My coworker is having his annual chili cookoff this weekend, and I've done pretty well in the past with a sausage and brisket chili.

This year, I want to win spiciest. So, I am thinking a ghost pepper and habanero chili.

A couple of questions for those that have cooked with peppers -- how many ghost peppers are too many? are Carolina Reapers easily attainable? and will I kill someone if I use them? Obviously hoping to avoid the latter...though painful wiping is an acceptable outcome.

The question I would ask is "Why?"

Because I want to win spiciest....

Where are you located?

I would say to just do your normal recipe but add something like Dave's Insanity Sauce. It doesn't change the flavor too much but would definitely help you win spiciest.

If you just want to win spiciest, go buy a lot of extract and throw it in there. It won't taste good, but it will burn a hole in the judge's stomach.

Stupid category if you ask me. It's easy to make it hot, but will probably be inedible.

Use this:

http://www.hotsauce.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=HSC-16-Million-Crystals8.0

quote:

---

Where are you located?

---

Fort Worth

quote:

---

Stupid category if you ask me. It's easy to make it hot, but will probably be inedible.

---

There is a "worst chili" category as well. I want to see if I can sweep the 4 categories this year between the 2 recipes -- best, worst, spiciest, and crowd favorite.

quote:

---

http://www.hotsauce.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=HSC-16-Million-Crystals8.0

---

Good Gawd that would light'em up.

If you're in Fort Worth, go by Pendery's. They have everything you need for those categories.

I appreciate it!

You can always use the Merciless Peppers of Quetzalacatenango grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum.

Are there beans in your chili?

quote:

---

Are there beans in your chili?

---

Beans do not belong in chili, sir.

Pendry's World of Chile & Spices

If you haven't been here yet, check it out. Fort Worth staple. They have all sorts of spices and different chile powders from all over CA, NM, TX, and others. Pretty cool place.

quote:

---

If you just want to win spiciest, go buy a lot of extract and throw it in there. It won't taste good, but it will burn a hole in the judge's stomach.

Stupid category if you ask me. It's easy to make it hot, but will probably be inedible.

Use this:

http://www.hotsauce.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=HSC-16-Million-Crystals8.0

---

I read a review of that saying that a few grains made an entire 4 gallon pot inedible. Less than a teaspoon or something.

quote:

---

I read a review of that saying that a few grains made an entire 4 gallon pot inedible. Less than a teaspoon or something.

---

Wouldn't surprise me at all. Like I was saying earlier if the OP is wanting to win "spiciest" and "worst" at the same time, pure capsaicin crystals or pepper extract will do the trick. If the judge isn't being wheeled off on a stretcher and has enough bodily functions to crawl back to the table to vote, he'll win spiciest.

If the OP wants to win "best" and "crowd favorite", go to Pendery's and pick from a huge selection of great chiles.

quote:

---

You can always use the Merciless Peppers of Quetzalacatenango grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum.

---

"Oh, my porridge is too hot! Oh, wawawa!"

Won hottest and 3rd overall. First place was a chicken and hatch recipe. Second was a pumpkin recipe.

Went with 3 lbs of ground beef browned with 2 sweet onions and garlic, 1 lb of breakfast sausage, 1 lb of grilled bacon, 1 can of smoked chipotle tomatoes, 3 cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of diced hatch chilis, 2 jalapenos, 3 habaneros, and 4 ghost peppers. Chili powder and cumin to taste.

Great flavor...heat caught up with you, but
It wasn't in your face the whole time.

Pumpkin chili?

Any darn fool can make something hot. The secret is to have a LITTLE heat, but still have the beef and spices come through.

quote:

---

The secret is to have a LITTLE heat, but still have the beef and spices come through.

---

Pretty sure he was trying to win spicy category, so your "secret" would not have benefited him much. Feel free to post your extraordinary recipe though!

It still tasted great. But it was hot. The peppers mixed nicely with the flavor of the beef and sausage.

As far as the pumpkin chili...it was interesting -- chicken and navy beans. Not my favorite, but still good.

quote:

---

Won hottest and 3rd overall. First place was a chicken and hatch recipe. Second was a pumpkin recipe.

---

Reminds me of law school when our chili team got third place behind a chicken / chocolate "chili" and a vegetarian "chili". I had to look around to make sure I was still in Texas. Somewhere in the distance I could hear Sam Houston screaming in rage from the grave.