r/chili • u/Early-Package-8082 • Mar 15 '25

Homestyle How to thicken up your chili

What do you add to thicken up your chili. I used tomato paste. It can be a little too much tomato flavor.

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u/runningvicuna Mar 15 '25

What do you say to people that chili with beans is not chili? And why does canned chili at the store say “con carne” con carne means with meat.

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '25

So, I'm imagining being on a cattle drive, and I'm the cook. I only have what I brought with me. I'm gonna bring beans, because they last just about forever when dried, provide good nutrition, and add bulk to meals. And they're going to go in the chili, because otherwise it's just spicy meat gravy.

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u/Cultural-Company282 Mar 16 '25

Of all the ingredients in a good chili, the fresh meat seems like it would be the hardest to carry along on a cattle drive, unless a lot of the cows did not make it from point A to point B. I wonder how that worked. It seems like killing a cow would provide TOO much meat, unless there were an awful lot of cowboys on the cattle drive, since you'd have to pretty much cook it all up and eat it right away with no refrigeration.

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u/ALWanders Mar 16 '25

I believe dried beef was a not too uncommon way.

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u/Cultural-Company282 Mar 16 '25

You're probably right. Now I'm wondering what an "authentic cattle drive chili" made with dried beef would taste like.