Chili Tasting 101
Okay, you are going to a chili cook-off and you say to yourself: "Self, what should I know before I start tasting that stuff so I don't look like a gald-darn chili cook-off greenhorn?"
Well, partner, it is really quite simple. Follow these rules and your friends, acquaintances and casual enemies will all think you are a, No. 1 Chili Pro.
Rule No. 1 - Buy an official Dynamite Chili Cook-off tasting kit. Each kit will have a spoon, a couple of small tasting cups, a napkin, seven tasting tickets, a chili ballot and a salsa ballot. The kits are cheap, a bargain at $7, so buy a bunch and get to vote more than once for your favorite chili.
Rule No. 2 - Try to sample as many of the People's Choice chilies as you can. The more chili's you taste the better idea you will have of how different People's Choice competition chili can be. Some may be super hot, some may be spiced just to your taste, some may have strange critters floating in it (just kidding), and some may be hard to describe. It is guaranteed that at least one of the chili's you taste will be your favorite.
Rule No. 3 - Talk to the cooks. A chili cook is one of the friendliest creatures on earth. He or she will be more than happy to share the secrets of the chili recipe. Be prepared to hear all kinds of outlandish ingredients and it will be up to you to judge what is true and what is just jalapeno talk.
Rule No. 4 - Never, ever, try to help a People's Choice chili competitor out by adding something to the pot. An angry chili cook is a sight you do not want to behold. Remember some of these people have just finished chopping up large quantities of raw meat with very sharp knives.
Rule No. 5 - The key to a great chili is the perfect blend of meat, spices, sauce and vegetables. People's Choice chili must have beans, but it is essentially the same in taste as the International Chili Society brew. The best way to judge chili is to remember the letters TACA. This stands for Taste, Aroma, Consistency and Appearance.
Rule No. 6 - Forget about Rules 1 - 5 and just have FUN!
Winning Recipes
1999 World Champion Maud Swick, Bakersfield, CA
“Zanjero Red Chili”
Ingredients:
3 lbs. Course ground or cubed beef roast
1 cup onion
5 pods garlic
2 Ortega chili peppers
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato sauce
10 Tbs. Chili powder
1½ Tbs. Cumin
1 Tbs. Hot New Mexico chili powder
Cooking:
Sautee meat and onions in 1 tsp Wesson Oil, add to the chicken broth, simmer for 1 hour. Add 1 can tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powders, and cumin. Simmer for 1 hour. Salt to taste.
1996 World Champion Georgia Weller, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
“Southern Chili Georgia Style”
Ingredients:
3 tsp. oil
4½ Tbs. California chili powder
4 Tbs. Gebhardt chili powder
½ Tbs. Hot New Mexico chili powder
½ Tbs. Chimayo
½ Tbs. Pasilla
3½ Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. granulated garlic
4 tsp. onion powder
½ Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
3 lbs. Beef chuck, cut into chunks
1 can beef broth
1 can chicken broth
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 can green chilies, chopped
Cooking:
Brown meat and add to chili pot along with chicken and beef broth, tomato sauce and green chilies. Add 2/3 of spices. Cook for 2 hours. Add remaining spices. Cook additional hour or until meat is tender. Add salt to taste. Serve with saltine crackers.
1995 World Champions Bill & Karen Ray, Riverside, CA
“Mountain Express Chili”
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Gebhardt chili powder
4 Tbs. California chili powder
3 Tbs. mild New Mexico chili powder
3 Tbs. ground cumin
2 Tbs. hot New Mexico chili powder
2 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. Pasilla chili powder
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. ground Mexican oregano
1 can whole tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
4 cups water
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 pod garlic pressed
4 lbs. tri-tip or bottom sirloin, trimmed and cut in ¼” cubes
salt to taste
Tabasco Sauce
Cooking:
1. Combine all dry ingredient in a small container. Clean tomatoes of seeds and put through a sieve or chop finely. Combine tomatoes, broth, water and dry spices in a bowl, mix well. Put into chili pot and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté onions and garlic in a little water over low heat for 30 minutes. Drain and add to tomato sauce and simmer 30 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, cook meat until no longer pink, drain off juices and add to chili pot. Simmer for 1½ hours or until meat is tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and add Tabasco if hotter chili is desired.
