Mad Dog serves as a judge during the chili cook off Nov. 26 in Mesquite, Nev.

Part of the fun of working as a freelance writer is the fact that no two assignments are the same.

And during the 2011 High Desert Robinson Regional & Mojave Desert Regional two-day chili cook off Nov. 25-26 at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev., I was asked to be a judge.

Mind you, when it comes to hanging around a kitchen, boiling water is a tough assignment. I have mastered the chore of making coffee and I found the switch for the dishwasher, but that’s about as far as it goes.

My cooking skills are evident by the fact that if we didn’t have a microwave, I’d starve to death. Or, better yet, I’d head for Applebee’s not far from our home.

So when I was asked to be a judge for a prestigious event featuring some of the nation’s finest chili cooks, I cringed. I tried making chili 30 years ago and the result was so bad that the hungriest of animals might have taken three-day old leftovers instead of my specialty.

However, when it was explained that this particular assignment would last about 20 minutes, I accepted the challenge. To be honest, the decision was made once it was announced that we should clear our palates with a swallow of beer.

I mean, while I don’t claim to know a thing about cooking, mixing beer with chili seemed like one of those gigs nobody should ever turn away.

We were told that after the tasting, we should make notes about the chili. However, what worried me was that the guy in charge also said that past contestants have been known to chase down judges after reading the judging sheets.

When I tried to get out of the assignment while citing my total inexperience as it relates to either chili or Home Ec. 101, I was told “Listen, you know as much about this as people who have been doing it for 30 years. You have been tasting foods all your life.”

Yeh, but I have been watching rodeo competition since I was an infant 60 years ago, but getting on a Brahma Bull remains one of those things I’ll gladly leave off my Bucket List, too.

Anyway, I jumped into the challenge of judging the chili cook off thinking I’d get in the car and drive off like I had just robbed a bank when the last spoonful was tasted.

But the funny thing about this assignment was that I instantly gained a sense of respect for the people who traveled hundreds of miles from several states to compete in Mesquite, which is situated about 80 miles north of Las Vegas.

Frankly, more people who work as writers need to experience first-hand what they cover. In my case, riding in off-road races has resulted in wild crashes; and even a go-kart race run in conjunction with the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1981 went array when it was discovered while speeding down Fremont Street in Las Vegas that I had no brakes.

All those experiences behind me, I cautiously grabbed my first spoon and headed for my assignment inside the CasaBlanca Event Center. While attempting to look like I knew what I was doing, I carefully began tasting and taking notes.     

Funny thing was that in the first five tastings, I began to appreciate the Chiliheads, as they are called. The meat was tender, and the seasoning had that special touch.

Even the appearance of chili is important in cook offs like this one. In fact, a fella named Bob Plager of Littleton, Colo., includes prunes in his work to add a level of sweetness while also producing that pleasing look of the work.

I began to realize that making chili is actually a science. And as someone told me, once you taste chili made by the pros, you’ll never buy another can of the product from the grocery store again.

Some was better than the other, but all in all, the overall experience was not only enjoyable, but educational at the same time.

Even the weather and the elevation played into this particular competition. The weather was ideal and the fact that Mesquite is about 1,600 above sea level combined for the perfect scenario.

After the initial competition was completed, I retreated to my makeshift pressroom and began hacking away at my laptop. A short time later, I was asked to return and judge the final round.

I still don’t know how my judging talent rated, but I do know that the competition opened my eyes to a new world.

Interestingly, Chiliheads travel together; they compete against one another and if anyone needs help, they generally work with one another.

It’s a great gathering of good folks enjoying good times.

Capt. Jim Maehl - December 03, 2011

Thanks for your interesting article on your perspective of judging ICS competition chili. Of course the part about the chili cooks chasing the chili judges down is all tongue and cheek. As a Chief Judge I try to stress to the judges that it is extremely important to give good constructive comments. As you probably witnessed the cooks come into the judging area after the awards and read their comment's. You would be a great candidate to take the Certified Chili Judges Course And Become a International Chili Societies Certified Judge. There could be possibly a class this January in Laughlin. Thanks for a great article.

Steve Porter - December 05, 2011

Thanks for the great blog article! Love to see you in Laughlin, and I agree with Jim. You are a perfect candidate for the Certified Judges Class -- Steve Porter, Chief Judge International Chili Society.

Bob Plager - December 02, 2011

I'm glad you had a great time judging Red Chili, and it sounds like you listened intently to the Chief Judge's meeting, as to what you should be looking for in competion chili. Hope to see you again in Jan. at the next cookoffs in Mesquite. Great blog article.