Homemade Chili

[Caspian]

put on a pan and place in the oven at 735 degrees for 25 minutes

Ok where do you get an oven that goes to 735 degrees? In all seriousness, what temp is it meant to be? I might give this a try minus the beans of course.
And, I only see one can of beer there. Certainly you must have left out another 5-12 lines where you say "get another beer" or "repeat step #1", right?

That's pretty funny. Well you may make real chili, but my meat batch (because of you I can no longer call it chili) tastes REAL good. :sleeping:

As I dug up exactly why real Chili has no beans I have come across the following:

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.

The above is why contest chili has no beans, they want "pure chili" not chili with filler.

The other main argument is that the chili itself is a base. Think of it like spaghetti and sauce (real homemade sauce). Do you cook your pasta in the sauce? No, you cook your pasta, and sauce separately. You add the sauce to the pasta after both are done. When you make a big batch of sauce it lasts multiple days (or freeze some for even longer). You might make some spaghetti on day one then use the sauce for something else day two and finally use the leftovers in a casserole - lasagna or a pasta fagioli (which has beans). Chili is basically the sauce the beans are the pasta. The chili is the base - you can add things to it but it becomes chili with beans or Cincinnati Chili (which I love but is not close to real chili). You can even serve chili and beans together at the same meal and mix them on your plate, you just can't cook the beans in the chili and serve it that way and call it just Chili.

So for the sake of this discussion you may refer to nontraditional chili's as "Chili with 'whatever you add' " or "stale chili".
ex. "I make a great chili with beans." or "I think you will all enjoy my fresh Stale Chili - it has beans"


Footnote - this is the interwebs and tone and intent often are hard to express. My intent here is not to incite the masses or be an asshat but to have a little lighthearted fun. I am not taking myself seriously at all. I would gladly try any of the recipes here (except the McDonald's Chili) no matter what you called them, Chili, Chili with beans, Yankee Chili or My special turd soup (well I might hesitate at that name but if I got to watch you make it i would be ok with it).