I feel this way about cinnamon.

Chili without beans is just spicy spaghetti sauce and I will die on that hill.

Beans belong in chili.

Beans are the foundation of chili. You can remove all the meat from a chili and still call it chili. You cannot remove all the beans and still call it chili.
- Yes: Pinto beans are called chili beans for a goddamn reason. But also kidney beans in the mix (and black beans at least) are delicious too.
- beanless chili exists and is called chili by millions of people tho. linguistic prescriptivism is dumb.
Beanless chili only works as a hot dog condiment. I don’t see the point otherwise
- If it's going on something (dog, burger, noodles, frito pie, etc) then hold the beans, they'll just fuck it up. But straight chili by itself? Yeah bean it up please, it needs them to stand on its own.
All the beanless chili I've had has been made with chunks of meat instead of ground meat so more like a spicy stew.
- I've had a lot with shredded beef, but that's probably because they were too lazy to cut it after smoking. Shredding is easier.
Preach it louder, so those in the back can hear it too
Well yeah, take the skyline pill and embrace it
- Based and goldstarpilled

I came here looking for this and I knew Lemmy would come through for me. Thanks for passing your spark forward.
Put the peeps in the chili make it taste.......... Bad.
That's not completely off, but it should be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate or whatever M&M's are made with now. A little dark chocolate is great in chili.
- What about the Peeps?
- I can’t tell if you’re joking.
  If you’re not, do you mean like baking chocolate, ultra dark chocolate? Or like dark Ghirardelli chocolate chips
- if you make it often just get some cocoa powder and cocoa butter, it'll be cheaper in the long run and it won't have whatever weird shit x company added to make their candy last longer on the shelf or whatever. this goes double for America where most chocolate tastes like vomit, on purpose.

Beans belong in chilli and you can wash the cast iron in the dishwasher

I agree, but then they call that slop they put on spaghetti in Cincinnati chili and it doesn't have any beans, so I don't know what's real anymore.
- My headcanon for the invention of Cincinnati chili is that some midwestern person read that chili is "heavily spiced" and used what they had available, including cinnamon and nutmeg.
- It's got beans of you order a 5-way like a real man
- Only 3 ways and some 4 ways don’t have beans
- It's not choking, it's "Cincinnati chili," and you can absolutely get it with beans

Whatever dude. My chili, my choice.

Dude the election was clear. your chili my choice.

You put the Peeps in the chili, they make the chili taste... bad.

Chili is a tomato based curry and pretty much anything is acceptable if balanced properly.

cinnamon
chocolate
coffee
oregano
cilantro
cheddar
beer
bourbon

According to google (and since the name implies it as well I'm inclined to believe it) it's actually a chili pepper based stew. With or without meat. Tomatoes and beans are common ingredients, but not part of the base.
- Sure, but what does that even mean? Because you start with your onion and garlic and build it from there. So in that sense the onion and garlic are the base.
I know the Japanese will dead ass put apple and raisins in some variations of their curry. Apple is pretty good, adds a sweetness that isn't overbearing. Raisins, though I will never understand.
- Never tried raisins, but I imagine it could be pretty tasty if well done.
  There are a lot of dishes where you put dried fruit in otherwise savoury meals (I think especially middle eastern or like slavic Plov)
- I had never heard of raisin, but looking at Cookpad... sure enough. I don't think I've ever had it.
- Pineapple is pretty common in curries, the jump to apples and raisins isn't that far tbh
- Danes will put apple in curry as well.
A lot of traditionalists might argue tomatoes shouldn't be in there, but I fully agree -- I've always joked that it's an American curry.

A pinch of cinnamon can be pretty good in chili. Adds a certain spiciness that isn't a capsaicin feeling spice.

You are entitled to your incorrect opinion.
I accidentally added a bunch once having thought I was grabbing my oregano spice bottle (they're identical in shape, size, and color). I refused to throw it out and expected to hate it but, even though it was a lot to my eyes, it was good and wife agreed. That said, we both also like Cincy-style chili.
Curry powder.

