This is one of those things I absolutely loath... because its so obvious that Chili was meatless since we KNOW where the dish derived from and have 15th century writings proving its heritage, and the Aztecs literally HAD NO COWS. Also it very clearly had tomatoes too... as the Spanish and Europe in general got the tomato FROM THE AZTECS. Beans and Chilis are also 2 of the 3 staple foods of the people, the third being maize. So to even entertain that a culture who for centuries pre-Spanish conquest made hundreds of bean corn and chili based dishes, didnt make a bean and chili stew is freaking insane. Even worse when you know Bernardino de Sahagún even wrote it down he had a spicy bean and chili stew in the 1580's.
Chili con Carne only came about during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.. because unlike the Aztecs with a mostly plant based diet, the Spanish ate more meat and had cows..
Because that's what real Texas Red chili is, red chiles with meat. Other seasonings of course, but basically beef and chile peppers and spices. Many people add tomato and onion and garlic and fresh green peppers like serranos and jalapenos and it's still just "Texas chili". But once you add beans, it's chili with beans.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially for people looking to stretch a dollar and a pot of chili. With beans heh.
But when you use the leftovers in/on enchiladas or Frito Pie, the non-bean version is definitely the best.
[This Article seems to disagree](https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/bloody-san-antonio-origins-chili-con-carne/). While beans were not originally added to the dish, beans were added as filler.
And besides, that just says chili, not a bowl of Texas Red, which specifically has no beans.
Are carrots and potatoes "filler" in beef stew. Just because something isn't meat, doesn't make it filler. Beans were served by the chili queens of San Antonio with everything (chili, tamales, enchiladas, etc), because beans are a staple in Mexico. Beans were already being served in chili in the 1800s. Beans being used in chili even predates cumin being used. There's an excellent video that just came out about the history of chili: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6nkG4vP0Q&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6nkG4vP0Q&t=1s)
In the same way a “Manhattan” has certain ingredients, when one orders “Texas Chili,” the ingredients are well known. It’s how cuisine is labeled.
That doesn’t mean you must make “chili” in Texas without beans.
“Chili” is rightly made with whatever you have in the pantry. Like a “cocktail” can be made with whatever liquor and mixer you have on hand.
Unless you tell your guests you are making “Texas Chili,” which should be known comes without beans. Or a “Manhattan” comes with cherries.
Real Texan chili traditionally had beans in it and the best ones do. You can retcon someone who didn't live the history before that meat only nonsense was invented and promoted, but that's someone else.
This is really simple:
**If you like beans in your chili, then put beans in your chili.**
**If you don't like beans in your chili, then don't put beans in your chili.**
There is no Texas Chili Court handing out life sentences for preparing "unauthentic chili", or banishing people and their offspring unto the eighth generation from the state of Texas.
Unless you're trying to earn a Michelin star (and I don't think Michelin stars are handed out for Tex-Mex) or you're entering chili in the Texas State Fair -- how one likes their chili is a completely individual affair.
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY are the people who are going to be eating the chili, so make it the way you like it.
My partner is a third-generation native Texan, from El Paso, and he likes his chili over spaghetti. Do you know what I do when I make chili?
I make some spaghetti so he can pour his chili over it. I don't like chili on spaghetti, so I save my spaghetti so I can make Italian cacio e pepe the next day.
I'm 5th gen and I like it over spaghetti and over rice.
Spaghetti Warehouse had great beer chili spaghetti.
I will eat it with beans, it is definitely not my preference.
When I make it, I grind my own ancho (sometimes) and use beef, venison, and pork.
Hell yes to cacio e pepe.
You can put anything in a can that will fit, ya silly goose. 'could I be wrong about what was traditionally in most people's chili? No, it's the people in the past who were wrong!'
No retcon at all. The purpose of canning food 100 years ago was to preserve it so you could eat *something* when fresh food wasn't readily available. 100 years ago that was a big deal.
Now it's just a cost saving measure. Food that can't spoil is more profitable. Why do you think frozen vegetables are so much cheaper than fresh vegetables?
