In his second year entering the High Noon Chili Cook-Off, an event that is part of Jackson’s annual Old West Days celebration, Austin O’Bryhim, a local State Farm Insurance Agent, took home the People’s Choice Award for his chili (dog). The chili evoked feelings of comfort and nostalgia in the crowd of consumers, and it was served as a chili dog with a topping of Fritos. Cooking alongside his wife, Jessica, staff member Dani, and her partner Sean, O’Bryhim says that he still hasn’t come down from the high of his win.
Find the recipe for the chili that had community members coming back to O’Bryhim’s booth for third and fourth servings on the competition day below, as well as some thoughts and takeaways from O’Bryhim about what led him and his chili to be such a fan favorite.
Where did your passion for cooking begin?
I was born and raised in southern Maryland and lived in Charleston, South Carolina for twelve years. Living in the South, food is really, really important. More than just eating it to survive, it’s a cultural phenomenon. People gather and congregate because of food—cookouts, barbecues, family-style dinners—that’s all very popular in the South. And if you’re going to be doing that, it has to taste good or else people aren’t going to go to it!
Who helped you develop your cooking skills?
My mom taught me from a young age that I needed to learn how to cook. My parents got divorced when I was five, so it was just me and my mom for a little while and that was how we bonded. And it was something I was always naturally curious about growing up, so it’s always been a hobby of mine.
At what point did you start entering cooking competitions?
We’ve done a couple competition barbecues in South Carolina for charities, that’s something my dad and I always bonded over. And then when I got here in Jackson, I got involved in the chili cook-off and the Million Pound Party. I also started doing what’s called State Farm Sundays during the summer—where I just have a big cookout in our apartment complex and invite anyone over. It’s a good way to bond with people over food.
What is your favorite thing to cook?
I love barbecue. Again, being from the South, barbecue is so much more than just food—it’s bragging rights. In South Caroline, whoever has the best barbecue has the most bragging rights. I love smoking pork butts, briskets, ribs, things like that. And then, my second favorite is Italian food. My grandmother is from Sicily, so I learned from her different sauces and how to make homemade pasta.
What dish would you consider your specialty?
In the South, when we call it a dish, we include the fixings too. So, a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and mac and cheese. That would be what I would consider my barbecue specialty. But when it comes to Italian food, I would say I’m very, very proud of my bolognese.
How did you approach this year’s chili cook-off differently than last year?
Last year, I did a three meat, smoked chili that had brisket, pulled pork and smoked chicken. This year, I told myself I was going to make a more basic version of chili, something that people think of when they think of chili—a more nostalgic and comforting chili. And we were getting people coming back for thirds and fourths, we even had judges come back for seconds. I really focused on what the crowd and community wanted, and it went over very, very well.
How did it feel to win the People’s Choice Award?
I was really excited! My team worked their butts off, and as I told some of the judges, we were the only ones cooking on site. I got there at eight o’clock in the morning and cooked everything fresh, so it was a labor of love and it was really nice to be acknowledged for putting in that effort. I have the trophy displayed right when you walk into my State Farm office, and so every time I walk past it, I just look at it and think, “yeah, that feels really good.”
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of Kerry Gold salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 heaping tablespoons of chili powder
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Meat Church Blanco seasoning
- 2.5 pounds lean ground beef (90/10)
- 1 packet McCormick Tex Mex chili seasoning
- 1 quart distilled water
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon Adobo
- 1 heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Beef
- 2, 10 ounce cans of mild Rotel
- 2, 12 ounce cans of ranch beans
- 2, 4 ounce cans of diced green chiles
- 2, 12 ounce cans of tomato sauce
- 1, 8 ounce can of tomato paste
- For serving:
- Freshly grated Tillamook sharp cheddar
- Nathan’s Skinless all-beef hot dogs
- 460 Bakery hot dog buns
- Diced yellow onion
- Fritos Corn Chips
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion. Add chili powder and Meat Church Blanco seasoning, continuing to sauté until the onions are tender. Add ground beef and using a wooden spoon, break up and brown the meat. Add Mcormick spice mix and mix thoroughly.
- Once the spices are incorporated, add water and continue to evenly combine the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, adding the Better Than Bouillon and mixing thoroughly. Continually stir to avoid burning the bottom. While the mixture boils, add Rotel, ranch beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste and green chilis. Once stirred in, immediately reduce to a simmer and cover for an hour or until thickened.
- Add additional chili powder for a more spicy chili. The result should be a very consistent meat chili sauce, almost like a gravy, that will be easy to spoon over a hot dog.
- To assemble chili dog, grill the hot dogs and toast the buns to your liking. Using a ladle, spoon chili over assembled hot dog. Top with cheese, onions and Fritos.