If you use cinnamon and cloves in chili, the cinnamon and cloves should be almost undetectable. The spice is meant to provide a warm undertone.

Realistically, if you want to properly experience it, forget adding cinnamon and add good quality chorizo. It has cinnamon, but brings a lot more to the table.

So any decent garam masala will work?
- You know, I've never tried it with chili, but I'll bet it would be wonderful. I'm thinking the cardamom's going to get lost really quickly, I would probably add it once at about the middle of the cooking, and then lightly dust it again at serving for the aroma.
Wait is that why I love chorizo I fuckin love cinnamon
- I honestly had no idea what was in chorizo. I had been making chili with it at home and it came time to make it for work, I stopped by the market near work and they didn't have any. I was all "FINE!, I'll make my own" and looked it up, there are TONS of variations. The one I went for was basically vinegar, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and most of the spices I already use in chili.
  One of my favorite taco shops made one that was very hot and just a touch sweet the cinnamon was forward which I didn't care for at first, but it ended up being amazing, it was also processed fine like round beef. I've been trying to replicate that for a while.

"If you like beans in chili put beans in chili. If you dislike beans in chili but you dislike someone who also dislikes beans in chili more than you dislike beans in chili put beans in chili."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT3GlECfYoU

I, as a chili bean lover who made their chili based on beans, understand this completely.

Chili should (if not vegan chili) be based around the meat. The meat and flavors should be #1 and the accoutrements should be secondary.

If vegan chili (which my mum makes and it’s SO DELICIOUS), this rule can be ignored.

Counterpoint: I'll put whatever I want in my spicy slop and the internet can be mad all it wants, beans are going in there.
- That is hella based
  But I’ve tried with a lot of different things and it always comes out best if I do the meat as a base (if I’m not making vegan chili)
Chili just needs to be hearty and filling. Meat and beans are great for this purpose. Having an appropriate ratio is important and the types of beans is also important (doubly so in vegetarian chili). Meat should be on top but shouldn't overpower everything else.
- Full agree. If it’s meat chili, the easiest way to do that is to use the meat base.
  But you’re 100% correct, you can absolutely do it different ways, especially if you’re making non-meat chili.
The meat and flavors should be #1
I would argue the chiles should be #1, though the protein/umami source at #2 works fine.
- I actually could not agree more. The chili flavours are insanely incredible.
  We recently started using dried chilis in a blender after steeping them and it’s so much better than premixed stuff.

As a vegan it might be strange and interesting to try to replicate the "authentic" Texas Red recipes. No beans, no tomato. The basic recipe would be an almost purely pepper-based stock, probably use both Beyond Ground and diced Beyond Steak. If I recall, the most original known chili recipe called for a substantial amount of added pig fat. I'm not big on high-fat foods in the first place, so to me it's dubious whether to even include an alternative. But if I did, the most comparable choice would be coconut oil, but I avoid coconut/palm oil to the best of my ability, so probably a bit of added avocado oil would work best, though it's worth noting that Beyond products are already high in one or the other of these (avocado Beyond is best). Spices don't need to change.

But then, is that really superior chili? Sorry but midwestern bean and tomato/pepper extravaganza chili is way better, and will continue to be my main. But with some added crumbled soy curls? Gonna have to try that soon.

