Re: [CH] Grove City chili cook-off story
Dave Drum (xrated@cityscape.net)
Fri, 14 May 1999 07:41:32 -0500
> Last weekend saw a state and regional chili competition held at the Beaulah
> Park racetrack in Grove City, Ohio. I saw nothing about the event in the
> local paper until three days after the fact, where a story on the event was
> the front page feature of the weekly Wednesday food section.
> It was neat to taste all the different chili recipes, but I really wonder
> how easy it is to call one the "best" of all the entries. Each had its own
> style; one tasted like a rich beef broth, while another tasted like
> aromatic jerk seasonings - almost gave it a North African flavor. Which is
> better? Kind of asking whether the color blue or the color green is
> better.
Having cooked and judged in chilli cookoffs I can assure you that it's
no easy thing to pick a "best" chilli. And it's completely subjective.
I know people who "chase" the judges - changing their chilli recipe
from cookoff to cookoff. Those who just cook their chilli the best
they know how to do seem to do better at judging time. If you're ever
offered the chance to judge a chilli competition I urge you to accept
the challenge. You'll taste some of the nastiest stuff you've ever put
in your mouth (a couple) a lot of pretty good chilli and two or three
*outstanding* bowls.
5 years ago I judged a regional competition and tasted the best chilli
I have ever put in my face. I've been trying to match that bowl ever
since... not there yet. But, I'm getting closer. Picking a "best"
chilli is totally up to each judge. I tell people to pick the chilli
that you'd want to eat if you could only have one type of chilli for
the rest of your life. That's not an easy thing to do and why they
give judges all that free beer. <GGG>
BTW - I'm cooking in a regional championship cookoff this Saturday...
5/15 at Pana, IL.
ENJOY!!!
--
Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchens
Home of Yaaaah Hoooo Aaahhh HOT Sauce & Hardin Cider