How do you like your chili? Arterial red with big kidney beans and chunks of tomato? Brick-red with a slurry of all-meat, no-bean goodness and the occasional chunk of diced green pepper livening up the party? Are oyster crackers a happy embellishment or simply the garnish of a fool?
Embittered old cowboys may tell you chili is made only one way, but they’re just provincial haters – there are as many kinds of chili as there are cooks, thank goodness. And next weekend, you can experience all of them. Here are three reasons to check out the Raging Chili Cook-off at South City’s Time Out Sports Bar & Grill Feb. 27.
1. The professional/restaurant division of the competition features teams from The Shaved Duck, The Scottish Arms and Tin Can Tavern and Grille. Will they use duck, Scotch and beer in their savory chilis? With this kind of chef talent, no ingredient is out of the question. Other area pubs with chili teams include The Silver Ballroom, The Famous Bar, Sandrina’s, Yummy’s, Colorado Bob’s, The Wicked Lady Pub and Tip Top Food and Spirits.
2. The amateur division of the competition isn’t so amateur. These local “chili masters” have won awards at top competitions for their tasty chow, and they’re bringing in the big guns for a day of meat, beans and plenty of heat. That means great competition and enough chili for an ornery chuck wagon driver and his team of famished ranch hands. A $15 admission gets you five 3-ounce samples.
3. The Raging Chili Cook-off helps keep an adult St. Louis-area amateur baseball team, the Pabst Blue Ribbon Raging Bulls, with enough balls and Glovolium to get them through the season. Now that the specter of a Pujols-less Cardinals squad is haunting the city, we need to cheer on good baseball players while we (gulp) still can …
Bonus fourth reason: Wrist bands good for all the beer you can drink are $10, or just $5 in advance. Call 314.259.1950 or e-mail Linck@ragingbullsbaseball.com.
This article appears in February 2011.