Some thoughts on Chili

I have been invited to judge the Nelson Institute chili cook off again this year. My credentials as a chili cook are presented in the photo...

Last year there were some interesting interpretations of chili, so I think that it is only fair that I lay out some of my fairly strongly felt ideas about chili. I must admit to being on the conservative end of the spectrum and I definitely am not from the SouthWest on this issue.

• Beans do have a place, although I have, on occasion, encountered good chili where they were absent
• Meat is optional; if it is present, it should probably come from something with 4 feet
• Collards don't belong, but did manage an award last year (see below)
  
• Heat does not equate with good; well developed, and preferably complex, flavor matters a lot
• It is hard to make good chili without cumin

There was some good chili last year. The one with the collards won an award for Best Use of an Ingredient not Usually Found in Chili; it was ok. There was one that was sweet; it won for Best Dessert Chili. I didn't like that one so much; chili should not be sweet.

Tune in after 27 April for tales of this year's cook off...