Those of you who have been following my chili "career" know that in my last chili cookoff, my regular chili won first place (out of 16), and that while my ridiculously hot chili did not place in the hot category, it made an impression, being the hottest chili there and having a killer name: Satan's Ass.
I have another chili cookoff coming up next Saturday, my first since my first-ever chili cookoff win. And I want to make it two in a row. Towards that end, I will either be making my signature chili as my recipe stands now, or perhaps trying a small improvement (more on that below). But I still have no name for the damn thing. And this cookoff actually asks for the name of the chili on the entry form.
Nothing I've come up with has really worked for me, including (but not limited to) the following:
Sonoran Chili. (Phoenix, where I'm from, is in the Sonoran Desert.)
Maricopa Chili. (Phoenix is in Maricopa County.)
Sun Devil Chili. (I went to Arizona State University.)
Desert Chili. (I don't think I need to explain this one.)
Cactus Chili. (Or this one.)
Rattlesnake Chili. (I'm not using rattlesnake meat, so this seems disingenuous.)
The best I've come up with so far is "Arizona [My name]'s Southwestern Chili," but that doesn't even have the same memorability as, say, "Satan's Ass." Not that I expect to come up with a name that good again...but I'd like something that stands out more than the above offerings.
So, any suggestions for names? Hit me with your best shot, kids. Bring the name!
(Regarding the potential improvement: the current base starts with 2 pounds of sirloin steak and 1 pound of pork tenderloin. I am considering eliminating the pork tenderloin and going to 3 pounds of sirloin steak, keeping in mind that I already have plenty of pork in the chili, what with the smoked bacon and chorizo sausage I use. What do y'all think of this idea? And also, WHY do you think it?)
I have another chili cookoff coming up next Saturday, my first since my first-ever chili cookoff win. And I want to make it two in a row. Towards that end, I will either be making my signature chili as my recipe stands now, or perhaps trying a small improvement (more on that below). But I still have no name for the damn thing. And this cookoff actually asks for the name of the chili on the entry form.
Nothing I've come up with has really worked for me, including (but not limited to) the following:
Sonoran Chili. (Phoenix, where I'm from, is in the Sonoran Desert.)
Maricopa Chili. (Phoenix is in Maricopa County.)
Sun Devil Chili. (I went to Arizona State University.)
Desert Chili. (I don't think I need to explain this one.)
Cactus Chili. (Or this one.)
Rattlesnake Chili. (I'm not using rattlesnake meat, so this seems disingenuous.)
The best I've come up with so far is "Arizona [My name]'s Southwestern Chili," but that doesn't even have the same memorability as, say, "Satan's Ass." Not that I expect to come up with a name that good again...but I'd like something that stands out more than the above offerings.
So, any suggestions for names? Hit me with your best shot, kids. Bring the name!
(Regarding the potential improvement: the current base starts with 2 pounds of sirloin steak and 1 pound of pork tenderloin. I am considering eliminating the pork tenderloin and going to 3 pounds of sirloin steak, keeping in mind that I already have plenty of pork in the chili, what with the smoked bacon and chorizo sausage I use. What do y'all think of this idea? And also, WHY do you think it?)

However, it DID give me a potential idea.....Valley of the Sun Chili? Yes? No?






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