Previous Winners!

Mark receives the 2008 trophy for his
“Chili in the Red Zone”

2008 - “Chili in the Red Zone”

Okay…this can certainly satisfy a handful of friendly football fans or any occasion for that matter. Chili is to be taken seriously or else you might upset the “Chili Gods.”

2cups diced green pepper
2cups diced red pepper
2cups diced yellow onion
1/4cup of season salt
5lbs of hamburger

Brown together, strain then back into the pot and add:

2 - 28oz. cans tomato puree
1 - 28oz. can tomato juice
2 - 29oz. cans Goya black beans
4cups of diced tomato
1/4cup garlic powder
1/4cup oregano
1/2cup chili powder
1/3cup cumin (don’t be shy)
1/4cup minced jalapeño
1tbsp season salt
1/4cup hot sauce

Simmer to your desire and put a lid on it.
Thanks and eat more chili every year!

Jack celebrates his win for
Cincinnati Chili

2007 - Jack’s Award-winning Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati chili has its own lingo. The serving method is based on (and is ordered in restaurants by) a traditional code. A "one-way" would be a bowl of chili only, but it is almost never ordered this way. A "two-way" is spaghetti topped with chili only. More typically, the chili is ordered as a "three-way" (noodles, sauce, and cheese only), "four-way" (with added red kidney beans or chopped raw white onions), or "five-way" (with added beans and onions). "Inverted" is the request to place the cheese under the chili so it melts.

1 Qt. Water
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
2 large chopped onions
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. Black pepper
1 tbl. Salt
1 6oz can tomato paste
3 large bay leaves
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbls. Chili powder
½ tsp. Red pepper
1 ½ tsp. Allspice
1 ½ tbls. Cider vinegar

Crumble raw ground beef into water (do not brown!!) Add all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours. Remove garlic clove and bay leaves. Add whole red chili pepper if desired for a spicier taste.

Gail and Robert take First Place with
"Pull My Finger Chili"

2006 - “Pull My Finger Chili”

Note: You will need time, love and devotion, essential elements for all worthwhile cooking, for your recipe to cast its spell on those who taste it. Like the Mexican ingredients that inspired the recipe, so have the Mexican women who helped me learn to love the food and the people I serve.

Further note: All quantities may be adjusted to your taste. I typically guess at how much I’m adding. This way you can’t blame me if the chili doesn’t turn out like you’d hoped.

Step 1: Preparing the meat

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons red wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced garlic (cheat by adding 1 teaspoon dried garlic instead)
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika (or the paprika you’ve got at home)
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (same as note on paprika)
½ teaspoon coriander

Allow ingredients to blend overnight in the refrigerator. In a pinch, just cook them up just before adding the other ingredients, but the flavor won’t be as sublime.

Note: You may use lowfat meat, substituting any of the above meats with just one listed above, aiming for 1 ½ to 2 pounds of ground meat. You’ll skip the bacon from the step below and cook them meat in olive oil.

Step 2: Chili day

1 pound low-fat, chopped cooked bacon, drained of fat (reserve for later use)
2 cups diced onion
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons minced garlic (see cheating tip above)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 chipotle chilies from a can, chopped
1 Hungarian wax chili seared in a skillet, chopped after searing
1 dried ancho chili, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons instant coffee (or ½ cup very strong fresh coffee)
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce)
*1 can kidney beans (use only for a traditional chili taste… otherwise stick to the black beans) (15 ounce)
5 cups chicken broth (you may substitute half the stock with beef broth for a heartier flavor)
2 cans of roasted tomatoes (14.5 ounces)—regular diced will do if you can’t find roasted
½ cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

With three teaspoons bacon fat, add the meat from the night before and cook for seven minutes until brown. Then add onion, garlic, and all other dry ingredients except the coffee. Cook for another five minutes or until the onions are tender. Add precooked bacon. Then take 1 cup broth and two cans of black beans and puree them in a blender. Add this mixture along with the other beans and stock to the pot. Add tomatoes. Bring the mix to a boil, then add the coffee. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 45 minutes. Add cilantro either as you serve or beforehand. Provide lime wedges to add fresh juice when chili is served. Yield: About 6 servings, depending on how hungry you are and how much you like it.

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