Inaugural Chili Cookoff Coming to Haynie’s Corner in Evansville IN

Chilly temperatures always have me in the mood for a hot bowl of chili. It is the perfect warm-up at the end of a long day but let's be honest, not all chili is created equal and Haynie's Corner Arts District wants to find the best chili in the city with the first-ever "Haynie's Corner Pro Bowl."

There are a lot of variations in chili recipes. Some people use ground beef. Others might use venison and there are always vegetarian chili recipes too. Personally, I like to use a combination of chili beans, black beans, and kidney beans when I make my chili at home. There are those monsters that put elbow macaroni noodles in their chili too but we aren't going to talk about that insanity.

Inaugural Haynie's Corner Pro Bowl Chili Cookoff Details

However you make your chili, you can enter it into the Haynie's Corner Pro Bowl, taking place on Sunday, February 6, 2022, but there are some things you need to know first.

Teams

Your team of two will need to have a serving of chili and a side delivered to the judge's table by 4:30 pm on February 6th but don't expect to whip up your recipe at home and just show up with a crockpot. This is not that kind of chili cookoff.

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Logistics

Participants will be required to cook up both their chili and their side outside at the event. That's right, we are talking easy-up tents and propane cookers here folks! You're also not allowed to premake any of your food in advance - it must all be cooked onsite the day of the competition. Likewise, you are not allowed to use pre-made ingredients. In fact, organizers warn,

If you are caught with any pre-cooked or pre-made element, you'll be booted from the competition. We'll still eat your food. You just can't win.

No Registration Fees

So what about registration or entry fees? There's none of that here. Just show up on February 6th, set up in the lot used for Haynie's Corner wiffleball, and start cooking. Then be sure you have your chili and your side to the judges by 4:30 pm.

What If I Just Want to Eat?

If you're interested in attending for the sake of eating the chili, that begins at 5:30 pm and will cost you just $10 per person. Pro tip: Bring your own bowl and spoon!

Prizes

The money raised will be split with the person taking home the title of Best Chili taking home 35% of the proceeds raised. Another 15% will go to the winner with the Best Side and the remaining 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Haynie's Corner Arts District.

So bundle up and let's get cooking! Need a side dish idea? Keep scrolling for a copy-cat recipe of Disney's Woody's Lunchbox Grilled 3 Cheese Sandwich!

[Source: Joshua Pietrowski via Facebook]