Chili cookoff

This past weekend was the annual JSC FOD (Flight Operations Directorate nee [Mission Operations Directorate]) Chili cookoff. I was, as usual, a part of the GHG team. I've been with the team for about 6 or 7 years now, I think, and I was glad to actually be employed by them this time around.

Last year's was cancelled due to Hurricane Rita. This year's had an hour delay due to rain, lightning and the threat of hail. Everyone was ushered inside while the weather raged on. After the rain stopped, the day was gorgeous: nice temps, a bit of a breeze and sunny.

We used the recipe with which we one the contest in 2003 and got positive reactions from the general public with this year's edition. However, when it came to be judged, we did not place in the top 10.

I was one of the first round judges again this year, helping to winnow the field from 50+ entries to maybe 15 or so. After the winnowing, the celebrity judges get involved (astronauts, former administrators, politicians, etc) and award final placements.

As a first round judge, you get to taste between 10 and 20 chilis. The score for a given chili can range from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best. There are 5 criteria for a chili (similar to the criteria for a diamond): color, aroma, consistency, taste and aftertaste. So, if you're good, you rate each chili from 0 to 2 on each of those criteria to come up with the complete score. I rated chilis from 2 to 8 this year. No zeroes, but no 10s either.

I actually slipped a look at one of my fellow judges scorecard and got a glimpse at how he scored a chili. He scored the chili an 8 while I scored the exact same chili a 2. Obviously, there is some discrepancy in our thoughts as to what makes a good chili. At that point I also realized, again, that making it to the final round is almost pure luck. I was not terribly surprised that we did not place.

I took home a container of our chili to have for lunch this week and had some today. Uh. Whoa. The spices have fermented a bit during the past two days in the refrigerator and it is hot. It's definitely not blazing, but it is now easily hotter than any of the chilis I tasted while judging. In fact, I'll be tossing the rest of my leftover chili. It tastes good, but it's too hot for continued consumption.

Maybe we shouldn't tweak the chili recipe while cooking next year.

tag : Cooking