Vegetarian for over 20 years. Most of my chili is "leftovers chili". It's about the flavor more than the ingredients. I suppose it's more of a chili flavored goulash technically.
Usually starting with black beans, chick peas, tomatoes, peppers and chili spices. Then whatever leftovers I don't want to eat get chopped up and added. My favorite leftover is old French fries because they never reheat right anyway. Also a great way to use up produce that is going bad but not yet unsafe to eat.
I've never tried it, but I bet TVP would work pretty well in chili as a substitute for meat, at least texturewise.
- That's where the soy curls come in. TVP would be a nice addition, but I lean more in favor of a whole-foods approach. TVP = chemically stripped soy, mostly protein. Soy curls are the whole beans boiled and reformed into a surprizingly incredible and versatile meat alternative.
- I make chili for work once a quarter or so. I make two batches, one Vegan, one Fantastic (ok kidding)
  Yes, you can use just about any meat substitute they are all fantastic. Slices of seitan, TVP, Small chunks of drained and pressed low moisture tofu, morning star sausage. The spices destroy any of the finer flavors, so you're just in it for the texture you really can't go wrong because the only no-no is gristle.
  Before the meat alternatives got decent in the past few years, I always just made both batches with beans.
I’m a vegetarian these days, but the best chili is a five way. Gotta find a decent meatless skyline recipe
- Kroger sells the spice powder and it's always been fine for me (I spent a number of years working for Skyline in every position except salaried management (though I was trained on and did their jobs as well)). It has you adding tomato paste, water, and ground meat. You could just do something other than the meat at that stage. Anything providing umami and fat would probably work fine.
coconut oil and palm oil are from different plants. Are you confusing the two or is there a reason to stay away from coconut oil that I haven't heard yet?
- Coconut oil is high in saturated fats.
- Both health and ethics reasons. Healthwise coconut oil has even higher saturated fat levels than palm oil does, but both are quite high.
  Ethics wise coconut is similarly not sustainable, at least not in terms of being yet another monoculture. I would say it's arguably not vegan because of the harm that comes to animals and their habitats because of the coconut industry.
  https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/by-the-way-doctor-is-palm-oil-good-for-you
  https://theconversation.com/our-love-of-coconut-oil-may-have-forced-some-species-to-extinction-141454

I put in a pinch of espresso 🤌

I usually don't have a nice fine ground coffee on hand. Cocoa powder works just as well! Gives a nice earthy depth to the chili!
- That sounds delicious!

Cumin can add a cinnamonesque flavor to chilis, I wonder if that is where the idea of putting cinnamon in chili comes from.

I love cumin. But really, it has a nutty earthy flavor... One of my favorites along with onion powder.

Reminds me of the scene from The Good Place where Chidi puts peeps in his chili

Aw dang it I came here to post this exact image!

There is nothing that cinnamon can't improve though

Actually cinnamon doesn't improve cinnamon. Anyone that's attempted to cinnamon challenge can attest to this
- You've got me there

Chili is short for chili con carne, not chili con carne y frijoles. I understand competitions demanding a certain "purity." That said, I will put beans in my chili because that's what I like.

It's also not short for chili con carne y tomates, so by that logic it'd be weird to put tomatoes in there too lol
- I'm pretty sure it's actually short for chili con carne, tomates, espinaca, frijoles, maíze, arroz, más frijoles, calabacín, brócoli, pimientos verdes, comino, chipotle, y pimentón ahumado.
- the state of texas agrees
- Again, I don't necessarily disagree about it from a competition/traditionalist perspective, but I'm going to put it in mine because I like it. That said, I do find that most recipes are akin to a tomato, meat, and beans stew and are sorely lacking in the chilis that the dish is named after.
I say it's short for Chile con Carne because beans are the baseline chili - I'd eat chili with beans and no meat, Chile sin Carne, that's a meal by itself.
But chili with meat and no beans, like Chile Colorado, needs to be served with beans and rice, it's not good by itself. I do make that sometimes but people just call it "meat" when I do. Nobody here thinks of it as chili.
I don't think any food is pure. Traditions are forever changing.
- If you're chili con carne is "just meat," you've seriously skimped on the star of the show, the chilis. Which most people seem to do... I've seen way too many chili recipes that are basically just a tomato, meat, and bean stew with a dash of chili powder.
  I don't think any food is pure. Traditions are forever changing.
  I 100% agree. Hence I said I understand the purists and the chili competitions that don't allow beans, but I'm going to make mine with beans. Also, much of the best foods are fusions. The chilis, the spicy fruits not the dish, are the perfect example. I can't imagine a world in which Indian, Thai, or just about any Asian dish doesn't have a spicy kick to it. Yet every single species of chili originated in South America. Same story with the tomato. My favorite cuisine is Cajun which is French cooking techniques using the South American and Haitian ingredients that were available. There are countless examples like that.