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Tomorrow, for the first time, I am defending my title as a chili cookoff winner. While I have won a few other cookoffs, I seem to have an obsession for chili cookoffs, and according to more than a few people, a knack for it. (My buddy Popcorn said, and I quote, "His wings are crap, but his chili is fantastic!" Since I am from the Southwest and not from anywhere near Buffalo, I guess I'll accept both comments!)
Earlier this year, after a few years of competing in various local chili cookoffs, I finally won one. And I was thrilled with the fact that the one I won was not, as many cookoffs down here are, based on the number of votes you get from the crowd, but from an impartial panel of judges. I prefer the panel, for the very simple reason that most of the "crowd votes" cookoffs are fundraisers, and while I have nothing against fundraisers, they use the crowd votes method to pick a winner so they can raise the most money, as each vote generally costs money. Which means that some cooks can "buy" a win (or attempt to), which I have seen done, and some are just popularity contests....who had the most friends show up. As many of my friends work during these things (and several are out of town tomorrow), this puts me at a disadvantage for such cookoffs. But then, I would rather win a cookoff on merit than popularity or "buying" a win. Which is why, as I said, I prefer the panel of judges method, and hope that that is what the bar uses tomorrow, as they did earlier this year.
All of the above being said, in the last four chili cookoffs I have been in, with whatever method they used to determine the winners, with never fewer than 14 entries in the mix, I have placed 4th, 3rd, 1st, and 4th. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
And I am calmer than I have ever been before a cookoff, probably because my signature "Devil's Gold" chili was finished on Sunday, and my evilly hot "Devil's Ass" chili was finished Wednesday. All I have to do now is prepare a little cooling "cure" for anyone who dares the Devil's Ass and can't handle it, and in the morning, bring the chilis up to heat and then transport them to the cookoff with the appropriate equipment (ladles, heating element, etc.) and get them set up.
And then I'll sit there, watch football (GO RAIDERS!), drink beer, and hopefully collect yet another win. Perhaps, maybe, two, as this time I did not burn the onions in the Devil's Ass chili...but I did greatly increase the heat level, so I may injure people more than garner votes with that one!
(I won't even try it myself. Seriously.)
And as I was typing this, I just realized I still have not printed up the signs I wanted for the chilis, which sucks, since I don't have a printer, so I'll have to go somewhere to print them up. Dopey me. Oh well....one more thing to do in the morning. After all, I'm never happy if I don't leave anything to the last minute!
So, wish me luck, for tomorrow is the day!
Earlier this year, after a few years of competing in various local chili cookoffs, I finally won one. And I was thrilled with the fact that the one I won was not, as many cookoffs down here are, based on the number of votes you get from the crowd, but from an impartial panel of judges. I prefer the panel, for the very simple reason that most of the "crowd votes" cookoffs are fundraisers, and while I have nothing against fundraisers, they use the crowd votes method to pick a winner so they can raise the most money, as each vote generally costs money. Which means that some cooks can "buy" a win (or attempt to), which I have seen done, and some are just popularity contests....who had the most friends show up. As many of my friends work during these things (and several are out of town tomorrow), this puts me at a disadvantage for such cookoffs. But then, I would rather win a cookoff on merit than popularity or "buying" a win. Which is why, as I said, I prefer the panel of judges method, and hope that that is what the bar uses tomorrow, as they did earlier this year.
All of the above being said, in the last four chili cookoffs I have been in, with whatever method they used to determine the winners, with never fewer than 14 entries in the mix, I have placed 4th, 3rd, 1st, and 4th. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
And I am calmer than I have ever been before a cookoff, probably because my signature "Devil's Gold" chili was finished on Sunday, and my evilly hot "Devil's Ass" chili was finished Wednesday. All I have to do now is prepare a little cooling "cure" for anyone who dares the Devil's Ass and can't handle it, and in the morning, bring the chilis up to heat and then transport them to the cookoff with the appropriate equipment (ladles, heating element, etc.) and get them set up.
And then I'll sit there, watch football (GO RAIDERS!), drink beer, and hopefully collect yet another win. Perhaps, maybe, two, as this time I did not burn the onions in the Devil's Ass chili...but I did greatly increase the heat level, so I may injure people more than garner votes with that one!
(I won't even try it myself. Seriously.)And as I was typing this, I just realized I still have not printed up the signs I wanted for the chilis, which sucks, since I don't have a printer, so I'll have to go somewhere to print them up. Dopey me. Oh well....one more thing to do in the morning. After all, I'm never happy if I don't leave anything to the last minute!
So, wish me luck, for tomorrow is the day!
I don't really like lots of spice. Which is how I know I would not make a good chili judge. 
That sucks.
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