peppers and grind in to powder, that's the way to go.

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I looked at the winning recipes from CASI for the last five years and had to laugh. No fresh onion or garlic, lots of canned stock, and boullion cubes. No thanks.

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