What is a chili cook-off?
If you have amazing cooking skills and love to gather your friends and family over for the food; organizing or attending a chili cook-off event is an ideal choice for you!
The chili cook-off is a social event (read it as a fun competition) in which all the participants bring their signature chilies and prepare their yummy spicy pots. After the preparation, the delicious hot meals are submitted for taste tasting where the participants rate each other's pots and the winner gets awarded a prize. Sounds great, right? This fun competition was first held in the 1900s and its legacy continues to date.
The friendly competition allows you and your guests to spend quality time together, eat delicious food and enjoy lots of laughter and a relaxing day. What can be a better way than this to say goodbye to summer and welcome the new season? A warm and yummy bowl of your favorite spicy meal, delicious appetizers, and flavorsome desserts are everything that you need to kick start the new season!
To have an amazing day, encourage your guests to bring their signature chilies along with their favorite desserts and salads. This way, everyone can taste a plethora of savory food! To create a fun and inviting atmosphere, decorate the seating area with colorful paper table cloths, organize cutlery and voting cups. The paper clothes are ideal - you can just throw them in the trash can at the end of the event and voila, everything is squeaky clean again! The voting cups are used so the contestants can taste each other's dishes and rate them. The best one gets an award - it can be engraved spoon prizes, a new cutlery set, prize cards, medals, or anything else related to cooking!
Chili cook-offs are often hosted and organized outside so everyone can enjoy the day to the fullest. They can include pumpkin bars, dainty fairy lights, BBQ set-ups, and campfires - you name it!
The history of the chili cook-off event dates back to the winner bowl recipe of Gebhardt's Eagle Brand. However, you can customize it according to your preferences; Texas-style chili, Brazos river chili, or anything else that your heart desires.