Not Shocking – Study Finds Texans Say ‘No’ to Beans in Chili

If there’s one thing we Texans can agree on, it’s that beans have no business in chili.

People from other states will disagree, but my stance is unwavering. My mama never put beans in chili and neither does my wife. That’s just how we do it around here.

And a recent study conducted by Smoked Meat Sunday backs me up. It found that Texans are adamant about beans having no place in a chili recipe.

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But the majority of the country disagrees with us.

Using geotagged Twitter data, researchers found that while Texas style chili is by far the most popular style of chili in the country, people in 43 states said they were okay with or actually preferred beans in their chili.

Here’s my thing. The night my wife makes chili, we all sit down and have a bowl. But I like to repurpose it a couple of days later and use it for chili dogs or Frito pies and I can’t imagine chili with beans working with either of those.

Most Popular Chili Styles

Texas Style - 24 states

Cincinnati Style - 9 states

Chili Verde - 4 states

Springfield Style - 2 states

Indiana or "Hoosier" Style - 2 states

Cajun Style - 2 states

Kansas City Style - 2 states

White Chili - 2 states

Oklahoma Style - 1 state

Wisconsin Style - 1 state

Detroit Style - 1 state

I realize if you’re reading this story, there’s a chance you’ll disagree with me. If that’s the case, let me hear about it in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.