Got to think quick here guys... I have a go to chili recipe but was wondering if there are any weird recipes/ingredients out there that would make mine stand out.

using bacon grease?
smoke the chili on the smoker?
add some adobo sauce?

Add some brisket for extra flavor

Good trick is to season your turn in cup with whole comino seeds (Bolner's Fiesta Brand) and boiling water. Set aside and let the cup be seasoned while cooking your chili. Then after you chili is done pour out the water/seeds out of your turn in cup and add your chili.

When I cook my chili home or competition, I have three different dumps of my different types of chili powders and seasonings that go in at different phases of the cook.

Mexican chocolate or a prepared mole sauce.

I do the three seasoning dumps as well. Also float 2 or three seranos for an hour or more.

Honest answer. Unless it's a sanctioned Chili competition, cook up a batch of Wick Fowlers and add a can of pintos, kidneys, and diced tomatoes. Your chili will be ****, but will probably win most church/office/neighborhood chili cook-offs.

So where is the cook off located?

Fido is correct. If you want to win, don't make good chili.

FIDO*98* said:

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Honest answer. Unless it's a sanctioned Chili competition, cook up a batch of Wick Fowlers and add a can of pintos, kidneys, and diced tomatoes. Your chili will be ****, but will probably win most church/office/neighborhood chili cook-offs.

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This is the truth. We had one at our kids school. I won it the first year and haven't sniffed since. This year after turn in,one of the competitors pulled out a big bowl, walked over to my pot and asked if he could fill his bowl up with my chili, "yours is the only one in this whole place worth eatingI love it every year."

He won. I got 4th.

I entered a work competition with some of that pre-made chili you could get in a tube from Sam's, I didn't add a thing to it, just warmed it up.

I won

It's a work cookoff. I think I done scrwed up though, left it on low in crockpot overnight. Meat is super rendered now

Once I started dicing up the beef (Tri-tip) I've never looked back. Will never do chili with ground beef again unless it's something that needs to be done in less than an hour... and I can't think of a scenario where that would ever take place. Good chili takes time after all.

Willy Wonka said:

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FIDO*98* said:

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Honest answer. Unless it's a sanctioned Chili competition, cook up a batch of Wick Fowlers and add a can of pintos, kidneys, and diced tomatoes. Your chili will be ****, but will probably win most church/office/neighborhood chili cook-offs.

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This is the truth. We had one at our kids school. I won it the first year and haven't sniffed since. This year after turn in,one of the competitors pulled out a big bowl, walked over to my pot and asked if he could fill his bowl up with my chili, "yours is the only one in this whole place worth eatingI love it every year."

He won. I got 4th.

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Same here. Wife's work has a chili competition at Christmas every year. Twice in a row, everyone says ours is best but they still vote for some bull**** Wolf brand mild tasting bull**** with beans. My pot comes home empty but some damn Yankee gets the trophy.

Happened to me at my work a few years before COVID. winner went to some vegan bullsh*t 'chili'. never participated again

Dumpster Fire said:

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Happened to me at my work a few years before COVID. winner went to some vegan bullsh*t 'chili'. never participated again

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Very surprised but I won. I just used Steve Rinella's venison chili recipe and added 4 jalapeno's. The golden toilet seat will now hang on my office wall for the next year

I've won a work chili cook off several times by following the recipe on a box of Carroll Shelby's mix, adding a can of rotel, and some ranch style beans, and some sauted onions. That's about it and maybe some extra chili powder.

My experience has been that so many people try to do something "fancy" that they end up with something that's garbage.

As for adding beans…beans are a cheap way to stretch out the meat. And when it comes to feeding freeloading coworkers…I'm cool with that.

I vac sealed the flat of a brisket. Then freeze left over smoked pulled pork.

The two together are absolutely bomb. And a good use of leftovers.

I enjoy the stories, but damn this thread is depressing