Chili season does not wait for cool weather. While most people are still running the AC, competitive cooks across the country are already hauling propane burners and cast-iron pots into parks and fairgrounds. September is one of the busiest months on the organized chili calendar, and the events are already on the books.
Two national sanctioning bodies that most home cooks have never heard of run the competitive side of this calendar. The International Chili Society and the Chili Appreciation Society International maintain circuits with their own rulebooks, categories and advancement paths. ICS events include Traditional Red, Homestyle, Chili Verde and Veggie divisions. CASI sanctions nearly 400 qualifying events a year worldwide and prohibits beans, macaroni and similar fillers in competition. The 1967 Terlingua face-off between a writer and a journalist is widely credited with sparking the modern competitive chili movement.
September’s Biggest Sanctioned Events
The Hanover Chili Cook-Off in Pennsylvania celebrates its 30th anniversary on Sept. 6 at Moul Field. It’s an ICS-sanctioned event with more than $7,000 in prizes, and the Exchange Club has used it to raise money for local charities for three decades. Top finishers can advance through the ICS competitive ladder.
Green Lake, Wisconsin hosts a sanctioned ICS cook-off on Sept. 12 at Deacon Mills Park. Up to 40 teams compete under a waterfront tent, cooking from 10 a.m. with judging at 3 p.m. Admission is free all day, and top finishers may earn a path toward the ICS World Championship.
Where the Festival and the Harvest Collide
Not every September cook-off is tied to a national circuit. The Pueblo Chile and Frijoles Festival takes over the Union Avenue Historic District in Pueblo, Colorado from Sept. 18 through 20. It celebrates the locally grown Pueblo chile pepper and the Arkansas River Valley harvest that produces it. On-site roasters line the street and farm stands sell fresh and roasted chile by the bushel.
The festival’s Chili and Salsa Showdown happens the day before, on Sept. 17 at the Pueblo Convention Center. A Jalapeño Eating Contest, a Chihuahua parade and a hot air balloon festival round out the weekend.
A Community Tradition, No Circuit Required
Sausalito, California brings its own energy to the season with its 47th annual Chili Cook-Off, where organizers recommend competitors bring about 20 gallons. Judges score three categories: Judge’s Choice, People’s Choice and Best Booth. A hot pepper eating contest runs alongside, with contestants advancing through progressively spicier peppers.
The Ohio Valley closes out the month with the RegattaFest Chili Cook-Off Showdown in New Martinsville, West Virginia on Sept. 27. Entry runs $15 per pot with a 1.5-gallon minimum. Attendees vote for People’s Choice while judges determine the other categories.
If a great pot of chili is on your radar this fall, September is a better time to find one than most people expect. The season starts well before the first cold front.