CHILI COOKING RULES

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A. CHILI COOKED ON SITE - All chili must be cooked from scratch on site the day of the cookoff. All chili must be
prepared in the open (no cooking in motorhomes, etc.). 

1. CHILI COOKED FROM SCRATCH - "Scratch" is defined as starting with raw meat. No marinating is allowed.
Commercial chili powder is permissible, but complete commercial chili mixes ("just add meat" mixes that
contain premeasured spices) are not permitted.

2. NO FILLERS IN CHILI - Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy, or other similar ingredients are not permitted.

 

3. SANITATION - Cooks are to prepare and cook chili in as sanitary a manner as possible.

 

a. INSPECTION OF COOKING CONDITIONS - Cooking conditions are subject to inspection by the head
judge or his/her designee and CASI Referee. Failure to comply is subject to disqualification.

 

b. COOKS MAY HAVE TO TASTE THEIR CHILI - At the discretion of the head judge or CASI Referee,
chili cooks may be required to remove the lids from their chili cups and taste their chili before turning in for
judging. If a contestant refuses, his or her chili will be disqualified.

B. ONE CHILI PER COOK - Each head cook is responsible for preparing one pot of chili that he or she intends to be
judged and turning in one judging cup from that pot. No more than one judging sample can be taken from any one
pot.

C. COOKS MUST SIGN NUMBER SLIPS - Chili cooks must sign their secret ticket slips in ink with their first and
last names at the time cups are issued. A cook will not be eligible to win (place in the top 10), if their secret ticket is
unsigned when presented. Cooks must present their signed secret ticket to win.

D. PROTECT THE JUDGING CUP - Once judging cups have been issued, each head cook is responsible for his or her
judging cup. Cooks must not remove or tamper with the ticket on the outside of the cups. Any marked or altered cup
must be replaced prior to turn-in or it will be disqualified. (See Sections A.4 and 5 for cup replacement.)

E. FILLING CUPS - Cups must be filled to 3⁄4 inch from the top of the cup or to the level designated at the cooks
meeting.

F. CHILI TURN-IN - Chili will be turned in at the place and time designated at the cooks meeting or as otherwise
designated by the head judge.

G. PYROTECHNICS - No chili contestant may discharge firearms or use any pyrotechnics or explosives at a chili
cookoff. Contestants discharging firearms and/or using explosives or other pyrotechnics will be disqualified from the
chili cookoff.

H. PENALTIES - Failure to comply with CASI rules will result in disqualification of an individual cook for the
cookoff. Decisions of the official(s) are final. In case of disqualification, the CASI official monitoring the cookoff
will immediately notify the head cook and give a reason for disqualification. In the event disqualification of a cup of
chili occurs after judging has started, it is not necessary that the cook be located or given an explanation for the
disqualification.