Chili should be hearty.
No award-winning chili cook-off winner would dream of putting cornstarch in chili to thicken it. Cornstarch, masa and flour can change the taste of the final product. A great chili thickens during the cooking process. While you can use flour, cornstarch, masa or a similar starch, it's always better to let the ingredients shine without additives.
Instructions
Tomato-Based Chili
1. Tomato-based chili may contain beans.
Use less tomato base and more meat. Whether you are using fresh tomatoes or paste, both add liquid to your chili as they cook. What seems thick at the onset will turn to a watery tomato sauce. Meanwhile, the fat from the extra meat can help thicken the chili. If you are using canned tomatoes, reserve the liquid for adding later if needed. With fresh tomatoes, you can add stock if more liquid is needed.
2. Puree a portion of the beans, if you are using beans, and add that to the broth about halfway through cooking. The pureed beans will thicken the chili as they cook. Many chili purists say that beans have no place in the recipe, but some people love the addition.
3. Add cheese! While many people offer cheese as garnish, a cup or so of jack cheese can thicken the chili as it cooks. Preshredded cheese is treated with cornstarch to keep it from clumping, so shred your own. Make sure to adjust spices accordingly.
Tomatoless Chili
4. Add potatoes to naturally thicken a tomatoless chili, like a chili verde, which adds heartiness. The potato-to-meat ratio should be about one part potato to three parts meat. The vegetables should be cut into about 1-inch cubes and cooked until tender.
5. Spice things up with some roasted chili pulp. The pulp thickens the chili and adds immense flavor. If your chili already has plenty of kick, use a milder chili, such as Anaheim or Santa Fe. For fuller flavor and spice, use hatch or Fresno. Make sure you don't add too much heat, or you won't taste the other flavors.
6. Use beer instead of broth. The alcohol cooks off and thickens better than broth. Most beers contain a thickening agent, which along with the grain will reduce with simmering.
7. Allow chili to cool. If you have the time, put the chili in the refrigerator overnight. This will release the flavors of the meat and chili, and thicken it up as well. In general, this should only be done if you are cooking all day, cooling overnight and then starting the chili in the early morning for serving that day.
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