How do you organize a chili cook-off?

What better way for a diehard chili lover to welcome the winter season than by hosting a chili cook-off?

The aroma, consistency, taste, and spicy ingredients involved- everything is phenomenal!

Whether you have been hosting these amazing contests for years now or are new to this, we are here to provide you with the ultimate guidelines so you can have the best time of your life. The chili contest refers to an informal gathering where the participants prepare their own chili recipes and submit them for group taste testing. This is a fun, relaxing, and refreshing way to have a get-together with close friends and family. The contestants often bring along their pots and other equipment, slow-cook the dishes and then devour the scrumptious savory delicacies immediately afterward.

How to host the best chili cook-off contest ever?

Invite guests

First things first, send out the invites and encourage the guests to attend the chili cook-off. Ask them to bring pre-cooked ingredients (to save time) and a pot or slow cooker along with them to continue cooking on the spot. This will lead to hot servings!

Arrange the chili-tasting set-up

If you wish to make the chili contest even more fun, consider hosting it outdoors by creating a chili-tasting station set-up.  

Connect the pots together with cords so that the servings stay warm throughout the evening, arrange a set-up, and make chili tags (don’t forget to keep the entrees anonymous!).

Collect together and set out plenty of disposable cups, spoons, trays, and bowls so everyone can taste the samples with ease. Voila, you are done! 

Ask the guests to taste the chili cook-off servings and rate the pots. This is a contest, so obviously, there needs to be a voting system! Collect all the votes in a marked container or a jar and by the end of the event, count all the scores.

Distribute the awards and enjoy your day.

The winners deserve to be appreciated!

Give out the prizes, gift cards, or medals to honor the winners. Cooking equipment such as pots, chili-themed trays, and cookers serve to be great chili cook-off awards! You could also opt for engraved spoon prizes to congratulate the winners.