Chili Thickener

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

In my neck of the woods, chili made by most home cooks contain the following;
Canned, whole tomatoes, cut into chunks
sliced celery
Sliced onion
Ground beef
Chili powder
Dark-red Kidney beans

This is the chili I grew up with, and I still love it to this day. The ratio of ingredients is important. Of course anyone familiar with my chili knows that I put a lot more ingredients, and effort into any pot of red that I make.

We just had a chili-based pot luck at church, with 5 differnet chili variations on the theme. One of them was a standard U.P. chili as described above. The seasonings were perfect and I enjoyed it immensely. Another version tasted to me like the head chef of that home opened a jar of canned, sliced tomato, dumped it into a pot and added ground beef and kidney beans. It had no chili flavor that I could discern. My own was something new to me, though I always use a lot of flavors and make it thick.

Here's the interesting part of all of this: I wanted to thicken this chili as it was a bit soupy, and most U.P. chili pots tend to be. But I didn't want to add other flavors, such as flour, or Masa Harina ( which makes an excellent thickener for chili). I wanted pure mid-western, Eastern Upper Peninsula Michigan chili flavor, but thick enough to scoop up with a cracker. I got what I was looking for. Here's how I made it.

Ingredients:
1 lb. dried Pinto Beans
1 lb. dried orange lentils (yep, you're reading it right, lentils)
Water to cover and rise above the beans by 4 inches.
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbs. ground cumin
1 tbs. salt

Bring to a slow boil in slow cooker and simmer for 4 hours or so, so that the beans are tender and will stay that way when the acidic ingredients are added. If more water is needed during the simmering period, add it a cup at a time, stirring until there is enough water to cover the beans.

When the beans are tender, add:
24 oz. can diced tomato
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 large, yellow onion, sliced
2 19 0z cans kidney beans
1 tsp. granulated garlic (needed to accent, but not able to taste it)

Simmer for an hour, stir and taste. The lentils should have broken down into a thick mass that holds everything in suspension, without being pasty like refried beans. Finally:

Brown 2 lbs. coarse-grind beef for chili, then add to the mixture. Let simmer on low for an hour. Correct the seasonings (add more chili powder and any peppers you might want to put in). Serve and enjoy.

Remember, lentils thicken chili wonderully, are healthy, and no will even know they're in there.

seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

Chief, that sounds weird. You can taste the masa as a thickener but not the lentils?

 

[msmofet]

I like loose chili.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I never have a problem with chili being too thin. All I use to make the base are dried chilies, (a combo of guajillo, New Mexico, ancho, de arbol, or whatever is available), water, and an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. I de-seed the chilies, roast them in the oven, and then rehydrate 30 minutes in enough hot water to cover them. Put the whole kit and kaboodle into a blender and whiz it for a minute.

Usually I end up adding more water because it's so thick. But if it's too thin, you simply cook it down until it's the desired consistency. Nothing difficult about it at all. I'm not sure why you would want to use lentils.

 

[Dawgluver]

I've never had a problem with my chili being too thin, usually just the opposite!

Sometimes I thin it out with a bit of low sodium V8.

 

[jennyema]

Too thin = used too much water, IMO

 

[Kayelle]

Chief, I'm trying to understand the reason for using lentels to thicken your chili when you admit liking Masa Harina. Did you run out of Masa?

 

[msmofet]

I don't use any water. Just canned kidney beans plus can liquid and canned crushed tomatoes. I serve over brown rice so I like it a bit loose and spicy.

 

[jennyema]

I like it a bit loose and spicy.

So do I ....

 

[Lance Bushrod]

I thicken with tomato paste.

 

[larry_stewart]

I thicken with tomato paste.

Thats what I probably would have done, although I don't think the lentils are a bad idea at all.

 

[RPCookin]

I thicken with tomato paste.

Yep. Thickens it up nicely. My wife prefers chili soup, but I like mine good and hearty, more like stew. I also have never added any water to mine. I like to put in a can of Hunt's diced fire roasted tomatoes, and that along with tomato sauce is all the liquid I need.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

It was an experiment. I find that too much tomato creates too much tomato flavor for me. I don't use past in my chili, at least not anymore. And you're all correct, usually the can liquid, and the liquid from the canned beans makes it just right.

