Chili Competition

Well, Saturday I'll be entering my first Official ICS Chili Competition in CT, and I've got 5 gallons of freshly brewed hefeweizen to help me along Any of you guys do the ICS comps? They're real technical (no beans, must prepare everything on the grounds, etc) but its a nationwide organization, so it's kind of kool to cook with people who fly in from all over to compete. Any tips for a first timer?

mike

Never been involved or been to one, but good luck in the competition.

Rick

Chili without beans???? Blasphemy!!!

As far a the cookoff goes, I haven't dealt with ICS, but I have been in a few local chili competitions. If the rules allow, bring your ingredients already chopped. it's not a big thing, but it gives you that little extra time for the flavors to mingle in the pot. I like mine very hot with serrano and habeneros, but most people don't care for it that way. If I'm making it for the judges I tone it down a bit than if it were just for my own taste buds. Also try to make your chili memorable in some way, something that will make it stand out from the masses. I know somebody who puts a little banana puree in their chili...not exactly my taste, but it does make the judges do a double take.
It probably goes without saying but keep your area clean.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Cheers

Terje

PS: It never hurts to ply the judges with some of that hefeweizen.

So... how did you do?????

DAMMIT!!! I found this thread too late.... I woulda been all over that ****. Where did they have it? How did you do?

I love making chili, but I am all about the beans. I usually put 3-4 types of beans alone. I usually load mine with tons of fresh veges as well. One of my strange ingredients that actually tastes great is broccoli. It softens up and absorbs a ton of flavor. I am making a huge batch tomorrow, cant wait.

Hey all,

Did fairly well, got a good amount of votes for the Peoples Choice, but I didn't place in the actual competition. (Big surprise). They actually had my booth next to the World Champion, so no pressure. I got 5 gallons of chili with beans for the masses done, and good responces from everyone. (secret ingredients: maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon, along with diced premium chuck, no ground beef here!) All in all I had a great time, and I know what to change for next time. Any award winning recipes out there? I'll post mine at some point.

mike

Flycactus said:

Chili without beans???? Blasphemy!!!

Click to expand...

+1 to that...

Most chili competitions have a no bean rule. I do as well, but unfortunately my wife does not have that rule.

I was schooled in the Doug Vaughn, USCG, shrine to chili. Dougies first rule was "Only a barbarian puts beans in chili." It was good enough for Dougie, it's been good enough for me for the past 25 years. My secret ingrediants are beer and tequila, both in the pot and in the cook.

Gee, now I'm hungry.

PTN

I'm looking at entering a workplace chili cookoff. (I work in a middleschool teaching music) Does anyone have a good recipe that could help me out? This is just for a workplace thing and not any ligit competition.

Probably should have started another thread but I figured I'd just piggyback on this one. BUMPUS!

Old thread, but it got bumped. For those complaining about the lack of beans, competition chili is supposed to be simply meat and gravy. No beans. And you won't find chunks of peppers or onions either. Just Meat. And Gravy. No beans. Did I mention no beans?

Of course, I prefer my chili with beans.

eschatz said:

I'm looking at entering a workplace chili cookoff. (I work in a middleschool teaching music) Does anyone have a good recipe that could help me out? This is just for a workplace thing and not any ligit competition.

Probably should have started another thread but I figured I'd just piggyback on this one. BUMPUS!

Click to expand...

This is my basic recipie. (Remember, I'm a Boston Irish kid who never tasted garlic till I enlisted in the military so some of you Southwest guys might bust a gut, but all my friends like it. Of course, for the most part, thay are a lot like me.)

1.5 lbs each of chuck and pork, cut up into 1/2" X 1/2" cubes, don't get too fancy cutting off the fat.

When I have the meat all cut up I toss it in one of those plastic grocery store bags with a cup of ground chili powder and shake unilt everything is coated. (Please don't crucify me for using grocery store chili powder, I live in Boston, it's all we get.)

Brown the meat a bit at a time, it usually takes 4 or 5 loads in the pot, with a liberal amount of oil. Put the meat aside and toss in 3-4 large white onions chopped small, a whole head of garlic, chopped fine; and 6-8 jalapeno peppers (preferably red ones) that I cook over the burner until the skin is charred and slips off when rubbed with a paper towel. The peppers get chopped up, too. You can add the seeds or not, depending on who you are feeding and their tolerance for heat.

Next up I add one 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 4-5 bottles of beer and a cup or so of tequila, any chili powder left over in the shake bag and then the meat goes back in the pot. A bottle of Cholulo hot sauce goes over the top.

Turn down the heat to low and stir every once in a while. Takes about 2 hours to cook completely. I find a handful of cornmeal added at the end will thicken it up nicely.

That's my version. SWMBO makes 'chili' with ground turkey, brocolli, garbanzo beans, niblet corn and nothing approaching hot in the mix. We have a fundamental difference of opinion over chili.

PTN

Hey all

Amazing that it's been a year! The New England Regional Chili Cookoff is happening again this Saturday, May 2nd at Pleasantview, 452 South Rd. Somers, CT 06071. Gates open at 11 am, and your admission gets you a tasting cup to taste over 100 chilis!

Come by and check out our team, Marcy Farm Chili Co., and if you like our chili, you can vote for us in the Peoples Choice competition. Hope to see other HBTers there, be nice to see your ugly mugs in person!

Wish I could make it, Mike but I'm working all weekend. Good luck to your team.

PTN

I used to enter the California Rodeo Chili Cookoff every year ( my company sponsored a team in the media division ).

Three Years -- three trophies.

The best advice I can give you is Quality Beef, in small cubes and no beans.
If you can make a paste out of your peppers -- that would help too

I had to work yesterday, but a chilli competition sounds like fun! How'd you do?

We did pretty good, got some really nice feedback from the Peoples Choice chili. We had three kinds, beef, pork, and chicken, as well as extra Judges chili. It was interesting that almost everyone who came by loved the chicken chili. I thought at a Chili Cookoff anything but beef was a no no, but I would overhear people in the crowds telling their friends to try our chicken.

Competition chili isn't as fun for me as the Peoples Choice, I like trying different recipes and talking with people. Competition is very rule based and is kind of boring. I think next year I'll enter some of my Peoples Choice as my Judge chili and just not worry about it. I'll focus instead on putting out a bunch of different and interesting stuff for the crowds.

Had a few people ask if I was selling any of it. Might try and can up a few batches to have on hand next time

I just made up some chili last night on the barbeque. Fantastic stuff. I love my chili to have beens and don't find a need to do the competition chili. Three types of peppers, onions, garlic, ground beef 80/20, pinto beans and a bunch of ground spices. I have a friend that does ICS and does meat and gravy with spices. He is trying to market his spice mixture. Meat, gravy and spices. No veges at all.

I wish I'd seen this thread a month earlier.

I've whipped up 2 big batches in the few weeks that I've been home. I have a "basic idea" recipe in my head, but it always changes with whatever's in the pantry or catches my eye at the supermarket.

My most recent batch was made with round steak. Dear god, it was delicious.

And Mike, I agree 1000x with the cinnamon + molasses (though I use brown sugar).