subject: Chili Competition for a Good Cause [print this page] Chili Competition for a Good Cause Chili Competition for a Good Cause
Every year a few buddies and myself participate in the local Chili cook off held at the Homewood Exceptional Foundation. Located in Homewood, Alabama, the Exceptional Foundation holds the annual "Chili Cook Off" event in the parking lot of their facility. This event raises money for mentally challenged individuals to be able to attend school at this wonderful place. The Exceptional Foundation'smission is to meet the social and recreational needs of the mentally and/or physically challenged individuals in the greater Birmingham Area.
This event is attended by 6000 people and it sponsored by local companies with all proceeds going to the foundation. There are approximately 60 five man teams. Each team is expected to cook at least 30 gallons of chili using only raw ingredients. You are unable to bring any canned or cooked goods into the cooking area the day of the event.
Our team name, Fire in the Hole, is comprised of individuals that have experience with cooking competitions. The day starts with you and your team arriving at 5:30 in the morning to prep and start cooking your chili. Upon arrival, you must unload all equipment and stage your cooking area. The equipment ranges from propane tanks, a tent, table, and various pots and pans. The first cooking task is to soak your beans and prep your vegetables. The beans usually take approximately 2 hours until they are ready to go. As you finish prepping your veggies, you are ready to cook your beef. When everything has been prepared, you are ready to fill your cooking vats with water and start mixing. Our team uses 2- 15 gallon pots to cook our chili. We cook two different recipes-spicy and devil spicy. The main ingredient that separates the two pots is Habanero peppers.
To begin the cooking process, you will need to fill each pot up with 7 gallons of water. After the water is placed into the pot, you need to mix in all ingredients including beans, beef, veggies, and spices. After everything is mixed, you are ready to ignite the propane burner and continuously stir the pot while bringing it to a boil. The chili is ready after you have cooked it on the burner for about 2 hours.