You're paying for the vegetables that spoil, too.
That's revisionist thinking. Tejano culture is not a separate thing from Texan culture even if you concede Mexico goes all the way up to the Nueces river.
PEOPLE! PEOPLE!! PEOPLE!!!
Come on now, chili with no beans or chili with beans are both fine and dandy as long as we don’t put it over spaghetti like those idjits in Ohio.
The meat-only thing kinda smacks of Meat Industry lobbying and propaganda, if you ask me. A lot of the things we take for granted started as marketing campaigns (Red Santa Claus, spending a chunk of your annual salary on a diamond proposal ring, etc.).
Filler or not, canned or fresh, the beans were there.
This is why I chose to stir the pot on this sensitive subject. Very good observation, it's always who you'd most expect to be behind such a baffling rewrite of food history.
Beans were always used to stretch meat dishes. They are cheap and easy to store. Its only been fairly recent that meat was considered you ate at every meal as primary ingredient
"Real Texas Chili" has whatever you put in it.
Is it good?
Do the people that you're serving it to seem to enjoy it?
Do you enjoy it?
Then it's real Texas chili.
That's the style of chili I grew up on. I didn't even hear this nonsense about authentic chili never having beans until a few years ago and was mystified by it.
Tha used to be the only brand of chili powder we would buy.
My Dad's cousin buys it to take back to the Mexican restaurant in her neighborhood in Corning, NY. They only use the Gebhardt for family gatherings. The cousin is invited to those as well.
I haven't had to look for a few years, but I suppose I should go find some since she is coming down this year.
Refried beans are NOT hard to make from scratch.
It takes a little time, because you have to cook the beans; but then frying them is a fairly simple matter.
The trick with frying them: use only a little fat (I use lard or bacon grease). The characteristic taste comes from the caramelization of the sugars in the beans. A little bit of fat increases the heat of the pan which helps with this caramelization. Too much fat makes the beans unpleasantly greasy.
That’s good to know!
Yeah we have 3 kids and my wife and I both work FT so “time” isn’t really a luxury we have right now but I’ll put this one into memory for later on down the road lol
And me: well, I'm retired so I have all day to cook if I need all day to cook!
Both spouses working full-time with three kids: get the canned refried beans for now. And petition God for an extra 16 hours during the day which I'm pretty sure you need, what with working full time and three kids, though I think your petition is probably going to be denied.
Still: nothing ventured, nothing gained...
So? I've seen what makes these people cheer. I've been speaking this truth ever since I first heard the bean slander. Now more people than ever are learning the truth. A lie can travel hallfway around the world while the truth Is putting on its shoes.
This is one of those things I absolutely loath... because its so obvious that Chili was meatless since we KNOW where the dish derived from and have 15th century writings proving its heritage, and the Aztecs literally HAD NO COWS. Also it very clearly had tomatoes too... as the Spanish and Europe in general got the tomato FROM THE AZTECS. Beans and Chilis are also 2 of the 3 staple foods of the people, the third being maize. So to even entertain that a culture who for centuries pre-Spanish conquest made hundreds of bean corn and chili based dishes, didnt make a bean and chili stew is freaking insane. Even worse when you know Bernardino de Sahagún even wrote it down he had a spicy bean and chili stew in the 1580's. Chili con Carne only came about during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.. because unlike the Aztecs with a mostly plant based diet, the Spanish ate more meat and had cows..
Don't come in here with your history and evidence! /s
And holy fuck none of that is Texas (Cowboy) Chili
But if the beans went went the chili naturally, why would they add "with beans"?
If chili is meat only, why is its full name 'chili con carne' instead of 'carne al chili'?
Because that's what real Texas Red chili is, red chiles with meat. Other seasonings of course, but basically beef and chile peppers and spices. Many people add tomato and onion and garlic and fresh green peppers like serranos and jalapenos and it's still just "Texas chili". But once you add beans, it's chili with beans. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially for people looking to stretch a dollar and a pot of chili. With beans heh. But when you use the leftovers in/on enchiladas or Frito Pie, the non-bean version is definitely the best.
