Upstate Chili Cook-Off

Would you like to be a judge for South Carolina’s only officially sanctioned regional chili cook-off? We need qualified judges to help us determine the best red chili in South Carolina, the best green chili in South Carolina, and the best salsa in South Carolina. Do you have what it takes to help us pick the winners?

Tempting as it sounds, you do not want to judge all three categories; the human palate simply can’t handle that much stimulation! Give us a 1-2-3 ranking of your category judging preferences and we’ll do our best to assign you to your #1 choice. You may judge red or green chili only, red or green chili plus salsa, or just salsa.

• Mandatory meeting at the Four Seasons hall on 10 AM the morning of the cook-off

According to International Chili Society rules and regulations for the red chili and chili verde categories, no ingredient may be pre-cooked in any way prior to the commencement of the official cook-off. The only exceptions are canned or bottled tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, pepper sauce, beverages, broth, and grinding and/or mixing of spices. Meat may be treated, pre-cut or ground; ICS does not prefer one over the other. Meat may not be pre-cooked, in any manner. All other ingredients must be chopped or prepared during the preparation period.

Traditional Red Chili - defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of beans and pasta, which are strictly forbidden.

Here are the general attributes or characteristics of red chili that each judge will need to evaluate.

• TASTE - Above all else, this is the most important factor. The taste should consist of the combination of the meat, peppers, and spices, with a perfect blend of flavors and no particular ingredient
being dominant.

• TEXTURE AND CONSISTENCY - Chili should have a good ratio of sauce to meat. It should not be dry, watery, grainy, lumpy, or greasy.

• AROMA - Chili should smell good and give an indication of what’s in store when you taste it.

• COLOR - Chili should look appetizing. A rich, reddish-brown is generally accepted as good. Red chili should not be yellow or green.

• BITE - The bite, or after-taste, is the combination of heat and flavor from the selected peppers and spices that lingers in the mouth after the chili has been eaten.

Chili Verde (Green Chili) - defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with green chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of beans and pasta, which are strictly forbidden.

Here are the general attributes or characteristics of chili verde that each judge will need to evaluate.

• TEXTURE AND CONSISTENCY - Chili should have a good ratio of sauce to meat. It should not be dry, watery, grainy, lumpy, or greasy.

• AROMA - Chili should smell good and give an indication of what’s in store when you taste it.

• BITE - The bite, or after-taste, is the combination of heat and flavor from the selected peppers and spices that lingers in the mouth after the chili has been eaten.

Salsa - Salsa MUST be homemade. Salsa may be prepared ahead of time or on site. It must be prepared by the ICS member whose name appears on the official contestant list and who signs for the official judging cup. Commercial salsa--as in salsa prepared by a restaurant-- may not be submitted for judging. Here are the general attributes or characteristics of salsa that each judge will need to evaluate.

Our thanks to Michael Freedman, ICS judge extraordinaire,
for his assistance in selecting and preparing judges
in an effort to determine the best chili and salsa in South Carolina!