Vegan chili places 3rd in State Fair Cook-Off!

Tyler and Carl Smith

Let’s all thank brothers Tyler and Carl Smith, of Midvale, who took the 3rd place ribbon and $100 prize yesterday in the Utah State Fair Budweiser Chili cook-off! City Dogs sponsored their registration into the competition.

“When they announced the prizes, they made a big deal about how our chili was vegan,” Carl Smith said.

The Smiths’ award-winning “Chili #23″ is not just vegan, it’s also very local.

“It’s totally vegan and, except for the beans, it’s 100% made from incredibly fresh, local produce from the Downtown Farmer’s Market,” Carl said. “All of our spices were roasted fresh and ground this morning for the best flavor. We used two different sizes of TVP granules for the best texture. We really just put a lot of time and effort into making the best chili possible. It just goes to show that you don’t need to hurt animals to eat good food.”

Woo-hoo! As we promised  back in August, we think SLC should all bow before the Smith Brothers as local gods of vegan cooking

The Smith Brothers were nice enough to share their recipe with the community. Mmmmm… maple syrup.

Chili #23
3rd Place Winner 2011 Utah State Fair Budweiser Chili Cook-Off
Tyler and Carl Smith

Meat
2 cups textured vegetable protein
1½ cups water
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp mushroom broth powder
2 Tbsp sweet Barbecue sauce

Chili
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chili beans
2 medium onions
10 cloves garlic
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 jalapeños
2-4 Anaheim peppers, roasted
8-10 Roma tomatoes
1 cup fresh corn
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tbsp fresh-ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp Mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Start by mixing the wet ingredients for the meat in a sauce pan. Bring
that to a boil and add the TVP. Remove from the heat and set aside to
soak.

Next, heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the
onions, bell peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and roasted anaheims. Reduce
heat and let it cook slowly for 10-15 minutes until onions are almost
browning. Turn heat up to medium-high and add spices. Stir it
carefully until a slight brown crust builds up on the bottom of your
pot. Be careful not to burn it. When the crust is golden brown, stir
in the tomatoes and a little water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to
deglaze. turn down to medium and simmer until the tomatoes break down
and you have a nice saucy chili base. To this add the meat and
remaining ingredients and season to taste. We usually let that simmer
slowly over low heat for 1-2 hours, adding more water, ketchup, cumin,
chili powder or garlic powder as necessary.

Thanks again Smith Bros!