As many of you know, I compete in local cookoffs with some regularity, especially local chili cookoffs. In the last two chili cookoffs, held last month and Super Bowl Sunday, I placed not at all and fourth, respectively.
I'm pissed.
I have another chili cookoff on the 18th. I have every intention of winning it, though not by cheating, not by badgering all my friends to be there (it's one of those "vote for your favorite" type deals, which often results in a popularity contest rather than an honest assessment of the merits of the various dishes), and certainly not by compromising myself or my culinary beliefs. For example, my Pittsburgh-native roommate thinks I need to tone down the heat of the chili for the mostly Eastern palates I'm cooking for, and to be fair, he has a point that a lot of the people in this area seem to have wussy palates when it comes to spice, but damn it, I am a Southwesterner, and I am cooking Southwestern food. And as I told my roommate, I would far rather cook the best chili I know how to and lose than compromise my core beliefs just to try to win. In other words, I won't sell out.
That being said, I am always open for opinions, ideas, and suggestions. So if anyone here has any ideas for methods or ingredients, or something else, that would elevate my chili to a new level, please, feel free to let me know.
Especially since I'll be cooking it this weekend, so that it can sit in my fridge for a week and get happy.
Thank you, and we now return you to our regularly scheduled website.
I'm pissed.
I have another chili cookoff on the 18th. I have every intention of winning it, though not by cheating, not by badgering all my friends to be there (it's one of those "vote for your favorite" type deals, which often results in a popularity contest rather than an honest assessment of the merits of the various dishes), and certainly not by compromising myself or my culinary beliefs. For example, my Pittsburgh-native roommate thinks I need to tone down the heat of the chili for the mostly Eastern palates I'm cooking for, and to be fair, he has a point that a lot of the people in this area seem to have wussy palates when it comes to spice, but damn it, I am a Southwesterner, and I am cooking Southwestern food. And as I told my roommate, I would far rather cook the best chili I know how to and lose than compromise my core beliefs just to try to win. In other words, I won't sell out.
That being said, I am always open for opinions, ideas, and suggestions. So if anyone here has any ideas for methods or ingredients, or something else, that would elevate my chili to a new level, please, feel free to let me know.
Especially since I'll be cooking it this weekend, so that it can sit in my fridge for a week and get happy.
Thank you, and we now return you to our regularly scheduled website.
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