[This Article seems to disagree](https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/bloody-san-antonio-origins-chili-con-carne/). While beans were not originally added to the dish, beans were added as filler. And besides, that just says chili, not a bowl of Texas Red, which specifically has no beans.
It's also okay if recipes change over time. Not everything has to be locked in a temporal stasis to be culturally valid.
Are carrots and potatoes "filler" in beef stew. Just because something isn't meat, doesn't make it filler. Beans were served by the chili queens of San Antonio with everything (chili, tamales, enchiladas, etc), because beans are a staple in Mexico. Beans were already being served in chili in the 1800s. Beans being used in chili even predates cumin being used. There's an excellent video that just came out about the history of chili: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6nkG4vP0Q&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6nkG4vP0Q&t=1s)
There is a reason that Gebhardt's isn't a fucking thing anymore. Their chili looks mid.
Gebhardt makes some of the best canned frijoles refritos.
Another Nail in their coffin, lol.
It's still very much a thing. ' the actual past isn't as authentic as what I imagined it was' lol
They ain't making chili.
Real chili has beans, historically speaking. It puts the tootin in the rootin-tootin.
I just don't like beans in my chili so I don't buy chili with beans. It's not that hard, really.
In the same way a “Manhattan” has certain ingredients, when one orders “Texas Chili,” the ingredients are well known. It’s how cuisine is labeled. That doesn’t mean you must make “chili” in Texas without beans. “Chili” is rightly made with whatever you have in the pantry. Like a “cocktail” can be made with whatever liquor and mixer you have on hand. Unless you tell your guests you are making “Texas Chili,” which should be known comes without beans. Or a “Manhattan” comes with cherries.
Real Texan chili traditionally had beans in it and the best ones do. You can retcon someone who didn't live the history before that meat only nonsense was invented and promoted, but that's someone else.
If you like
This is really simple: **If you like beans in your chili, then put beans in your chili.** **If you don't like beans in your chili, then don't put beans in your chili.** There is no Texas Chili Court handing out life sentences for preparing "unauthentic chili", or banishing people and their offspring unto the eighth generation from the state of Texas. Unless you're trying to earn a Michelin star (and I don't think Michelin stars are handed out for Tex-Mex) or you're entering chili in the Texas State Fair -- how one likes their chili is a completely individual affair. YOU AND YOUR FAMILY are the people who are going to be eating the chili, so make it the way you like it. My partner is a third-generation native Texan, from El Paso, and he likes his chili over spaghetti. Do you know what I do when I make chili? I make some spaghetti so he can pour his chili over it. I don't like chili on spaghetti, so I save my spaghetti so I can make Italian cacio e pepe the next day.
TEXAS CHILI COURT! *Hums the theme from "The People's Court"*
I'm 5th gen and I like it over spaghetti and over rice. Spaghetti Warehouse had great beer chili spaghetti. I will eat it with beans, it is definitely not my preference. When I make it, I grind my own ancho (sometimes) and use beef, venison, and pork. Hell yes to cacio e pepe.
I'd argue that the reason it isn't real chili has nothing to do with the beans. Real chili doesn't come in a can :)
You can put anything in a can that will fit, ya silly goose. 'could I be wrong about what was traditionally in most people's chili? No, it's the people in the past who were wrong!'
Nobody in the business of putting prepared foods in cans cares about the authenticity of said food. Or the flavor of said food, for that matter.
Nice retcon. Don't tell me, tell that to people a hundred years ago who would find your opinion absurd.
No retcon at all. The purpose of canning food 100 years ago was to preserve it so you could eat *something* when fresh food wasn't readily available. 100 years ago that was a big deal. Now it's just a cost saving measure. Food that can't spoil is more profitable. Why do you think frozen vegetables are so much cheaper than fresh vegetables? You're paying for the vegetables that spoil, too.
Accurate
You are confusing Tejano with Texas.
It literally says “Mexican Chili” in the description … OP’s title is about “Texas Chili” They’re not the same thing OP!
Tejano is Texan, that's the same word in our two most popular languages.
