but i had loads of fun...
From the Health Department perspective,the amateurs were far more careful with food handling while serving than the one professional, so give one to the amateurs!
What made me feel particularly good was that the runner-up thought i had the best chili.
Running out of chili and hour or so before the end of the voting may have hurt me...
I will learn for another time.
I do have to give props to Tacos Guadalajara for providing decorations, support and their kitchen from some preparation to meet initial health department requirements...
They were awesome!
The initial recipe:
Texas chili with a Colorado twist!
2 pounds Chunk chuck – to be diced
2 pounds Ground buffalo meat
1 large red onion (diced)
1 stick butter
1 cup Chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
4 Jalapeño peppers (diced)
2 Red chili peppers (diced)
2 sweet red peppers (julienne)
Coarse sea salt
2 bottles Dos Equis beer
1 cup Tequila
4 limes - juiced
1 large can organic Fire roasted crushed tomatoes
Juice from 2 cans of red kidney beans
Sauté onions in butter till just translucent – remove from butter.
Add chuck and buffalo and brown.
Dry roast peppers, cumin and chili powder and add to meat, stir well.
Add back in onions and stir.
Add crushed tomatoes, beer, bean and lime juice and salt.
Dilute with a little water and reduce heat to low and cook several hours.
what changed as i was cooking:
I used 3 pounds of chuck i diced, 3 pounds of buffalo meat and 1 pound of 80-20 ground chuck
I marinated the meats together with 1/2 bottle of tequila and the dry roasted spices for 2 days.
I did not use the sweet peppers or the red onion, I used 3 medium yellow onions only.
I used 8 jalapeños and 2 red chili peppers, roasted them, diced them and only used 4 tablespoons of the mixture, the chili was NOT hot.
I did not dilute with water, but used 1 of the beers to dilute.
I had people coming back for seconds and thirds - that was awesome!
The winner of this contest made a lamb chili with a very hot habenero pepper sauce to add, but i never got to taste the lamb chili.
The runner up shredded his chuck - I really liked his chili and he has been coming for 3 years. He made twice as much as i did and ran out at the very end.
There was a great black bean vegetarian chili and another chili made with only buffalo meat - it was in a mostly tomato sauce and it was not one i particularly liked.
Lots of food and money was collected for the food bank.
This was a great experience!
Next year Again!