This time though, I used dried beans. When the water was used up, the beans were almost cooked perfectly. I added more water, maybe a little excessively, to make sure the beans were perfectly hydrated. The flavor I was shooting for was pure Eastern U.P. chili. Up here, most people have no idea what Masa Harina is, and it would be an unfamiliar flavor. They would probably enjoy it, as it is a wonderful flavor, to me. That is why I needed to add something with a more bean-like flavor that would be neutral, as the chili already had lots of both pinto, and kidney beans. It came out very tasty indeed, with a good consistency.

I just can't seem to leave well enough alone. I'm always trying to find new culinary techniques to throw at my food. I'm not saying that this is the ultimate thickener for chili, it's just another tool in the tool chest. I probably won't use it again, as I like my chili a little bit more loose as well. Simply sharing what I've learned.

Besides, I had too many packages of dried lentils in the pantry, and my wife doesn't like them. In the chili, you couldn't even tell that they were there, except that the texture was thicker.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Dawgluver]

Chief, I'm thinking the lentils would be a great addition to a meatless, vegetarian chili.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

"I just can't seem to leave well enough alone. "

The truth and the answer in one sentence. Lentils seems reasonable to me.

I like a thicker chili. Masa is my preferred thickener, if necessary. I grew up on Mom's chili Soup, which she often served over mashed potatoes as a gravy sauce. And a thin sauce it was. I like the tater part, and will do this sometimes, then it's thicker the next day. You don't have that luxury if making for a church group.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I grew up on the thin, soupy kind, and it was delicious. Saltine crackers were added to thicken it, or sometimes it topped white rice. My inlaw's chili was made from what was called a con carne brick, and had all of the beans and seasonings, fat and tomato all made into a brick, that when heated in a pot, melted down into chili. You just added ground beef and ate it all. That's DW's favorite chili. I've never seen it outside El Cajon, Ca. though.

Ah, chili, so many variations, many of them great. I've certainly tasted bad chili though, and yet, the people who made them thought that their version was the best ever. Who am I to judge? There is only a few things I know to be absolutely true concerning chili, earthworms don't belong in it; it doesn't belong in your shoe; and when made right (per family expectations), everyone is your friend.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[GA Home Cook]

I trick I learned watching a veteran Brunswick stew maker was to used instant potato mix. It works well on lots of soups as it add little flavor. Another trick I saw was to take some type of pasta, like shells, straight out of the box into the mix. It absorbs massive amounts of water very quickly and it fairly easy to take out, or in the case of chili adds another level.

 

[Zagut]

Ah, chili, so many variations, many of them great. I've certainly tasted bad chili though, and yet, the people who made them thought that their version was the best ever. Who am I to judge? There is only a few things I know to be absolutely true concerning chili, earthworms don't belong in it; it doesn't belong in your shoe; and when made right (per family expectations), everyone is your friend.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Ahh... so true there are so many good chilies in the world.

And are you talking about my sisters chili when you say bad that the creator believes is the best ever? Sure sounds like it.

I agree that chili doesn't belong in your shoe. But you never know about ingredients. Earthworms might just add that special touch.
Perhaps you shouldn't cook them in a paper cup before you add them to the chili?

Eons ago I saw on the boob tube (Might have been the Mike Douglas Show. And I'm showing my age) People loving a chocolate chip cookie they were served. The secret ingredient was revealed to be earth worms.



Lentils sound perfectly acceptable to me Chief. I like a thick chili and they are in the bean family.

Keep on tweeking and never leave well enough alone.

 

[Dawgluver]

A dear friend, who once owned a restaurant with her husband, had a bunch of us over for chili an eon or two ago. It tasted like it was cooked in dishwater. We choked it down anyway. Lentils would have been a great improvement.

 

[CatPat]

All these are very well, yes?

Joyce makes hers of ground beef and her tomato sauce which she makes of her garden. She thicks this of corn starch after she adds of the sharp cheese. It is quite nice and very thick so as to have shovels of the Fritos scoops or nice pretzel crisps.

Love,
~Cat