Cruisers’ Great Chili Cook-Off
The Mieco Beach Yacht Club regularly holds events both on the water and on shore. A great example is the Cruisers’ Chili Cook-Off held on Friday, January 23, 2015.
Official Judges Dr. Rob Watson, WAM’s Alson Kelen and US Ambassador Tom Armbruster. Photo: Karen Earnshaw
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it! WAM Director Alson Kelen joined cruiser Dr. Rob Watson and US Ambassador Tom Armbruster as judges in Friday’s Mieco Beach Yacht Club Chili Cook-Off held at EZ Price. The extremely enjoyable event was spear-headed by the club’s Events Director James McCarthy and Prize Director Rixzene Ayers.
The goal of the event was to raise money for an outer island health initiative and with this in mind, it became a joint effort with the Wellness Center. They in turn organized for Public Health to do diabetes screenings and flu shots at the cook-off.
Chili champion Cary Evarts, who won the Judges’ first place. Photo: Karen Earnshaw
Of the 11 chili entries, the judges chose as first place the Angus beef and Italian sausage chili by club Vice Commodore Cary Evarts. Coming in second in the judges’ choice was Ben Nagy.
First place in the Peoples’ Choice awards was EZ Price chef Bine Lolin. In this category, Cary came second, but as he already had an award, he graciously stepped down. The next place-getter was, coincidentally, Ben, who also stepped down. So second placed in the Peoples’ Choice awards went to James Alba.
The winners received either an MBYC T-shirt or a gift certificate for beauty salon Elegant Spa. Congratulations to them and all the other contestants!
Cary’s Championship Chili
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
One 4-ounce can tomato paste
One 12-ounce bottle beer
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Optional Garnishes:
Shredded Cheddar, Sour cream, Chopped green onions
Directions
Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until just fragrant. Stir in the beef and sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
Drain the beef mixture through a colander. Add it back to the Dutch oven and stir in the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture; this will “toast” it and give the chili more flavor. Add the beer and stir up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, and then add the diced tomatoes and beans. Simmer on medium-low for 2 hours, stirring on occasion to keep the bottom from sticking.
Top with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped green onions before serving.
Note: Cary adapted this recipe from one by Jamie Deen on the Food Network.
