Magnolia State Bank Chili Cook Off Rules

1.Teams andTimesa.Teamsmay have no more than 5 members, including one team captain. Thecaptain will bethe liaison between Laurel Main Street and theteam. $100 entry fee per team per judging category, payable online or at the Captains meeting.b.Set-upstarts at6:00 a.m.on the secondSaturday in February, fire up & start cooking at7:00a.m.  Check-in 8:00 a.m. –9:00 a.m. & complimentary VIP breakfast & beveragesc.The Chili Cook Off will be open to the public from11amuntil3pm. The winners are announced at2:00p.m.d.Judging will begin at 12:00 p.m.

 

2.Locationa.Cooking will take place on the500 Block ofCentral Avenue, downtown Laurel.

 

3.Preparation and Cookinga.All chili must be cookedON SITEthe day of thecook-off,FROM SCRATCH, NO PRE-CHOPPING,andNO PRE-COOKING.All chili must be prepared out in the open, no cooking in motor homes, etc.i.From Scratch is defined as starting with raw meat.No marinating is allowed.ii.Commercial chili powder is permissible, but complete chili mixes areNOTpermitted.iii.Thickeners such as cornmeal, flour, etc. are permissible.b.Teamsmustprepare and cook chili in as sanitary a manner as possible.Cooks must provide allcooking and serving utensils, but electricity will be provided.  Any chairs, coolers,tent, tables,paper towels or other cooking accessories must also be provided by the cooks.Laurel Main Street will provide serving cups, spoons and paper towels for thepublic.c.Each head cook is responsible forpreparing one pot of chilithat he/she intends to be judged.  Only one judging cup may be turned in from that pot.  In addition, each team must prepare at least5gallonsof chilito help feed the crowd.d.Atno time should you leave cooking chili unattended anda CLASS K FIRE EXTINGUISHERis required (by the city) for each team to have on site.4.Rules and regulations:There will be TWOcategories,TRADITIONAL RED CHILI, defined by the International Chili Society asANY kind of meat or combination of meats cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.  No garnish is allowed.  HOMESTYLE CHILI,defined by the InternationalChiliSociety asthe cook’s favorite combination of ingredientsresulting in a dish seasoned with chili peppers and spices.

 

5.Judging Preparationa.Between 8:00 a.m. &9:00 a.m. teams check in attheStudio550.  A judging coordinatorwillassignan entry cup, a secret number,turn-in time,supply bag.b.Turn-in timesfor each team areset. No changesto a team’s timewill be made.  A turn-in window of 10 minutes before and after the set time will be recognized.  Cups turned in after that timewillNOTbe accepted for judging, LMS board members pick up cups from team.c.Cups will be completely filled with chili, no garnishments, etc. for the judges tasting.d.Chili cooks must sign their secret number slips in ink,with their first and last name, atthe time judging cups are issued.  Winners will not be eligible if their secret numbers are unsigned when presented.  You must present your signed secret number to win.e.All chili cooks may be required to eat a spoonful of their own chili from theirjudgingcup before turning it in for judging.  

 

6.Judging

 

a.Judges will vote for the chili they likedbest based on the following major considerations:i.COLOR: Chili should look appetizing; reddish brown is generally accepted as good.ii.AROMA: Chili should smell goodindicatingwhat’s in store when you taste it.iii.CONSISTENCY: Chili must have a good ratio between sauceand meat.  It should not be dry,watery, lumpy, grainy, or greasy.iv.TASTE: Taste should consist of the combination of the meat, spices, etc. with noparticular ingredient being dominant.v.AFTERTASTE: The aftertaste or bite is the heat created by the various types of spices or peppers.b.The decision of thejudges is final.

 

7.Prizes:  ​a.Judges Choice Awardsi.After tasting all eligible chili, the judging panel willawarda winner in eachcategory.1.Traditional--$1000.00, custody of the Chili Cook Offred peppertrophyfor one year2.Homestyle--$1000.00custody of the Chili Cook Off chili pot trophy for one year3.$300second place is awarded in each category as wellb.People’s Choice Awardi.When each person buys abowl ofchili,they will receive a ticket. Patrons can place their ticket intoa scoring bucket placed at eachteam’sbooth.  The tickets will becounted,and winner determined.ii.The Captain will receive $200and aJeremyBrookeplatter.c.Spirit Awardi.Teams are encouragedto decorate their booth and put up signs identifying your chili or team name.  Even if your chili doesn’t win, you can still havethe most spirit!  ii.The Spirit award is decided by a team of secret judges who willjudgethe booths and determine who hasdisplayedthe most spirit.iii.The Captainwill receive $200 and aJeremy Brookeplatter.

 

DEADLINE TO ENTER YOUR TEAM is the MONDAYprior to the second SATURDAY IN FEBRUARY 

Other Competitions

Slam Dunk Competition ($10 entry) : Each competitor will have the opportunity to execute two (2) dunks.  Three (3) judges will give a score and the sum of the scores will be recorded. The highest score of the two dunks will be kept for the competitor. 

The highest score will win the competition. If there is a tie, then a second round will be started.  Only one (1) dunk will be allowed during the second round. Subsequent rounds will be started if needed until a winner is declared. 

3-Point Shootout ($10 entry): Competitors will be allowed to shoot for 30 seconds, and the total number of shots made from behind the 3-point arc made will be recorded.  Players can shoot from anywhere on the court, but it must be behind the 3-point arc. One player on the court at a time.

The competitor with the most made shots in 30 seconds will be the winner.  A second round will be started if a tie exists.

Best Uniform Competition: The best uniforms will be selected by the crowd. Anyone will be allowed to write down the name of the team with the best uniform and drop the slip in the voting box.  The votes will be tallied at the end of the tournament. 

Kids Free Knock-Out  Competition ($5 entry): Competitors will line up and be allowed to play Knockout.  Players must shoot from behind the free throw line. Players will exit the line when they have been knocked out. Shooting will continue until one competitor remains and will be named the winner. There will be multiple rounds if required by the number of players. 

There will be two groups, one per court. The first will be for ages 12 years old and under. The second will be for ages 13 to 17 years old. Competitors must have a completed waiver form, signed by a parent before entering the competition.