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5 Chili Tips from a Chili World Champion

Make Chili Like A Pro with Tips from ICS World Championship Chili Cook-Off Winner George Rives

September 21, 2021


Wow the judges at your dinner table with 5 tips from a guy who has literally made the best bowl of chili in the world.

The only thing better than a good bowl of chili is an award-worthy bowl of chili, and thanks to George Rives, self-professed chili head and winner of the 2018 International Chili Society World Championship Chili Cook-Off Homestyle Category, you too can make chili like a champion! His top five tips are surprisingly easy to apply, and soon you’ll be making chili like you’ve spent your entire life training for the moment the bowl hits the table.


 

5 Tips for Award-Worthy Chili

There are some secrets George would never give away (just like the Secret Family Recipe for Bush’s Baked Beans), but we convinced him to pull back the curtain on some of his favorite tips just for us!


Cast iron pan full of ground beef being stirred with a wooden spoon.

TIP 1

SEAR THE MEAT

Lightly brown your meat to build texture and flavor. If you’re cooking with beef, make sure to drain off most of the fat before adding the rest of the ingredients to keep your chili from being oily.
3 jalepenos on a grill

TIP 2

ROAST YOUR PEPPERS

From jalapeños to poblanos to serranos, your chilis will add an extra dimension of smoky flavor if you give them a quick char before they go in the pot. You can do this a few ways: over a gas range, using your oven broiler or by throwing them on the grill.
Can of bean being poured into pot with a can of Bush’s Red Chili Beans in a mild chili sauce and a Beautiful Bean Co. smiley face sticker

TIP 3

SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST

You know the saying, “save the best for last?” To keep your beans nice and plump, add them about 20 minutes before you finish cooking. This will give them plenty of time to impart that perfectly seasoned chili flavor to your recipe without overcooking.

BONUS TIP!

Use Bush's® Chili Beans to take your chili up a notch – George Rives did in his winning chili recipe in 2018!
Closeup of chili meat and beans texture

TIP 4

TWEAK YOUR TEXTURE

If your chili’s a bit too liquidy, you can thicken it up with a little arrowroot powder. Mix a tablespoon of arrowroot with two tablespoons of water to make a slurry and slowly add it to your chili until the thickness is juuuust right. Arrowroot has almost no taste so don’t worry about it changing those rich chili flavors you worked so hard to develop.
Red spoon full of brown sugar

TIP 5

DASH OF SWEET

5 minutes before serving, add a tablespoon of brown sugar and taste. The sweetness of the sugar will help balance out the zing from any tomatoes or stock in your recipe.
The great thing about George’s tips is that they can be used to take any chili to the next level, building flavor and perfecting texture for a bowl that’s worthy of a crown, whether it's your grandmother’s famous recipe or one that’s brand new!

To switch things up, try the recipe that won George his world championship title or one of the others below. Made with Bush's® Chili Beans, slow-simmered in a hearty chili sauce to infuse flavor into every bean and now the Official Beans of the World Championship Chili Cook-Off, they’re sure to wow the judges around your table any time of day.


Get Started with These Recipes Tonight