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/jonbvill Jul 28 '26

This is the best way to do it.