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How To Make The Best Chili, According To Chili Cook-Off Winners (And A Judge)
HuffPo ^ | 10/14/2022 | Julie Kendrick

Posted on 11/10/2022 11:25:30 AM PST by simpson96

If you’re traveling to a cook-off, be aware of the flavor profiles that work best in that region.(snip)

“Florida likes a sweet chili, so I might use grape jelly,” she said. “Dallas likes spicy chili, but central Texas likes a milder chili. And in Arkansas, they like chili with ketchup.”

Jennifer Billock is a journalist and author who has competed in the Medinah, Illinois, Shriners’ annual chili cook-off. “My team won three years in a row, including a People’s Choice award,” she said. “I don’t have a recipe,” she said. “We called it Garden Chili and threw in a ton of veggies. Don’t tell chili purists, but it included canned beans, along with the liquid from the can,” she said. “The beans give the chili a really earthy flavor. There’s also chocolate in my chili, because I find it makes the finished product taste both more robust and smoother.”

And then there are some ingredients that champions just won’t consider. Tom Dozier has won more than 10 major chili cook-offs, (snip) “I don’t use oregano, because it imparts a spaghetti sauce flavor,” he said. “I also avoid cinnamon, which tends to overshadow all of the other spices, and I follow a strict ‘no beans’ policy, since I make Texas chili.”(snip)

Sam Merritt, a food blogger for Sugar Spun Run, reported that readers have used her recipe to win more than 100 chili cook-offs (and counting). “I’m especially thrilled when they send me photos of the trophies or ribbons they’ve won,” she said. For her, timing is critical. “I always add spices early, before the meat is fully browned,” she said. “This allows the beef to absorb a ton of flavor and helps the spices really bloom.”

(Excerpt) Read more at huffpost.com ...


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: chili; chiliconcarne; cooking; food; frijoles
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To: MeanWestTexan

i use ground beef...recipe is mom’s...beans are a filler...i’ll think about the coffee


21 posted on 11/10/2022 11:38:36 AM PST by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: Sacajaweau

It’s not really chocolate, it’s cocoa powder.


22 posted on 11/10/2022 11:38:43 AM PST by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump. )
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To: Red Badger

>Beans are okay, but.....................

You did go to boy scout summer camp did you not?


23 posted on 11/10/2022 11:39:10 AM PST by fretzer
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To: fretzer

I prefer my chili without beans.

And everybody elses, too!..................😉


24 posted on 11/10/2022 11:41:12 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: HIDEK6

like the dark unsweetened


25 posted on 11/10/2022 11:41:45 AM PST by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

It wasn’t me. :)


26 posted on 11/10/2022 11:43:07 AM PST by Leep (Hillary will NEVER be president! 😁)
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To: Sacajaweau

Yes.


27 posted on 11/10/2022 11:44:11 AM PST by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump. )
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To: simpson96

No beans.

Add dark beer, chocolate, honey and enough hot peppers to sting at first taste, then the sweet hits followed by the hint of chocolate.


28 posted on 11/10/2022 11:45:09 AM PST by Round Earther
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To: Sacajaweau

I’ve not used coffee in chili but I use it in various gravies. Adds color, subtle flavor.


29 posted on 11/10/2022 11:45:46 AM PST by fretzer
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To: dynachrome

You should see what they do in Cincinnati. They serve the worst tasting chili you’ve ever had on top of spaghetti. Nasty stuff there. But there are lots of people who apparently think it tastes pretty good.


30 posted on 11/10/2022 11:46:02 AM PST by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TP)
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To: fretzer

I do not use beans in my chili, however I do add the juice from a can of beans. I smoke the tomatoes first before adding them to the recipe. I also use a bit of chipotle peppers for heat and more smokiness. With the onions, I caramelize them first, then grind them up with the spices. Then I put the meat in, then the tomatoes and peppers.

Works for me.


31 posted on 11/10/2022 11:46:03 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz (At this point I would rather have the illegals here than the liberals.)
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To: simpson96

Now I’m hungry.


32 posted on 11/10/2022 11:46:47 AM PST by Leep (Hillary will NEVER be president! 😁)
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To: simpson96

The Office’s Brian Baumgartner’s Chili recipe book is great!

https://www.amazon.com/Seriously-Good-Chili-Cookbook-Recipes-ebook/dp/B0BD9T1FLC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KAIF912EHC88&keywords=brian+baumgartner+chili&qid=1668109577&sprefix=brian++chili%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1


33 posted on 11/10/2022 11:47:03 AM PST by Kaiser8408a (u)
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To: simpson96

Grape jelly, ketchup? What is wrong with thos areas?

What next, pickled herring for a NYC chili?


34 posted on 11/10/2022 11:47:09 AM PST by doorgunner69 (Let's go Brandon)
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To: FamiliarFace

“They serve the worst tasting chili you’ve ever had on top of spaghetti.”

My ex was from south Jersey. They ate stewed tomatoes on top of mashed potatoes. bleeech!


35 posted on 11/10/2022 11:47:29 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (Disappointment is inevitable, but discouragement is a choice.)
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To: Sacajaweau

Haha! Good one. I grew up in Cincinnatti and was taught by my dad to use Hershey’s chocolate (solid or syrup) when making Cincy style chili. I’ve tried it without but always go back.


36 posted on 11/10/2022 11:48:26 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Great minds drink alike...me and my baby havin' a hell of a night. - - BB King)
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To: simpson96

no damn beans! you may serve beans on the side

I have won tx chili cookoffs


37 posted on 11/10/2022 11:48:41 AM PST by mylife (And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids...)
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To: simpson96

My ex-mo-in-law won a chili cook off and it was made with ground turkey. Not sure of the detail, if they knew it was turkey or if it was a special class for turkey etc. I’ve eaten it and it was good. She’s a good cook in general.

The ex-wife never caught on. Her style of cooking is grab a box from the freezer and nuke the contents. Her eating preference is Burger King, whopper.


38 posted on 11/10/2022 11:49:28 AM PST by Pollard (Worm & GMO Free - some call us purebloods)
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To: Sirius Lee

Onions and chili? Onions go on top when making a Coney Island style hot dog.


39 posted on 11/10/2022 11:50:23 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Great minds drink alike...me and my baby havin' a hell of a night. - - BB King)
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To: Boogieman
Sorry, but Texans don’t get to define what chili is anymore than Italians get to define what pizza is at this point. That ship has sailed and the food belongs to the world now.

LOL... chili only belongs to Texas, everything else is just hot dog sauce without flavor or beans with meat.
40 posted on 11/10/2022 11:51:01 AM PST by TexasGunLover
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