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OT-Egg has ruined another fav.

ChefRD
ChefRD Posts: 438
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have lived in lots of places and I have always loved chili. I have always wanted to attend an official national chili competition cook off.
This weekend was my chance, and with certainly no offense meant, I was disappointed big time. :(
This weekend in Laughlin NV had one of the official state championship cook off with the winners going to the finals, in the state, and then off into the national chili cook offs.
I ate all the the green chili I could stand yesterday, and today I pigged out on the red chili (my favorite), and I must say, I was disappointed.:(
I did have some good chili, but nothing just jumped out at me. They just seemed more bland than I had expected since I expected something over the top.
I don't mean to discredit the cooks at all, but I just felt that they were not up to Egg'd chili standards. The rules do not allow beans, or any type of filler. Only meat and spices and tomato type sauces, so with these limitations, I can understand why I was not impressed ;).
None had tomato pieces, (which I like) and no pieces of onions to chew, and what really surprised me, the HEAT from the peppers was low to medium.
I like chili that forces you to take a drink of some liquid now and then! ;)
These did not do that, so while I was not impressed, it just makes me more convinced that when I want some great food, just look to the recipes here or to the many links to others homepages and you cannot go wrong with good food.

Not to belittle anyone, just my observations,
ron.

Comments

  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Ron,
    If it makes you feel any better, Bubba Tim and I had a similar experience at a ribs cook-off/fest. We couldn't wait to try all the ribs that would make us look at ours in shame....eager to get new ideas and flavors! :laugh: Instead, we spent a bunch of money, and could not believe that what we were tasting was "award winning". One after another, tough, too smoky, no flavor...blah, blah. We came home with the conclusion, next time, lets cook our own!
    Since then, we have researched these "cook offs" and "Fests". I do not know if the same applies in the Chili area, but so far as ribs, it is actually a commercial circuit. Eight or ten rib "teams", "award winning" (right)...that travel from city to city, setting up the same junk weekend after weekend. It's like a traveling carnival of "rib cook offs". The only people that can participate are the eight or ten "teams", (the same ones)city after city, that have actually paid to be part of the event.
    Felt like we'd been scammed! (we were!) Wonder if the same applies with the Chili???
    Just my contribution. ;) Sorry for your disappointment. :(
  • Hey….I’ve come to the conclusion (a number of years ago) that “I” cook better than most anything I can get locally!
    I haven’t done a cook off thing, but am planning to attend one next spring. It’s for BBQ ribs thing and my bro is a judge. He says it’s good and worth the effort / money. I want to give it a try…..But I may still come away thinking I’m better1
  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Yep, that sounds like the same as it was here, as far as the tastes were. They 'all' sorta tasted the same with more cumin in some, etc., and I don't mean to diminish they abilility, it was just sorta, like that , I expected better. But it was not, and I do NOT want to knock the cookers! They were there cooking and I was not, so I have to respect them for that. But I must say chili on the Egg is better for me. Thats all.
    later,
    ron.
  • mollyshark
    mollyshark Posts: 1,519
    Well ok...favorite chili recipe then? I'll make a batch and freeze it.
  • drbbq
    drbbq Posts: 1,152
    There are definitely two kinds of BBQ cookoffs and the one is a bit of a scam as far as I'm concerned. Some of those rib teams are owned by the same guys so they can share resources. Very few of those guys have even cooked in a real cookoff, let alone won anything. Unfortunately the guys who win real BBQ cookoffs rarely sell to the public so you won't get to taste their food.

    The chili cookoff thing is a little different. I've done plenty of those too and the organizations truly believe that proper chili has no beans or fillers and should consist of meat and ground chilis and not much else. The tomato gravy is actually a ground chili gravy with just a little bit of tomato. Those guys are trying to win the contest, not make a bowl of eating chili for lunch so it may not be what you expected. It was an acquired taste for a guy from Chicago but I like it now and get it.
    Ray Lampe Dr. BBQ
  • Hey Ray, how you been. Did you get my E-mail about trying to locate Mary Baran. I need to get some of her Marys Cherry for the wife, and all her numbers are out of service. Thanks in advance if you can help
    mikelove@swiftwireless.net
  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Hi Molly,
    it was posted under the category of 'sides' recipes, I think it is on page two. Hope you like it. ;)
    later,
    ron.
  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Like I said, I don't mean to trash the cookers, it was just "not" what I expected it to taste like. A couple were good, but it surprised me that they all tasted pretty much the same, and the flavors were pretty bland for me and the wifes tastes. :)
    Anyway I enjoyed it and I hope to get to a real BBQ competition some day.
    Later,
    ron.
  • emmagee
    emmagee Posts: 48
    Well, I certainly subscribe to the philosophy the beans do not belong in chili. If'n it's got bean in it, then it ain't chili!
  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
    I've been to a few "fund raiser" chili cook offs and have tasted some great homemade chili and with flavors that are out of this world!

    The contents have ranged from tomatoes, potatoes, peas, peanut butter, chickpeas, beef, pork, lamb and chicken. Some flaming hot and some not so hot.

    Great fun and all of them have raised some serious $$.

    I'll go to one of those chili cook offs at the drop of a hat.

    As far as BBQ I don't think anything can compare to our back deck - patio Egged food. Nothing.