How to Win a Chili Cook-off

Just like in real estate, it's all about location. I have taken the same chili to our ward chili cook-off at least 3 times. This year I won. Now, personally, I believe my chili is pretty darn good and could have won 3 years ago, but I never got the "sweet spot" on the table. The "sweet spot" being right next to the bowls. So this year, we took the chili over just a few minutes early to test my location theory. And while it wasn't exactly a scientifically valid experiment, I think we proved that the "sweet spot" matters. To borrow another real estate term, I also did a little "staging" by putting bowls of Fritos, cheese, and green onions in front of my chili. If location isn't enough to sell a bowl of chili, Fritos certainly can seal the deal.

I thought I would post my recipe now that it is award winning. My mom actually got this recipe a church dinner years ago.

Chili
1lb extra lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 15oz cans kidney beans (do not drain)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 T chili powder
1 t salt
1 t curry powder
1 t paprika
2 t ginger

Sautee ground beef, bacon, onion, and green pepper. Add all ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours.

A few tips and tweaks -

• I always double the recipe. If you are chopping 2 onions and 2 green peppers you might as well chop 4 of each. It freezes really well so leftovers are not a problem.
• I cook the bacon first until it is crisp, then remove it and pour off the grease. Then I sautee the onions, green peppers, and ground beef.
  
• For the big competition Saturday night, I added 1 T of sugar, about 1 t of garlic powder, and a few dashes of red wine vinegar at the end. I had never tried these before, but seeing as I won, it obviously didn't hurt.
• And, of course, serve with Fritos and shredded cheese. I usually don't do the green onions, but I figured for staging purposes a bit of color would be a good idea.

(I got a trophy for winning but it is going to be kept on display at the church, so the boys made trophies and a crown for me Sunday morning. Amazing what you can do with a few pipe cleaners.)