CHILI RESULTS ARE IN AND WHAT A GREAT DAY IT WAS. Fourteen contestants entered and we had a house full of folks tasting, drinking responsibly and having a whole lot of great fun. We had the Lincoln Highway band back for the third year, and we had four square dance clubs from surrounding cities entertaining the crowd.

Frank Hartig, Angela Marchant and Congressman Mike Thompson, our judges, did an outstanding job, tasting, smiling and having a great time. They worked the crowd and after the judging was done, they even sampled the offerings.

So Who Won?

Greatest Bowl of Chili as selected by our judges went to Rookies Sports Bar and Grill. Rob’s new chef has it dialed in and I can’t wait for the Rib Cook-Off. He has his smoker out back that looks like the Little Boy atomic bomb. Second place went to Chuck Wagon Chili and third place went to First Street Café.

The Greatest Individual Cook went to Chuck Wagon, followed by Corky Longo and coming in third place, Rough N’ Ready.

Top honors for Greatest Vegetarian went to Rookies, and second place went to my lovely Lé Chef. Lé Chef had a very bad sprained left wrist, so I had to make the chili based on her list of ingredients. I will give respect to Rookies, but I contend, if Lé Chef was healthy … ?

Most Creative Chili (I didn’t understand this category) went to new kids on the block, The Wine Loft. Jason is known for creative wine selection, but chili? Second place went to Benicia Chili Heads (Kenneth Charles) and third place saw another newcomer, Bottom of the Fifth.

Best Decorated Booth went to Got Plate Lunch followed by Benicia Yacht Club, and third place saw Chuck Wagon bring home their third award. How cool is that?

Now to the People’s Choice Award, which is the biggest and baddest of ’em all: Benicia Yacht Club brought home the beans. Jackie from BYC has entered the past two years and showed respectably, but new chef Daniel brought home the bacon. This award is what it’s all about: good folks tasting 14 chili recipes and making the call as to Best in the West.

We had a lot of fun and before I get off this subject, I wanted to thank Benicia Main Street, Nancy, Deborah and the whole staff for a job well done. This group and a multitude of volunteers works very hard for each and every event and deserves nothing less than kudos, hugs and kisses.

I’m Going Up in Smoke

Moving on, as I’m on vacation this week, I smoked beef ribs yesterday. Beef ribs are getting very expensive and some barbecue joints are not serving them as the cost of goods in skyrocketing. However, I ran into a couple great looking racks this past Monday at Vargas, so beef ribs, here we come.

My rib rub recipe contains lots and lots of spices and herbs for a rich, full flavor. To put together the rub, combine:

3 Tbs onion powder
3 Tbs white sugar
2 Tbs garlic powder
2 Tbs Old Bay® seasoning
1 Tbs black pepper
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp kosher or canning salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp powdered sage
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all of the ingredients well. This will make about one cup of rub, which should be plenty for two racks of beef ribs. Apply a light coat to the ribs and rub it in. Now sprinkle on another coat, shaking off what doesn’t stick. A light coating is all you need. You could put these on the smoker now, but it’s better to let them rest overnight in the fridge so the flavors can get into the meat.

As most of you good folks know, smoked beef ribs will need six to eight hours of low-temperature cooking to reach their ultimate state of perfection. By controlling air vents, I’ll maintain a temperature of 225 degrees for the entire smoke session. I used cherry wood, which is perfect for smoking these big boys.

Four hours into the smoke, take a look. Flip the ribs over and check the water level in the pan if you’re using a water smoker. In two hours, look again and test for doneness. Grab a side-by-side pair of ribs and pull them away from each other. If the meat tears easily, they’re done.

I finished off with a very light barbecue sauce during the last 1/2 hour of smoking. My sauce contains sugar, which burns and caramelizes easy, so be careful.

Next Up

Mark your calendars for the weekend of April 26-27. The third annual Rookies Big Rib Cook-Off is in the works. More on this later, but get ready as space will be limited in regards to entries.

Sunday, the 27th, is the big day with the Benicia High School car show and the Rib Cook-off. I don’t know how I’m going to manage, but I’ll be showing the ’67 Goat plus emceeing the cook-off. I see roller skates in my future.

Gotta Git, but Before I Go:

“Few Cowboys ever owned much. Their primary reward for being a Cowboy was the pleasure of living a Cowboy’s life.” Make sense?

Adios …

Ken Paulk is a Texas native and a Benicia resident.