Here's my quick creditials: I won a chili cookoff (not in Texas, although I've since lived there) many years ago against about 250 other entries, including both amateurs and restaurants. I got third the first year I entered, didn't place the next year, and won the third year. My competition chili has no beans (and is not
really meant to be eaten by the bowlful).
Here's the explanation I've heard many times before: Chili was a popular item on cattle drives back in the day. The salt and spices helped keep it edible when portable refrigeration wasn't possible on the hot Southwestern range. The beans were added to extend the chili, and thus the "pure" version is without filler (beans) while beans still are perfectly acceptable and authentic.
It went something like this:
- Day one: steaks
- Day two: chili
- Day three: chili
- Day four: chili with beans
- Day five: beans with chili
- Day six: beans
- etc.