First cookoff

Standing in a room of other chili makers, I felt mildly intimidated. Several set up topping stations, with cheese, jalapenos and sour cream. Nancy and I arrived with a crockpot and a spoon. I worried about presentation. Competitors arrived with crocks of venison chili, one with potent peppers and several variations on tradition beef chili.

The chili could have turned out disastrous. After passing huge stocks of ground bison at our competing grocery stores, I found both with empty shelves. A third grocery store finally paid off. Nancy and I were in business. 

Our bison chili was going into competition in Donelson. We missed the annual cookoff last but this year, we registered under the wire, one of 10 planned competitors. 

I substituted  can of chickpeas for a second can of black beans. Instead of three poblano peppers, we cut up two poblanos then added one jalapeno and one red chili pepper. The medium heat was consistent and medium, never overpowering. Anyone could throw Serrano or habanero peppers in a chili pot, but the heat could pulverize the taste buds. We wanted a range of flavor, not just heat. Instead of onions, we used leeks, our favorite alternate.

The cookoff also gave us access to the Buchanan Log House, one of Donelson and Nashville's oldest homes. Built in 1808, suburban development surrounds the log house, which still includes several other buildings like the Addison House, built in 1847 by Addison Buchanan and moved to the site in 1998. The house sits close to McCrory Creek, fitting for a home plotted when this land still felt like frontier.
Several dozen people tasted and judged us throughout the day. I didn't place too much emphasis on how well we might do. This was the third pot of chili I've been involved with. I cannot set a high bar on so limited a sample.

The winning chili beat us by a handful of votes. Considering the winner featured shredded pork butt that had been smoked for 16 hours, I did not expect so close a race. We spent about 3 hours on prep and cooking, plus nine hours of settling in the fridge.

Still, we came in second. If there were any justice, the guy who set up the toppings with his chili should have won a Best Presentation award. The winner took home an expensive cooler, we received a $30 cash prize, which we asked the cookoff sponsors to roll into whatever donation they made to their chosen charities.

More importantly, we won the people's choice award, which means a lot, since the people who paid to try the chili picked us. That's more validation than expected, nor does it raise expectations for next year or whatever chili cookoff comes next. Now that Nancy and I have caught the bug, it's hard to shake off the infection.