Local cook-off competitors dish out their favorite tricks.
Robert White started cooking chili in 2011 after he saw an advertisement for a chili cook-off. He entered because he thought it would be fun. He won the people’s choice award in that first competition, and after that, the Dayton resident was hooked.
Creating new recipes and revising his award-winning ones led White to participate in 20 to 25 cook-offs per year until the pandemic. Lately, he’s scaled down to five or six events annually, including the Virginia City Chili on the Comstock event, which celebrates its 40th year May 20 and 21.
“Chili on the Comstock is one of the oldest chili events around,” says Ron Boisseranc, another participant. “Both days, it draws huge, fun crowds that crave chili. We serve well over a thousand samples in a weekend.”
Any given year of the competition, there may be six or seven world champions present to serve up their favorite recipes, which makes for some seriously tasty bites amid the festivities. The long-running event is combined with a Craft Beer Tour, so guests can cool down the chili heat with pours from both VC saloons and award-winning craft breweries.
One reason why so many high-caliber chili cooks participate is that it may qualify them for the International Chili Society’s World Championship if their recipes win in the best chili or people’s choice categories.
Despite the competitive nature of chili cook-offs, the atmosphere is anything but tense. Instead, competitors help each other.
“I have met cooks from all over the United States, and it is like having a second family,” says Harry Robinson, who has been competing in the Virginia City Comstock event for 15 years. “The camaraderie and friendship among ICS cooks is wonderful and cannot be beat.”
Not only that, but the VC event is known among competitors as a great opportunity for quality people-watching between ladles. White also is quick to acknowledge the skills of his competitors as well.
For one, he enjoys Boisseranc’s chili (“The meat is always perfect; the flavor is really good.”) and another is a variety made by world-class competition cook Alex Tanalski.
Boisseranc, who lives in Minden, has been participating in the Virginia City event since 2006. Throughout the year, he takes his chili to a dozen or more cook-offs, from California to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“My chili is distinctive because it has a smooth, rich flavor with just enough spiciness to satisfy your chili cravings,” he says.
His obsession with chili started after a friend gave him a copy of an award-winning recipe in 1979, which he replicated. It didn’t take long before he crafted his own version with which to compete.
And he’s not modest about how good it is, either. Surrounded by award-winning chili chefs constantly, Boisseranc still claims the best chili he’s ever had was likely one of his own.
Knowledge from the Pros
If you want to make delicious chili at home, you’ll need some tips from the pros. Robinson says winning recipes have the right blend of spices; a smooth, creamy sauce; and tender meat.
“You don’t want the chili too hot or too mild. You want an upfront bite and a back bite,” he says.
For White, practice makes perfect. He admits to mastering cooking chili — a skill that has taken him to the World Championship Chili Cook-off (WCCC) sponsored by the International Chili Society six times and earned him the title of 2015 World Championship in Homestyle (one of four divisions) — through trial and error. He also has family influence and the experience of some world-class cooks to back him up.
White may be staying mum on the details, but he shares, “I use a lot of different ingredients to get my chili to stand out and have a unique flavor.”
And when it comes to the best chili recipe, White calls for one that’s meatless and spicy. And he and Robinson both agree that sweet is not a flavor profile you should have in chili.
Robinson first started traveling to Virginia City from California to compete in the Comstock event, but he has since relocated to Spanish Springs in Reno, so the competition is closer to home.
“The Virginia City cook-off is one of my favorites. It’s an awesome town, and hundreds or even thousands of spectators show up to taste chili and drink beer,” he says.
While Robinson has competed in the WCCC many times, he puts more value on judges’ reactions than on where he places.
“The best chili I have ever made was in Lake Havasu, Arizona,” he says. “After the cook-off, I went to the judging table to get what was left in the tasting cup, and the cup was completely empty.”
If he’s making chili at home, Robinson uses his competition-worthy recipes, with a few slight changes.
“One difference is I will put beans in the chili at home, and sometimes pasta — small elbow macaroni,” he says.
While Boisseranc has a Rolodex of winning recipes, chile verde, or green chili, is his personal favorite.
“Made with green chile peppers and usually pork for the meat, to me it has everything you could want in a bowl to sit down and grub with a tortilla,” he says.
The winners may be keeping their best recipes under wraps, but Boisseranc was willing to share this one (see next page) as a starting point for those looking to create their own. If you need more inspiration, head to Chilicookoff.com, where the International Chili Society publishes a recipe section featuring world championship recipes.
Nora Heston Tarte is a longtime Reno resident. You can follow her local exploits and travel adventures on Instagram at Wanderlust_n_wine.
40th Annual Chili on the Comstock
C Street, Virginia City
May 20 – 21
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sat. – Sun.
For details, visit Visitvirginiacitynv.com/events/chili-on-the-comstock-virginia-city.
Ace in the Hole Texas Style Chili
(courtesy of Ron Boisseranc, Chili on the Comstock competitor, in Minden. Serves 4 to 6)
2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 14-ounce can beef broth
4 teaspoons onion powder
4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 7-ounce can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons cumin
Dash of hot sauce, or to taste
Salt, to taste
Start by making 7 meatballs with beef. Then, simmer meatballs in their own fat for about 30 minutes in a covered skillet before breaking balls into smaller chunks. Cover and turn off heat. In a large pot, mix all spices and liquids, and simmer about 20 minutes. Add drained beef. Break meatballs down to final consistency. Bring pot to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and add hot sauce or salt as needed.
