Those all add to the pantheon of flavors in a good chili - more character than just using chili peppers.
But beans…they only add starch & pasty mouthfeel 
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Best chili in the world (IIDSSM) is a top secret personal recipe with a deceptively mild start, a tangy hint of orange, and the surprise bite of the Japanese black bean. (Which is a pepper, not legumes.)
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Spill the Japanese black beans…
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A small hint…never use more than two per batch and remove them before serving. (My Dad ate one once when I specifically warned him not to…I’m surprised it didn’t eat a hole in his gut.)
(They frequently appear in dishes like General Tso’s Chicken or Beef. I know you’ve seen them. You just don’t want to actually eat them.) 
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Not good enough. I’m going for the recipe. Spill the beans!
I cook with Ghost Chili’s and married a Trini…
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ooooh! I’ve heard of ghost chilis!. You don’t want to mess with something as weak as a black bean!
(I believe after looking them up that they are officially known as Thai chilis…we buy them dried in packets, and they’re black by that point.)
Dude, you must have an asbestos stomach lining!
Been trying to get Reaper seeds, but customs stops them. I make them all cry 
and they think a scotch bonnet is hot…
Years of training 
On the plus side when I was pepper sprayed in the academy, I was the only one that laughed builds resistance…
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Anyone use any of these sauces?
The host has been doing it for years and it shows. Look up Alton Brown’s episode. The man doesn’t blink and actually reviews the sauces.
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This whole series is just a commercial to sell their sauces. That said, I have purchased their overpriced, tiny bottle of “fiery chipotle” and it is rather nice… once I got over feeling like a chump.
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Well like I said, I AM sorry for hijacking this thread toward the discussion of chili, so apologies to polarbrainfreeze because we shouldn’t be taking away from another awesome forge project.
However - I do need to pipe in about a couple of things. 
Heat in food - I truly don’t understand the need for excessive heat in foods. Don’t get me wrong - I like a heaping spoonful of Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce in my orange chicken (which was delicious last night!) to add a good kick, but IMHO it’s sad when things are sooooo spicy, you can’t taste the other nuances of flavor in the dish. And I get the heat addicts - I worked as a bartender for years at a mexican restaurant when in college (best job for a college student IMHO) and had a manager who would come to the bar when we weren’t busy with a paper bag of his latest, spicy chilies and would proceed to make the hottest hot sauce you’d ever imagine (well, this was the late 80’s, I don’t think the reaper peppers and such were available, but he’d have a bag of habaneros, chili petines, etc - the hotter he could get the better!). He’d sit at the bar and sweat profusely, pounding his fist on the bar because it was so hot as he ate it. And LOVED it. Made 0% sense to me - he couldn’t taste ANYTHING but the heat! So for you heat junkies, I don’t get it.
As far as beans go, I kind of see this like a LOT of recipes. Yes, the “official” chili contest rules say no beans, but I’m in the opinion (I guess like the heat) that if you want to add beans, add beans. Who am I to tell you that you can’t do that!?! What do I care? I love beans and have made many chili’s with and without beans. It makes me no nevermind.
What I DO care about for some strange reason, is when something is so blatantly called something when it’s clearly NOT. Like shepards pie. This is meat on the bottom (choose your meat - I don’t care), veggies in the middle (again choose your veggies - the corn / green bean / carrot / peas mixture seems to be the most traditional), potatoes on top. Baked and served with gravy. THAT is shepards pie. I’ve been to restaurants where they do their “take” on shepards pie and it’s wildly different! Or it’s a “deconstructed” shepherd’s pie with a lump of mashed potatoes, a side of veggies and meat. All separate. Well that’s NOT shepards pie, that’s just dinner! So I do have an issue, I guess, with things that are not clearly what they’re named. Don’t say this is cherry pie, then hand me some cherry pie filling with crumbles on top. That’s NOT cherry pie, it’s cherry dessert.
Ok, never mind I’m just ranting now. But beans / no beans - meh. Eat chili how you want.
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Oh yeah…many apologies…Great job on the Trophies @polarbrainfreeze! (We do tend to get side-tracked around here!)
To further derail the conversation, i give you a joke about chili consumption in Texas…
(Not my joke, just a favorite culled from the internet.)
