I finally figured out why my chili always tasted watery

I was making a big batch of chili last Sunday for meal prep, trying to stretch a $15 grocery run into a week of dinners. Everything seemed fine until I took the lid off after simmering for two hours and it looked like soup, not chili. I realized I had been adding the canned beans and corn too early, before the tomatoes had a chance to reduce down. Next time I let the meat and tomatoes cook down for a good 45 minutes before adding anything with extra liquid, and it came out perfect and thick. Anyone else have a simple cooking step that took way too many tries to get right?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.finley25d ago

Ayy bro I feel your pain. I did the exact same thing with my chili for like a solid year before I finally caught on. It's such a simple mistake but it makes a huge difference in the final texture. Now I'm paranoid about when I add my beans so I usually drain and rinse them first just to be safe. Glad you figured it out though, thick chili is the holy grail man.

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rowan_thomas8425d ago

For real though, draining and rinsing the beans is the move. I used to just dump the whole can in without thinking and wondered why my chili looked like soup. It also helps with the gas if you know what I mean, all that starchy liquid just turns into mush. Now I even pat my beans dry with a paper towel before tossing them in, makes a world of difference. Thick chili is 100% the goal, gotta be able to stand a spoon up in it.

rose_reed25d ago

Oh man @rowan_thomas84, I feel called out because I've definitely been the person who dumped the whole can in and then stood there wondering why my chili looked like a flooded parking lot. I mean, patting them dry is next level, I just rinse and call it good but maybe I should step up my game. At this point I'm just glad my chili can hold a spoon upright without collapsing into itself like my dignity.