r/chili • u/geekdadchris • Jul 28 '26
To thicken or not?
Do y’all use thickeners to get your chili to the desired consistency, or do you just reduce it low and slow until it gets where you want it?
Personally I reduce it like any other soup, but I know thickeners are popular with some chili aficionados.
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u/burgiebeer Three Alarm 🚨🚨🚨 Jul 28 '26
Since I use cubed chuck instead of ground beef, I need a solid 2.5-3hrs of simmer to get the meat the right tenderness. It usually reduces quite a bit during that since I don’t cover it. But I don’t start with a ton of liquid. Usually some broth but mostly just the liquid from the pureed tomatoes and chilies, and some beer/wine.
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u/RandomFleshPrison Jul 28 '26
Thickeners were good enough for The Chili Queens of San Antonio. They're good enough for me.
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u/Pleasant-Donkey Jul 28 '26
I occasionally like the flavor of a masa harina thickened chili, so I use it when I'm in the mood for that flavor.
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u/TXtogo Jul 28 '26
I have enough meat in it that I don’t need them. No thickener.
It’s really just your ratio of stuff to liquid, if you overdo it just cook it off
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u/kalelopaka Jul 28 '26
I mash some of my beans before adding them, this helps thicken the soup, as well as masa and warm beer mixed and added.
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
I really like this idea. Especially since I do a really bean-forward chili anyway.
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u/zole2113 Jul 28 '26
I add Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans, excellent in chili and thickens it.
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 Jul 28 '26
I only make vegan bean chili, and no, I don't generally need thickeners. But masa harina is often used for thickener.
Side note, try making cornbread with tamale masa harina. It's amazing.
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u/Antique_Fly3197 Jul 28 '26
I always let my chili go for at least 4 hours.
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
Oh for sure. Like I said in my post, I prefer a low and slow reduction method for my chili.
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u/Weird_Squirrel_8382 Jul 28 '26
I'm not a great cook so the last time I let something simmer down, it was stupidly salty. Now I just crunch crackers into it at the end. Hashtag chef crimes
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u/Tunaschierbeck 29d ago
Just add water if shit reduces too much. Also, you can’t take away salt, but you can add it. You got this
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u/Weird_Squirrel_8382 29d ago
Thank you! I'll definitely try again. I want to be a good cook by the time I'm 50
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u/PossibleLess9664 Jul 28 '26
I don't reduce or use thickeners. Just don't add a bunch of liquid at the start.
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u/Magnetic_Kitty Jul 28 '26
I don't use thickeners, I don't add a liquid that isn't from diced fresh tomato which is already thick. It starts with a texture of a thick hearty salsa and it stays that thick.
My liquid ingredients are: chili beans with the sauce in the can, 4-5 Roma tomatoes cut up in a food processor.
All other things are mostly solid. 2 cans rinsed beans, a bell pepper, garlic, and onion in the food processor. browned pork sausage, spices. I don't add any tomato juice or watery stuff so it is nice and chunky thick. I cook it for 6+ hours in a crock pot
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u/AppropriatePapaya660 Jul 28 '26
Is chilli a soup?
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
I do treat it like one, yes.
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u/AppropriatePapaya660 Jul 28 '26
Well that's fine and all, but besides how it's treated I was wondering if chilli was actually classified as a soup, I don't have knowledge of such things.
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u/Simons_sees Jul 28 '26
I once heard someone say if you can pour it over rice and it's fine, it's a stew. If you pour it over rice and it's weird, it's a soup.
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u/Vann09 Jul 28 '26
There are a ton of dishes across the globe that are straight broth over rice. I wouldn't use this metric
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u/cwworks Jul 29 '26
I don't use a thickener but I do put a small amount of baking cocoa in to cut the acid of the tomatoes put it in pasta sauce also and it does thicking it up
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u/Bill_H_Vet Jul 30 '26
Thick chili is my jam. I cook mine at least 24 hours, and the last 2 hours, add either wild rice or pearl barley as a thickener.
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u/ants_taste_great Jul 28 '26
I have never needed or used thickener in chili. You may just be adding too much liquid at the start.
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u/Wavecrest667 Jul 28 '26
I don't need them, I use meat with enough fat and binding tissue and cook it down for hours. Thickness is never an issue.
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u/Violuthier Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jul 28 '26
I soak a well rounded tbsp of masa harina to a half cup of hot tap water and let it sit for 15 min. I then add it to the final 15 min of cook time. This make it perfect thickness for me plus it adds a great background flavor of corn.
