Varying degrees of chili - beans or no beans?

I'm becoming quite the regular on the chili contest judging circuit.

OK, I've helped judge four contests in the past few months. But that's four more than I've ever judged before.

The most recent was the 10th annual Blues ‘n' Buffet Chili Challenge hosted by the Isle of Iowa Parrot Head Club and Linn County Blues Society on Feb. 28.

I was among 10 judges who sampled six entries in the professional division and another 23 in the open division. That's a lot of chili.

Cranky Hanks won the professional division with its Dad's Legacy chili. The taste was reminiscent of pork and beans but with a spicy finish.

Ethel Turner won the open division with her Mild and Mellow Mama chili. The signature ingredient is Hillshire smoked sausage. “It never fails,” she says.

She cooks the sausage and ground chuck beforehand and sautes the bell peppers, celery and onions to bring out their flavor. A mix of herbs and spices including parsley, oregano, dill, basil and chili powder also brings out flavor. Stewed tomatoes and corn give the chili a thicker consistency.

Unique ingredients seemed like a theme among the entries. Contestants used venison, chicken, turkey, potatoes, green beans, avocados and even SPAM.

While the samples were tasty, some of the concoctions made fellow judge Bob Stewart, KCCK music director, and me question what actually qualifies as chili.

Isle of Iowa Parrot Head Club member Keith Wright says contest rules are pretty lax. If somebody enters it as chili, it's chili.

Rules for a contest sponsored by the Chili Appreciation Society International, however, are more rigid.

Gary Christensen of Cedar Rapids serves as president, or “great pepper,” of the society's Iowa Chili Pod. Chili, he says, is “strictly meat and heat” - no beans, no bell peppers or anything else that would be considered a filler.

“This stuff was not put into chili until the Depression,” he says. Before then, chili was served with rice or beans on the side to tone down the spices.

Ground beef has become more popular in the past few years at Chili Appreciation Society cook-offs, but the entries traditionally use cut or cubed red meat.

The heat comes from spices, ground hot peppers, garlic salt, onion powder and chili powder. Not everybody likes their chili hot, but it is best spicy, Christensen says.

While their contest rules may differ, the Chili Appreciation Society shares a common ground with The Isle of Iowa

Parrot Head Club and Linn County Blues Society. Proceeds from all of their cook-offs go to charity.

This year the Blues ‘n' Buffet Chili Challenge raised more than $6,500 for the Community Free Medical Clinic and H.D. Youth Center in Cedar Rapids.

Having fun while helping others is something we can all agree on.