Does Chili Have Beans In It? Here's What the Cowboys on 'Yellowstone' Think (2024)

Beans in chili? Not if you’re from Texas!

While some people claim that chili can be made with a variety of ingredients—including beef and bean chili, chipotle chicken chili, or dare we say veggie chili—anyone from the Lone Star State would argue that traditional chili simply does not contain beans. In fact, this controversial topic was recently brought to light by the wildly popular Paramount Network show Yellowstone.

Anyone who’s up to date on season 4 knows that along with the beautiful Montana scenery and Dutton family drama, the show is also full of plenty of horsing around among the Yellowstone cowboys. The bunkhouse scenes featuring Rip, Lloyd, Jimmy, and the other Yellowstone characters commonly show them rough-housing and joking around with each other to add a bit of lightheartedness to the otherwise dramatic show. Such was the case in the last episode of the season where Jimmy and his new fiancée make one final appearance at the bunkhouse before heading off to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. It was during this scene that Jimmy and the other cowboys get into a fiery discussion over whether chili should or shouldn’t contain beans.

For some of the cowboys, chili is considered a clean-out-your-fridge kind of meal. It's a one-pot comfort food where you can throw in whatever you have laying around, including beans and plenty of spices. But if you’re from Texas (like Teeter!) you might think otherwise. And, despite only leaving the Yellowstone ranch for a short time, Jimmy takes the official state dish of Texas very seriously. “As soon as you put beans in chili, it ain’t chili,” he says. Perhaps it's more of a hearty soup recipe or stew? Either way, if there's one thing we know for certain, it's that chili is a cozy winter dinner best served with your favorite cornbread.

We wonder whose side Kevin Costner would take?