Out In The Parking Lot Chili Festival

We're now well into chili season, with cold weather (almost) upon us and the best three months of television sports coming up. Few things go as well with NFL playoffs, the Daytona 500, and ice fishing as a piping hot bowl of chili. Between now and March, I'll cook a pot each week or so and submit it to an international panel of judges in London, Ontario. Readers are invited to submit their own chili recipes (if they trust me) and to recommend both beer and soundtrack to complement the dish. If you decide to cook along at home, please send in your comments and your feedback will be considered with that of the panel. The winning chili, to be announced in March, will be cooked out in the parking lot at the 2007 Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festivals.

To kick off the festival I chose the classic recipe of Texan Frank X. Tolbert, an ulta-simple dish of of beef and chili - no beans, vegetables, or booze - and still screwed it up. To start with, it ain't exactly red, and I caution you to go easy on the salt. The recipe I used (not the one linked) called for a tablespoon of salt which I foolishly followed. I'll attempt to salvage it by re-simmering with a potato and, if edible, I'll subject it to the panel and report back next week.