1985 -Shotgun Willie Chili

byCarol & Dave Hancock

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Sixty-three judges tasted for one hour and fifteen minutes before declaring Carol Hancock, the High Sierra Regional Champ as World Champion. Ernie Borgnine presented Carol, her husband Dave and son Greg, a check for $25,000. They named their chili "Shotgun Willie Chili" after singer Willie Nelson who is a friend of the Hancock's. They became the second High Sierra Champ to win the World's Championship, joining Joe and Shirley Stewart, the 1979 champions. Fred Wieland, the Baja Champion was second; Skip Cooley, Oregon Champion, third; Virginia Champion Jeff Spinks was fourth and Doug Wilkey, Idaho State Champion, was fifth. The celebrity list included one of baseball's all time personalities, Billy Martin. The crowd loved Billy and other celeb's like Ernie Borgnine, William Conrad, Hugh O'Brian, Jack Kelly, Joanne Dru, Richard Herd, Chris Mitchum, Andy Granatelli, and Iron Eyes Cody.

Ingredients

6 lbs Prime Beef, cubed or coarse ground
4 medium onions, finely diced
1 15-oz can Hunts Tomato Sauce
6 New Mexico dried pepper pods
6 Pasilla dried pepper pods
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Tabasco
16 tablespoons Gebhardt Chili Powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon MSG
1/2 teaspoon sugar
14 garlic pods, crushed- use remaining pulp
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano leaves
2-3 tablespoons Wesson Oil
black pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

Remove stems and seeds from pepper pods and boil chili peppers in water for approximately one hour until pulp separates from skin.

Scrape pulp from skin, mash into a paste.

Use 1 1/2 cups of this paste in recipe.

In the 1 cup of water, bring the 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano leaves to boil, steep like tea.

Strain, add the strained liquid to chili mixture.

Procedures: Brown beef, a small batch at a time in hot oil adding onions and black pepper to each batch.

Remove meat to chili pot as it browns.

Add remaining ingredients, blend well.

Cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.