There are worse ways to spend a snowy spring day in Jackson Hole than gathered around steaming cups of chili on the Town Square. For Austin O’Bryhim, this year’s High Noon Chili Cook-Off during Old West Days came with an extra dose of warmth: a first-place finish.
This year marked O’Bryhim’s third time entering the beloved community cook-off. He won first place in 2024, took second in 2025 and returned this year with a brand-new recipe — and a renewed determination to reclaim the top spot.
“We used the same recipe in 2024 and 2025,” O’Bryhim said. “But this year, we tried something brand new.”
The decision came after last year’s second-place finish. For O’Bryhim, a local insurance expert, the near miss was a chance to reassess.
“When you don’t win, you look and see what you need to change,” he said. “We got second in 2025, so we had to ask why. We didn’t want to burn the ship down, but we wanted to try something new.”
The new approach worked.
The Secret to Crowd-Pleasing Chili
For O’Bryhim, a winning chili starts with balance. Too much heat, he said, can lose the crowd.
“If it’s too spicy, it eliminates the majority of the crowd,” he said. “It needs to be a crowd-pleaser.”
So what does make a great chili?
“It needs to have meat,” he said. “High-quality meat, and good umami flavor to bring all the flavors together. Beans do belong in chili, but they need to be flavorful — not just filler.”
This year’s weather didn’t hurt either. With snow falling during the event, the High Noon Chili Cook-Off had exactly the kind of conditions that make a bowl of chili feel not only delicious, but deeply soul-warming.
“It was perfect chili-eating weather because it was snowing,” O’Bryhim said. “You don’t want it to be too hot. That’s not good chili weather.”
But beyond the friendly competition and bragging rights, O’Bryhim says events like the High Noon Chili Cook-Off matter because they bring people together.
“Food typically brings people together, no matter what their differences are,” he said. “Today, we feel more divided than ever. Food tends to be the great equalizer. Everyone can enjoy food in some capacity. It brings the community together for something fun.”
And in Jackson Hole, where community events, changing seasons and local businesses are all part of the same small-town fabric, a good bowl of chili can do more than warm your hands. It can remind people why gathering matters.
Austin O’Bryhim’s Award-Winning Chili
Austin O’Bryhim’s champion chili proves that a winning bowl does not have to shout to get noticed. Built on white beans, ground chicken and turkey, green chiles, garlic, onion and a warm blend of cumin, oregano, coriander and white pepper, this recipe delivers the kind of layered, savory flavor that keeps people coming back for another spoonful.
Finished with brown sugar for balance and lime juice for brightness, it is a true crowd-pleaser — especially when served with shredded Monterey Jack and a pile of blue corn tortilla chips.
Austin O’Bryhim’s High Noon Champion Chili (Jake’s White Bean Chicken Chili)
Ingredients
- 2 cans of Great Northern Beans
- 2 cans of white cannellini beans
- 2 cans of ranch beans
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- 6 cups chicken stock
- ¼ stick butter
- ½ cup minced garlic
- 1 ½ cup of diced yellow onions
- 2 cans of green chiles (diced)
- 2 pounds of ground chicken
- 1 pound of ground turkey
- ¼ cup of ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder
- 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground white pepper
- 1 can of light beer
- ½ cup of light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon of coriander
- 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons of lime juice
- (Corn starch for thickening)
Instructions
- Pour beans into large pot with the chicken stock and light beer-bring to a boil over high
- heat. Reduce temperature to medium-low and simmer.
- In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and chiles and sauté for
- 5 minutes. Add mixture to stock pot with beans.
- In a skillet on med-high, add olive oil and then ground chicken and ground turkey breast.
- Add cumin, oregano, white pepper, coriander, cayenne, and chili powder to the skillet and
- cook thoroughly. Add to stock pot and stir all ingredients together. Adjust heat to mediumhigh and stir thoroughly.
- To thicken chili, combine cornstarch and cold water in bowl and stir to consistency. Add
- mixture to boiling chili and stir. Taste chili and add kosher salt, light brown sugar and lime
- juice to desired taste. Serve with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and blue corn tortilla
- chips.
Keep the Heat Where It Belongs
Of course, while a little heat belongs in a great bowl of chili, O’Bryhim also encourages Jackson Hole homeowners to think seriously about the kind of heat no one wants to see this summer: wildfire.
With dry conditions and wildfire risk always part of life in the Mountain West, O’Bryhim says now is a smart time for homeowners to review their insurance coverage, consider wildfire mitigation and make sure their property is protected before fire season is in full swing.
As he puts it: five-alarm chili can be fun. A five-alarm fire is another story.
To review your coverage, talk through wildfire exposure or make sure your home and property are protected for the season ahead, reach out to Austin O’Bryhim State Farm in Jackson.
