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International Chili Society Announces This Year's Winners

The Texas State Championship was held in Plano, Texas and the winner will move on to New Hampshire to compete in the World Championships on October 1-3, 2010. Walter Caldwell took first place, Tom Estford 2nd and Bruce Wilkins from Cin Chili won 3rd place.

Cin Chili's Cindy Reed Wilkins

International Chili Society

(EMAILWIRE.COM, September 21, 2010 ) Plano, Texas - Bruce Wilkins and Cin Chili brought home a third place prize for their chili at this year's International Chili Society Texas State Championships. Cin Chili won first place in the Louisiana Regional Chili competition for their Cin Chili salsa in March 2010 and had already won the Texas State championship in May 2007. 

Most people are familiar with Bruce and Cindy Reed Wilkins' Cin Chili after their appearance on the Food Network Channel's “Throwdown with Bobby Flay”. That competition ended in a tie, but this year's ICS judges had a clear winner. Here are a few things they looked for:

Traditional Red Chili Characteristics

There are a few general attributes or characteristics of chili that each chili judge evaluates.

Taste

Taste, above all else is the most important factor. The taste should consist of the combination of the meat, peppers, spices, etc, with no particular ingredient being dominant, but rather a blend of the flavors.

Consistency

Chili must have a good ratio between sauce and meat. It should not be dry, watery, grainy, lumpy, or greasy.

Aroma

Chili should smell good. This also indicates what is in store when you taste it.

Color

Chili should look appetizing. Reddish brown is generally accepted as good. Chili is not yellow or green.

Bite

Bite, or after taste, is the heat created by the various types of chili peppers and chili spices.

ICS

The International Chili Society (ICS) is a non-profit organization that sanctions chili cook-offs with judging and cooking rules & regulations. These events are world wide and benefit charities or non-profit organizations. All winners of ICS sanctioned cook-offs qualify to compete for cash prizes and awards at the World's Championship Chili Cook-off, held each year in October. The ICS is the largest food contest festival organization in the world.

The ICS has thousands of members worldwide who cook, judge and have a good time in helping raise needed funds for worthwhile charities or non-profit organizations. They are called Chiliheads!

Cin Chili

A family owned business started by Cindy Reed Wilkins, Cindy has two first place trophies from the Terlingua International Chili Championship. She is the only person who has won it back to back; in 1992 and then again in 1993. The Terlingua International Chili Championship Cook-off is held each November in the middle of the desert, just south of Terlingua, Texas. After years of perfecting "the recipe," she decided to let chili lovers enjoy and savor her chili without attending a sanctioned chili cook-off. Cin Chili & Company is a newly formed, family owned company that's hoping you'll become part of their family too.