Quick Bite: Best-Kept Secret

A few things are ubiquitous in food competitions: The chef’s favored tools, a happy crowd, and—above all—the coveted secret ingredient. Many taste in vain to discern a hint of imported fish sauce or Coca-Cola, but sometimes, the crucial factor in a cook-off isn’t an oddball ingredient—or even a secret. For competitive chili-makers, the best recipes (and most heated debates) boil down to ratios: beans to beef and sweet to spice. Striking that perfect balance took a year for Christina Lohmann, winner of the People’s Choice award at the 2007 and ’08 Bryson City Chili Cook-offs. There are two fundamental elements to her chili: whole spices ground into powder and a well-timed, zesty kick. “It should start with the sweetness of the tomato, then a few seconds later, the heat should come.” She hints that there may be a few, unrevealed steps to mastering chili, “But,” Lohmann says, “that’s going to have to remain a secret.” After all, sometimes the best ingredient is just to keep the crowd guessing.

Gettin’ Chili
Bryson City Chili Cook-off
October 17 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains Train Depot
100 Greenlee St.

Whistlin’ Willy’s Wild West Chili

Servings: 

10

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. stew meat, cut into bite- sized pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 lb. hot country sausage
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 cups bell peppers, diced
• 2 cups onions, diced
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 29 oz. stewed tomatoes
• 29 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbs. cumin
• 2 Tbs. hot chili powder
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2-14 oz. cans kidney beans

Directions: 

In a large pot, brown stew meat on all sides in olive oil, remove, and set aside. Brown sausage and ground beef in the same pot, remove, and set aside. Cook peppers and onions for five minutes, add wine, and reduce by half. Put stew meat, sausage, and beef back into the pot and mix in tomatoes, sauce, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paste, and water. Bring to a boil and add brown sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for at least three hours. Add kidney beans 30 minutes before serving.