A winning chili recipe

How long does it take to win anything?

Frankly, I don't know. But I do know that persistence counts. We've competed in the West Metro Rotary Club Chili Cookoff for three years. The first two years we didn't even place.

Mark and I figured something had to be wrong with the judge's taste buds. When we cook chili for our newspaper staff, everybody goes back for seconds. Family and friends rave about our chili. Could they be prejudiced?

This year we started with our basic recipe but added a twist. Did that do the trick? Wait and see.

Here's our chili recipe if you want to try it:

Chronicle Chili Masters'
Award-Winning Chili
5 lbs. lean ground beef
3 lbs. bulk pork sausage
3 large cans crushed tomatoes
6 16-oz. cans chili beans drained
2 16-oz. cans black beans drained
4 large heads garlic peeled and halved
Chili powder to your taste
Ground cumin to your taste
Cayenne pepper to your taste
3 cans beer (your choice)

Here's what you do with all that stuff:

1) Brown pork sausage in large Dutch oven or stew pot. 2) Add ground beef and brown. 3) Lower heat to simmer and drain most of liquid into a large cup. 4) Place in refrigerator or freezer until fat hardens. 5) When fat hardens, remove fat and pour remaining meat juices into pot. 6) Add tomatoes and beans to meat. Raise heat to medium. 7) Add peeled and sliced garlic. If you are not a big garlic lover, cut garlic to your own taste. Don't be afraid. As the garlic cooks, it turns sweet and soft as butter. 8) Add chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. We use 4 oz. chili powder, 3 oz. cumin and 1/2 oz. cayenne. 9) Pour 3 cans of beer in the chili. Pour the other 3 cans in the cooks. 10) Bring heat up to cook off alcohol and some of the liquid so the chili isn't soupy. Serve with a dressed green salad, hot garlic bread and sweet iced tea.

Now, back to the chili cookoff... It rained monsoon rains. I know all about monsoons; I spent 16 months in the Far East where it really rains. Standing ankle deep in water, we heard the judges' decision.

The Chronicle Chili Masters had won the Civic Class. People flocked to our booth. The chili started going fast.

How long does it take to win anything?

This took three years. Next year, we have to defend our title.