VivoPerLei

+1

Don't care if that renders it un-authentic for the purists or not, gotta have beans

Pa Kettle

I'm a purist, but I have no problems with beans being served on the side. Hell, throw them in with the chili, if you like along with any of the suggested additions that TMOliver mentions, but for God's sake don't cook the beans with the chili. That's where a mortal sin gets committed. lol

Paint Horse

All the flavor of beef is in the fat, as it is in most things. Just because you cut it off, and then add it back does not make beef cheap. Besides the best chili is made from ground beef anyway. It needs some fat in it.

In the old days during one of the summers I worked at the packing house I was in charge of the production of ground beef. The carefully calibrated scientific method used to produce the proper amount of beef to fat was the easiest for the 33 percent fat ground beef used by the school district. Two shovel fulls of beef chunks to one shovel full of fat chunks, chunked that is into the hopper on top of the grinder. Very tasty.

You are incorrect. My mother said a bowl of red requires tomato sauce. Not much, but some.

cubbie

We make it with both beef and beans in Illinois, and we spell it "chilli". I just mention that so the no-bean "chili" purists can think of it as a different dish if they prefer.

I meant to add this link to a letter to the NY Times from the late Senator Alan Dixon, which includes his own chilli recipe.

TMOliver

Shoot! In Illinois they even make chili/chilli with ground meat, a custom translated from the Wendy's recipe book which seems to include green (bell) pepper along with beans (often those godless "Kidney beans").

Fixed that way, Chili becomes little more than that famous US Navy breakfast dish served atop cold toast, ".... on a Shingle"/"SOS".

I did once eat some pretty good chili with added tomato. The cook throwed in a bottle of otherwise undrinkable Bloody Mary Mix, and we drank the vodka neat. I have another friend whose chili uses black coffee, but then we're transgressing upon the broad general category of "Mole", and I guess a little dark chocolate would work too.

I once, in my youth, met Wick Fowler. He was a PR man, and even Frank Tolbert claimed his knowledge of Chili was purely promotional. Anyway. by the time you drive the long dusty road to Terlingua, you can tolerate all sorts of culinary excess, even if you stop for a dip and a sixpack at Balmorhea.

Paint Horse

Back when cowtown was indeed cowtown, the big managers of the packing house always came from Chicago. When I was about 10 the latest one invited my father and the family over for dinner. To make use feel at home his wife, as I see now, decided to serve chilli. When shown what I was going to be having for dinner I said the 10 year old equivalent of "What in the he** is this cr**. I am not eating this ...." I can still see that house's kitchen for some reason. Fortunately none of the imported from Chicago managers stayed long.

BamaVol

A little OT, but it reminds me of a story my first boss, Al Kruse told me. He was invited to dinner at the home of a co-worker. The co-worker was from Mexico and Al was hoping for/expecting an authentic Mexican home cooked meal. He was served cheeseburgers. When he asked his co-worker later on, he was told that she thought he was Mexican too since his name was Cruz and he would want something authentically American.

ou81two

It's not illegal. They would be liable under civil law if they have breached their contract with you as the diner. You could just voice your concerns and almost everywhere would send something back. I'm not sure how this is threadworthy.

Real chili purists would stick to the old school way of preparation as a way of stabilizing beef without the use of refrigeration. That would include dried beef (not fresh), suet, dried chili pepper and salt. That all gets smashed together, formed in to cubes and dried. People using anything else including fresh meat, pepper, beer, herbs, spices, onion, vinegar, wine and those not using suet are NOT purists. That would encompass pretty much every pompous *** that claims to be such.

Chili like sandwiches, sausages, barbeque, etc, can mean different things for different people in different places. There's no need to look down on people who put a different spin on things.

exilencfc

Remind me not to invite any of you people over for chilli ever. Cos in those house it involves kidney beans, bell peppers and copious amounts of tomato

Delta Hog

It was just a conversation item...and this is the dining section of a travel message board, not the filing website of the federal district court.

Hey, it's made it to 4+ pages, so there must be something there.

cubbie

Your post reminds of my dad's descriptions of his childhood memories of chili/chilli being cooked starting from a block of fat and meat and seasonings. He grew up poor in downstate Illinois during the Depression. His lifelong favorite storebought/restaurant chilli was the local favorite, Taylor's, made in Carlinville, Illinois. A box comes with two cans that you open and mix: one with kidney beans, and one with a thick paste of meat, fat, and seasonings. Any of us kids who go downstate to visit are expected to bring back at least a half a dozen boxes of Taylor's chilli to share with those who weren't able to make the trip.

MaxBuck

Welsh rabbit.

I mean, how much more deceptive can you get? It's not Welsh, and it contains no rabbit whatsoever.

Paint Horse

When I was a kid my older brother used to eat that. I kept going over in my mind, welsh rabbit, welsh rabbit? I never saw any ears or legs sticking out of it. I was very confused.

VivoPerLei

I've never once heard it referred to as Welsh rabbit, and at first I thought you were having a laugh. Google tells me that is the original name, so go figure!

Delta Hog

Welsh rarebit....rabbit as a variation I guess.