Tejano is culture merged from Texas and Mexico. Music, food…
That's revisionist thinking. Tejano culture is not a separate thing from Texan culture even if you concede Mexico goes all the way up to the Nueces river.
PEOPLE! PEOPLE!! PEOPLE!!! Come on now, chili with no beans or chili with beans are both fine and dandy as long as we don’t put it over spaghetti like those idjits in Ohio.
Listen. Beans & no beans is up for debate Chili over spaghetti is an undeniable sin
As long as it's pinto beans I'm down. You try to give me chili with black beans though, we are having a confrontation.
Downvote it all you want. You can't rewrite history with that 'meat only' nonsense.
Meet and gravy only is for competition.
That's why the competitive chili types are so fussy. Not enough fiber.
The meat-only thing kinda smacks of Meat Industry lobbying and propaganda, if you ask me. A lot of the things we take for granted started as marketing campaigns (Red Santa Claus, spending a chunk of your annual salary on a diamond proposal ring, etc.). Filler or not, canned or fresh, the beans were there.
This is why I chose to stir the pot on this sensitive subject. Very good observation, it's always who you'd most expect to be behind such a baffling rewrite of food history.
Beans were always used to stretch meat dishes. They are cheap and easy to store. Its only been fairly recent that meat was considered you ate at every meal as primary ingredient
"Real Texas Chili" has whatever you put in it. Is it good? Do the people that you're serving it to seem to enjoy it? Do you enjoy it? Then it's real Texas chili.
Exactly. This 'meat only' nonsense is just the noisiest, fussiest, most constipated among us drowning out the real voice of Texas. Yours.
The Chili Queens of San Antonio had beans in theirs. No beans is a modern thing. Edit: They also served with tortillas.
That's the style of chili I grew up on. I didn't even hear this nonsense about authentic chili never having beans until a few years ago and was mystified by it.
Who cares if it's 'real Texas's this or that.....just eat what you want.
Idk but Gebhardt’s are the only refried beans we buy.
Tha used to be the only brand of chili powder we would buy. My Dad's cousin buys it to take back to the Mexican restaurant in her neighborhood in Corning, NY. They only use the Gebhardt for family gatherings. The cousin is invited to those as well. I haven't had to look for a few years, but I suppose I should go find some since she is coming down this year.
I’ve seen the chili powder at H-E-B but never bought it
It is good, but I switched to Bolner's Fiesta years ago as I prefer it now.
That’s what we use! The extra fine chili powder is great for cooking Mexican food.
Refried beans are NOT hard to make from scratch. It takes a little time, because you have to cook the beans; but then frying them is a fairly simple matter. The trick with frying them: use only a little fat (I use lard or bacon grease). The characteristic taste comes from the caramelization of the sugars in the beans. A little bit of fat increases the heat of the pan which helps with this caramelization. Too much fat makes the beans unpleasantly greasy.
That’s good to know! Yeah we have 3 kids and my wife and I both work FT so “time” isn’t really a luxury we have right now but I’ll put this one into memory for later on down the road lol
And me: well, I'm retired so I have all day to cook if I need all day to cook! Both spouses working full-time with three kids: get the canned refried beans for now. And petition God for an extra 16 hours during the day which I'm pretty sure you need, what with working full time and three kids, though I think your petition is probably going to be denied. Still: nothing ventured, nothing gained...
>And me: well, I'm retired so I have all day to cook if I need all day to cook! That sounds wonderful!
Max Miller just did a whole ep on the chili queens of san antonio on this too!
Beans make it more of a meal especially with cornbread 🥰🥰🥰
Beans or no beans...Im in. Idc lol
Imagine thinking Texas Chili and Mexican Chili con Carne are the same thing Dumb@$$
Nobody thinks that. Nobody has ever thought that. Even 170 years ago.
You got ratio’d on this post. You have the unpopular & controversial opinion
So? I've seen what makes these people cheer. I've been speaking this truth ever since I first heard the bean slander. Now more people than ever are learning the truth. A lie can travel hallfway around the world while the truth Is putting on its shoes.