My First ICS Chili Cookoff

[big twig]

Just wanted to let my new family, the SMF, know that I am cooking in my first ICS Chili Cookoff tomorrow, "Main Street Heat" in Mt Airy, MD, Saturday, April 9th, 2011. Wish me luck! I will try my best to have the wife take plenty of "Chili View"? I know it's not the Q but I also know plenty of people here like chili.

Thanks!

 

[les3176]

Cool!!! Good Luck!!! Let us know how ya do.

 

[adiochiro3]

Good luck!

 

[beer-b-q]

May the Force Be With You...

 

[SmokinAl]

Good luck Twig!

 

[big twig]

Thanks everyone, unfortunately I was told I came in 13th out of 33 (didn't stick around cause I had to cook for a friends party) which is funny cause I worn my #13 jersey only because it was the only thing I had saying my name since I didn't have anything with a chili theme. Had some world champ people and a whole bunch of various cookoff winners. I gotta say not bad for my first serious cookoff, I was one of maybe 3 virgins in the ICS though I have won several non sanctioned (very small private) events but this is a different beast. Sorry for not having any pictures of the food, health department was full force so the wife was to busy washing things. I really under estimated my time, I made peoples choice in less then an hour and ended up being 23 minutes behind the red competition that I planned. Well you live and you learn. Tomorrow when the wife wakes up I'll see what pictures she has on her camera so I can at least show something of the event cause I know "If the isn't a picture it didn't happen". Next stop MD state competition in Germantown, MD August 20th (gotta skip DC Chili cookoff due to I'd rather Q it up then deal with that madness and the $$$ are not in my life). Thanks for reading everyone and I appreciate the good luck wishes.

 

[scarbelly]

Congrats on bein in the top 1/3 of the group.  Yes the health department is a pain but if you are a consumer you really appreciate them

 

[big twig]

Didn't mind the health department since I have been cooking my whole life and bartending (manager, etc.) 1/2 that time (professional and private). I asked the wife to take some pictures for the SMF but I was so pressed for time it basically sounded like, clean this, grab this, keep your gloves, on wash your hands, not that spice this one, etc. I am very lucky to have a wife who supports me to the fullest, especially when it come to my cooking (I do a lot of cooking). I sure had a great time and from what she told me and what she told her friends she can't wait for the next competition (ICS & maybe 1 KCBS) this year. Again thanks for all of the support.

 

[the dude abides]

Dude that's awesome for your first ever venture into the world of competition.  Even better is that you've got a wife who's not only supportive but a team mate!

 

[big twig]

Thanks DUDE, I gotta say nothing better then marrying your best friend. She used to just eat to live, now she has been taken to the world of great food and can't stop (I didn't fatten her up though). I am so lucky that I have someone who supports my hard core habit (I cook everything from fancy reproduction fast food to high class gormet). When I say I need (want) a tool or anything to do with cooking she is all for it cause she knows it is an investment and she will eat even better. I am finally going to be back to smoking this week (thank god) new style of smoking for me (getting a 22.5 WSM, I'm used to using a custom horizontal offset). By the way that is my wife's favorite movie, besides her girly notebook crap.

 

[SmokinAl]

Congrats Twig!

 

[big twig]

So I asked all of my friends and family that showed up and I only have 1 picture and no food in it (SORRY!). Next time I will make sure it happens even though a friend of ours broke our camera later that night. Thanks again everyone. This is a picture of the wife and me at the very end, right before all of the cleanup.