The Art And Science Of Chili

Winners 2018 Frank X Tolbert Wick Fowler Original Terlingua Chili Cook Off

Winners 2018 Frank X Tolbert Wick Fowler Original Terlingua Chili Cook Off

It’s been five long years since we last visited Terlingua.

That part of Texas is one of the prettiest places on earth.

The Terlingua Chili Cook Off has been referred to as the Mardi Gras of the Borderlands and with good reason.

After a few thousand Texas chili freaks get a headful of Mexican dirt weed, tequila and Lone Star it can get downright dangerous what with all the spontaneous gun shooting and hell raising going on. The Saturday night of the cook off can sound like New Orleans’ 9th Ward on a weekend night.

We used to joke that if you showed up at the chili shootout without a gun you were issued one.

We now live a 15 hour drive from Terlingua and lord knows when we’ll be able to take a week off work to make the drive back out to the ghost town of Brewster County.

Last weekend was the 52nd editions of the Frank X Tolbert Wick Fowler Original Terlingua Chili Cook Off. Here are the winners:

1st Place – Becky Daniels, Midlothian, Texas

2nd Place – Sherril Lazarus, San Angelo, Texas

3rd Place – Terry Wright, Lockhart, Texas

The Art And Science Of Chili

AP Issues Corrections On Katie Workman’s Flawed Texas Red Chili Article

From the Associated Press: “In a story Oct. 22 about a recipe for Texas Red Chili, The Associated Press failed to specify in some references that the chili without beans is Texas Red, and not all Texas chilies. In addition, the Terlingua Chili Contest is in Terlingua, Texas, not in Grapevine, Texas. The story should have clarified that cumin and oregano are in the recipe as part of the chili powder blend. The corrected version below also removes the reference to Hatch chili powder, which is not from Texas.”

After reading the Workman article we penned the following Washington Post Crosses The Texas Red Chili Line and reached out to AP to point out several egregious errors in the original piece. After a vigorous back and forth, AP issued the corrected article.

Long story short: Don’t fuck around with Texas Red chili. And do your proper “sweat neck research” or you’ll be hearing from us.

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The Art And Science Of Chili

Washington Post Crosses The Texas Red Chili Line

Eat in a few hundred Texas cafes like this one then write an article about Texas Red chili

Katie Workman begins her hopelessly flawed Washington Post (AP) article on Texas Red chili thusly: “If you know anything about Texas chili…”

Workman then goes on to prove that she knows absolutely nothing about the food so revered that good men have lost their lives over it. Continue Reading

The Art And Science Of Chili

John Nova Lomax Speaks On The Bloody History Of Texas Chili Con Carne

John Nova Lomax speaks on Texas chili con carne

Every so often a new voice arises in the world of Texas chili letters. John Nova Lomax recently published a treatise on Texas chili that deserves a mention. Writing on the Texas Monthly platform, Lomax goes deep into the origins of our state’s official dish.

The Bloody San Antonio Origins of Chili Con Carne is a rigorously researched longform article on the most beloved food in the Lone Star state.

However, chili con carne is not the only official dish of the state. There are eight in total.

We wrote The Rules Of Texas Red nearly eight years ago.