I'm assuming you can cook your chili off-site and will bring it to work in a Crock Pot, so plan on cooking a day ahead so the flavors can meld. This will also give you a chance to adjust seasonings if needed. Just don't overcook it, chili does not have to simmer all day. Also when your chili is chilled some fats will rise to the surface, remove some of them so your chili won't be greasy when judged.
Okay, since there will be judges, one school of thought is that it is very hard to impress all 10 of them if you try and get too creative or exotic with a particular recipe. Rather, set your sights on not offending any of the judges. Too spicy or too salty is not good, you want a balance of flavors and you want to taste any heat at the end. Competition chili needs to look good, smell good and taste good. I would stick with red chili and use a coarse ground chuck which is about 15% to 20% fat.
Two options would be to buy chuck steaks and grind them yourself, or dice into 1/8" cubes... or add 20% ground pork. You will have to decide on beans or no beans. Most professional chili competitions don't allow beans, but more informal contests do. Popular choices are kidney beans, or pinto beans and canned beans should be drained and rinsed. Use the beans in moderation, chili is a meat dish. MSG is often used, just go lightly. Arrowroot mixed with water into a slurry can be used to tighten a soupy chili, start with 1/2 teaspoon and use at the end. There is an old adage around chili cooks when asked "How do I make my chili better?" The answer is "take 1 or 2 ingredients out".
Here is a good starter chili recipe, it comes from the LBJ recipe collection and has all the basics, but gives you room to build upon.
Pedenales River Chili
(LBJ Presidential chili recipe)
- 4 pounds coarsely (chili-grind) ground beef
- 1 large chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 teapsoons ground cumin (I prefer to start with 3t and adjust from there)
- 6 teaspoons chili powder (I prefer to start with 3t and adjust from there)
- 2 (16-ounce) cans tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 2 cups hot water
In a large frying pan,
(using Crisco) brown meat with onion and garlic until meat is lightly browned; transfer ingredients into a large cast-iron Dutch oven. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, salt and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour. Remove from heat, skim off excess grease and serve. Makes 12 servings.
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One final thought.... the professional chili competitors have a whole different philosophy, and technique because they cook on-site. The biggest difference is during the last 60 minutes of cooking, they will add several "dumps" of spices every 15 or 20 minutes. this is so they can refine the flavor but keep the taste fresh. Another option for you is to make up a spice dump and stir it in about 15 minutes before judging starts:
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. MSG