Baked beans in chilli con carne - a moral outrage?

[dkanin]

I was talking about chilli con carne earlier and someone mentioned using baked beans instead of kidney beans and I wasn't convinced by the idea. I'd now really like to know what's normal! Do you think using baked beans in chilli con carne is culinary sacrilege, a bit gross or that's what everyone does?

Use both kidney and baked beans for the ultimate chilli!

Student cuisine

The ONLY way to cook it imo

@TheHagOnTheHill Texas chilli often contains no tomato or beans (and doesn't use mince).

recipe www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/true-texas-chili-355049/amp

No. It has to be kidney beans. Adding a tin of unwashed baked beans would change the flavour and I love chilli con carne too much to do that. However... Hairy Bikers have a recipe called Beany Mince (onion, mince, swede, carrots & baked beans basically) which I add a bit of chilli powder to and it tastes really good. So I'm not completely ruling out a chilli/baked bean combo.

Any bean is fine especially in veggie versions. They might get a bit sludgy, though! Better still use haricot beans which are the type used by Heinz et al.

I only use kidney beans. I'm surprised so many of you are using baked beans with or without sauce. Maureen Next Door's baked bean chilli was a legend (not in a good way) in our house as kids.

Thanks disasterous,unfortunately we're vegetarian.

I use bbq baked beans and absolutely never would I put kidney beans in anything. Ugh.

I’m fairly strict when it comes to food bastardisation but this is one I do commit 🙈once made chilli for a friend who hates kidney beans so I tried this and it’s good! Still do it now years later. Adds a slight sweetness - wouldn’t do it though if I was doing a proper Nigella type chocolate chilli

OMG! Baked beans in Chilli!?

You heathens! Next you'll be telling us you use a packet of mix in it!

I like it🤷‍♀️

Abomination. Baked beans are horrible anyway, and they certainly have no place in chilli con carne.

It was my mum's secret ingredient in chili, and now is mine! Makes the best chili! (baked beans in addition to kidney beans, I should clarify)

My DH does this and I honestly didn’t notice until he mentioned it, it works quite well.

Yes, my mum did and now I do. No rinsing, just chuck it all in. I give it a good simmer and stir so that some of them break down and it gives a great thick sauce. Don't know why folk are getting themselves in knots about it not being authentic, who cares?

Why on earth would you rinse baked beans?! Just use canellini beans if you don't want the baked bean saucy goodness!

I think this is probably illegal tbh.

But standard tinned baked beans have quite a lot sugar and are too sweet for a chili con carne IMO. Rinse the sauce off unless you get the no-added-sugar ones. Which are great, btw.

Ordinary Heinz baked beans have almost 20 grams of sugar per 410 gram can - around 4 teaspoons. Would you put 4 teaspoons of sugar into a chili con carne?
But i do like to add a square of dark chocolate

Only as extras in addition to kidney beans. Mushrooms go very well in a chilli though if there are not enough kidney beans. Endame beans also nice.

Didn't think of it like that @tartyflette, good point. But you could still just use cannellini beans which is what baked beans are made of in the first place.

Baked beans fine in chilli - chilli has tomato in to begin with so the sauce isn't a problem? Kidney or baked, doesn't matter.,

Yep it does taste good and makes the chilli fuller.
I'm fussy and I do this.

Also adding chilli and beans to bolagnaise to make chilli, surely that's normal.

I batch cook and make a massive pot of bolagnaise, i then add chilli con carne mix and beans of any kind including baked beans to some, mushrooms and peppers to others so I get 3 different flavoured Quorn Mince bases meals from it.

I know someone who used baked beans as well as kidney beans. Personally I dont use beans at all...

I’ve always done it. I do half baked beans, half kidney. Gives it a better texture. I’m veggie, so also do a three bean chilli that usually has baked beans, kidney beans, black eyed beans and lentils.