2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off at NautiCrab: What a Fun & Delicious Event

Yesterday, NautiCrab Bar and Grill hosted the 2nd Annual Pre-Super Bowl Chili Cook-Off and it was…fantastic. I love chili. My mom made great chili in suburban NJ…it had red beans, was tomato-y, and slightly sweet, and we ate it with no toppings and Minute Rice. It had a Scoville unit count was about 1/2.

This event yesterday – where we tasted 6 veeery different chilis and many folks (especially the Texans) had a very serious POV about what makes a chili – got me thinking…

What DOES a proper bowl of chili contain? What makes it chili rather than stew?

Well…chili is a type of stew. Here’s what Wikipedia says: Chili con carne, often shortened to chili, is a spicy stew of Mexican origin containing chili peppers, meat, tomatoes, and often pinto beans or kidney beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. The types of meat and other ingredients used vary based on geographic and personal tastes.

My personal favorites have beans. And are not too watery. The meat is abundant and tender and has been cooked in the stew. But it’s the spice that makes chili in my book. It should be the prominent flavor. Not heat necessarily, though some chilis are quite spicy, but a richness…

I make it often – the ingredients are very available in Belize (tomato, onion, cilantro, chili peppers, beans) and our tougher beef very conducive to slow cooking chili.

Here’s an interesting article about the origin of chili and the different types. Chili is the official dish of Texas! That explains the strong NO BEANS opinions.

So let’s get to the competition.

These guys wanted to be in the picture. No problem.

NautiCrab is a powerhouse when it comes to events. They do Bingo and Crab Races and live music and an epic St Patricks Day party. You can check their Facebook page for upcoming events.

If you had a ticket you were a judge and got this gorgeous platter. There was a very tomato forward chili, one with lots of veg, one with chicken – a white chili…but I loved two. (The bottom center – with black beans – and bottom right – cut off in the picture) One with beans and one without. The one without was deep and dark and flavorful. As if cooking for hours over the chuckwagon fire.

We were asked to judge on aroma (interesting! 3 of them had almost no smell at all) – taste and then texture/consistency.

No rice. Some folks there (again, the Texans) had never had chili with rice. That is crazy. First, it’s delicious and 2nd, this is Belize – everything from bolognese with meatballs to all soups are served with rice.

They have one of these very dangerous bells right by the bar…

And the winners! My top two were #2 and #1. The beanless thick rich beefy blend was #1 – my friend Joan of Elite Divers Adventures and Twisted Palms Villas.

Chili Royalty! 1st place: Queen Joan, 2nd place: Princess Vicky and Third place: Duke Mark

And the chili chefs…

I asked Joan if she has any secret ingredients and she said they were secrets – but that upon moving from Texas to Belize, she added very popular Belizean spice – for color and flavor. One that is very important for stewed chicken…shhhhh.

Also a huge shoutout to the baker, Krista – the co-owner of this spot. Her corn bread and this cupcake were delicious! I don’t usually go for cupcakes…always kinda blah cake and even more blah icing. But this one was spectacular.

Apparently, she does cake – big thick slices of cake – every day. I need to look into that.