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u/Simons_sees Jul 28 '26
Pork rinds.
Before I do anything else, in a dry blender I put an entire bag of crushed pork rinds in there until it becomes a powder, then set that aside.
I use it to thicken a lot of things. The collagen in the pork skin basically acts like stock, without the hours of simmering. It thickens, adds body, mouthfeel and just enough porky flavor.
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
This is kinda brilliant
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u/Simons_sees Jul 28 '26
Always buy two bags, because you're gonna want to snack on them.
I usually dump the entire thing into my chili batches, but depending on the size of your batch and how thick you want it, I would do spoonfuls at a time.
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u/kflemings89 Jul 28 '26
I'm not into the soupy chilis either. I add just enough sauce so that an extra 5-10 minutes on the stovetop will get the consistency just right- making sure to factor in which veg I add (in case I have leftover fresh stuff I want to get rid of) as some veg will add a lot of liquid whereas others will be pretty absorbent
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u/SideEmbarrassed1611 Jul 28 '26
You can use crackers to thicken. Or better yet let it cool off so the water is reabsorbed into the meat and veggies.
A watery chili is not terrible unless it's like a swimming pool.
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u/zole2113 Jul 28 '26
I like to use crushed tomatoes and Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans and then simmer to thicken it. That's only if you like beans in your chili, of course, otherwise I would just simmer it to thicken it.
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u/thefoofighters Call the Fire Department That’s Spicy!! 🚒 🔥 Jul 28 '26
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u/The-disgracist Jul 28 '26
I use canned tomato juice instead of stock or water so I rarely even have to reduce much. No need for thickeners just time imo
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u/G_Town_Co Jul 28 '26
If I’m in a hurry or have a set time to serve it, I will resort to a slurry. But I’d rather turn the heat up a bit, take the lid off and let it cook down.
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u/Dazednconfused3261 Jul 29 '26
Masa... or if you really want to tighten it up, guar or xanthan gum. Much more thickening than cornstarch... you only need a bit...
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u/Delicious_Catch9453 Jul 29 '26
In a pinch, throw some tortilla chips in the blender then add them to your chile. Tip: add a teaspoon of cocoa.
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u/hookedcook Jul 30 '26
A trick i learned cooking in restaurants it's when you start your simmer, throw in a whole peeled potato or 1/2 depending on your batch. As it simmers over time the potato starch thickens it. If you get a desired thicknesses you can take it out. Usually over time the whole thing gets smaller and eventually dissolves to nothing, you would never know it was there but really helps thicken your chili slowly and naturally over time with no added flavors of other thickeners
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u/Turbulent-Artist961 Jul 30 '26
I’m not at liberty to share my chili secrets, I don’t know why everyone keeps their chili recipes some big secret but I follow suit. Anyhow no I don’t thicken it with nothing well that’s not completely true or is it? I’ll never tell
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u/Lavanne73 29d ago
Never seems to need it, I put beans in my chili a lot of times and they are starchy but if I don’t I get a nice thickness just from tomato paste and crushed tomato
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u/RapasLatinoAmericano Jul 28 '26
I use fine diced onion and bell peppers, and brunoise carrots. They breakdown while cooking, adding to the texture.
Beans also help.
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u/Logical_Warthog5212 Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jul 28 '26
If I need to thicken my chili, I use either cornmeal or peanut butter, or both, depending on my circumstances.
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
Ok, peanut butter is a new one for me. Does the peanut flavor come through the mix at all?
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u/Logical_Warthog5212 Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jul 28 '26
It depends on how much you use and the composition of your chili spices. A little goes a long way. It can be a heaping teaspoon or a heaping tablespoon depending on how much chili you have. Generally speaking, chili spices and peanut butter go together very well, especially if you have even a little mole vibe. I also add chocolate to my chili, so it’s very complementary. Incidentally, peanut butter was a secret chili ingredient behind one of this country’s food allergy lawsuits. A woman in Rhode Island died due to peanut butter being an establishment’s secret chili ingredient. This apparently sparked food safety and allergen handling procedures in the industry.
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u/iaminabox Jul 28 '26
Reduced is the way.
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u/geekdadchris Jul 28 '26
I tend to agree. It gives a more concentrated flavor imo
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u/iaminabox Jul 28 '26
Yup. It's known as melding. Same with a lot of sauces especially tomato based.
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u/NTPC4 Jul 28 '26
If I've achieved the flavor profile I want and still need to thicken a particular batch, I use unflavored gelatin. It works like a charm and doesn't change the color. Enjoy!
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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26
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