How to Win the Chili Cook-off

Full disclosure: I have never entered a chili cook-off, much less won one. Nevertheless, I think I have come up with a pretty good rendition of chili with beans. I don't intend to share the complete recipe. I might, after all, want to enter a chili cook-off some time. But I would like to share some tips that I think can take any chili recipe from good to prize-worthy.

Use the best quality ground beef you can find. I prefer grass-fed beef from Strong Stock Farms here in Knoxville. It has more flavor and less fat than grocery store ground beef. It is available at Three Rivers Market, and probably some other locations.

Cook the ground beef in bacon drippings, and season it in the skillet with your favorite Mexican spice mix. (There's one in Appalachian Cooking.) Add the spice when the beef is about half cooked, and then toss and stir until the meat is no longer pink.

Cool the cooked beef to room temperature, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for at least 24 hours and up to three days before you finish the chili. The flavors need to meld for the beef to taste really awesome.

Make the beans from scratch using dried organic pinto beans. Soak them overnight, drain, and cook in enough water to cover them with 2-3 cloves of garlic and a bay leaf. Do not salt beans until they are fully cooked. Beans can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Use tomato sauce, preferably organic, rather than whole tomatoes or some other form.

Start the chili with a sofrito made by cooking chopped onions, Mexican spice mix, minced garlic and tomato sauce in bacon drippings until the onion is translucent. Add diced green chili peppers to the sofrito, if you wish. The sofrito can be made ahead of time. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

With these preparations completed, you can bring the chili together in just a few minutes. Heat the sofrito, add the meat, stir until warmed through, and then add the beans, liquid and all. Let it cook for a bit, check the seasoning, and serve.