Isles’ 4-time chili champ
going to world finals
Ron Montague's chili recipe is not for wimpy cooks.
It involves lots of chopping -- including a whole lot of fresh, hot chilies.
But it's an award-winner.
For the fourth year in a row, Montague has won the Great Hawaiian Chili Cookoff, which means he will go onto the world finals in Las Vegas.
So far, Montague's been more successful at roulette than in upper-level competition, but he's been doing his research. Last year at the championship in Reno, he says, he tasted all of the Top 10 chilies. He found them to be fairly similar. "I try to make something that's going to stand out, at least a little."
Montague has been cooking chili for a decade and does a lot of other cooking as well. "My panko ono isn't bad, either."
Divide meat into four batches. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 1 batch of meat; brown.Mad Cow Chili
2 pounds ground pork
5 to 6 pounds beef chuck, in small cubes
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons onion powder
3/4 cup chicken stock
6 tablespoons minced garlic
3 medium Ewa sweet onions, minced
3 large red bell peppers, minced
3 29-ounce cans tomato sauce
3 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
14 tablespoons assorted ground chili powders
7 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon EACH ground cayenne pepper, jalapeño pepper and garlic powder
2 EACH red jalapeño, green jalapeño, yellow pepper and Serrano chili peppers, seeded, diced (use gloves)
1 EACH poblano and habañero chili pepper, seeded, diced (use gloves)
1 bunch cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon Tabasco
2 tablespoons salt, or to tasteWhen juices reduce by half, add 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon chicken stock and 1 tablespoon garlic.
When juices reduce by half again, transfer to a large pot. Repeat procedure with remaining batches of meat.
Follow the same cooking procedure, using oil, butter, spices and stock, to sauté half the onions and bell peppers. Add to pot with meat. Repeat with remaining onions, bell peppers and all of the chili peppers.
Add to pot tomato sauce, diced tomato, all remaining spices and peppers, brown sugar, cilantro and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt. Makes 2 to 2-1/2 gallons.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per 1 cup serving, with no added salt to taste: 370 calories, 28 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, greater than 1000 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 19 g protein.
Nutritional analyses by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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