Notes from an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting Texas from the East Coast:
Recently I was honoured to be selected as an outstanding famous celebrity in Texas, to be a judge at a Chili Cook-off, because no one else wanted to do it. Also the original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing there at the judge’s table asking for directions to the beer wagon when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges (native Texans) that the chili wouldn’t be all that spicy, and besides, they told me that I could have free beer during the tasting. So I accepted.
Here are the scorecards from the event:
CHILI # 1: MIKE’S MANIC MONSTER CHILI
JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick.
JUDGE TWO: Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
FRANK: Holy Shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with this! I needed two beers to put the flames out. Hope that’s the worst one. Texans are crazy!
CHILI # 2: ARTHUR’S AFTERBURNER CHILI
JUDGE ONE: Smokey, with a hint of pork. Slight Jalapeno tang.
JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavour. Needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
FRANK: Keep this out of reach of children! I’m not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain! I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to walkie-talkie in three extra beers when they saw the look on my face!
CHILI # 3: FRED’S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI
JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans.
JUDGE TWO: A beanless chili. A bit salty. Good use of red peppers.
FRANK: Call the EPA, I’ve located a uranium spill! My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Barmaid pounded me on the back; now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I’m getting shit-faced.
CHILI # 4: BUBBA’S BLACK MAGIC
JUDGE ONE: Black Bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods. Not much of a chili.
FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills; that 300 lb bitch is starting to look HOT, just like this nuclear-waste I’m eating.
CHILI # 5: LINDA’S LEGAL LIP REMOVER
JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
JUDGE TWO: Chili using shredded beef; could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
FRANK: My ears are ringing, and I can no linger focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly from a pitcher onto it. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Freakin’ Rednecks!!!
CHILI # 6: VERA’S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY
JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers.
JUDGE TWO: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions and garlic.
FRANK: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that slut Sally. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone!
CHILI # 7: SUSAN’S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI
JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
JUDGE TWO: Ho Hum. Tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should note that I am worried about Judge # 3.
FRANK: You could put a #)^@#*&;! Grenade in my mouth, pull the #)^@#*&! pin, and I wouldn’t feel a d@& thing! I’ve lost the sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my X*(@#^& mouth. My pants are full of lava-like shit, to match my X*(@#^&$ shirt. At least the during the autopsy they’ll know what killed me. I’ve decided to stop breathing, it’s too painful. I’m not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I’ll just suck it in through the four inch hole in my stomach.
CHILI # 8: HELEN’S MOUNT SAINT CHILI
JUDGE ONE: A perfect ending. This is a nice blend chili, safe for all; not too bold, but spicy enough to declare its existence.
JUDGE TWO: This final entry is a good balanced chili, neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge # 3 passed out, fell and pulled the chili pot on top of himself. Not sure if he’s going to make it. Poor Yank.
FRANK: - - - - - g-g-g-gurgle- - - (Editor’s Note: Judge # 3 was unable to report).
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Ahhhh…yes. I’d forgotten about this one!
Quick story about me - I was born and raised in Minnesota then moved to Austin Texas my sophomore year in college (hence bartending at a mexican restaurant). I WAS this guy for the first 6 months with everything I tried at that restaurant. To me a mild hot sauce packet from Taco Bell was deemed too spicy to even pick up. If I put pepper on anything growing up it was too hot!
People from the south are crazy!
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Some of us can’t eat all of them…Jalapenos make me deathly ill, almost immediately. Thai peppers (about 25 times hotter) don’t. My hubs can pop habaneros. It’s really strange.
I do like to breathe though, so a little goes a long way. No need to overdo it.
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Well, the contest was today, and the winning entry had 3 types of beans (Red Kidney, Chick Peas and Black Beans).
So I guess that settles that argument once and for all. Tell your friends in Texas: Beans are OK in chilli…some contest in Canada proved that. You’re welcome!
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Oh yeah, do that. It’ll no doubt get your butt kicked anywhere in Texas that someone in Canada knows what Texas chili should be 
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I believe that’s called Yankee Chili… which is really more reminiscent of some kind of soup. Might as well throw some pasta in there for good measure.
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Not this Yankee kemo sabe 
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I also lived in Cincinnati for 6 years. Their idea of chili is all spice, cinnamon and SPAGHETTI. That’s NOT CHILI!
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I occasionally eat them. They’re not really all that hot compared to some other chiles I’ve had. But the texture isn’t great for eating.
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WHAT!!!
@timjedwards remember the pizza they fed us that time in Japan, with corn and squid and stuff on it?
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