There are five competitions this year
Best CASI Chili (judged by a panel of judges)
Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili (judged by the people!!)
Best Charro Beans (judged by a panel of Mexican judges!)
Best Margarita (judged by a panel of judges)
Best Booth (judged by the organizers)
Sign up online by pressing the green Sign Up Now button on this page OR pick up Rules and Entry Forms at Keith’s Longhorn BBQ on Ancha de San Antonio or at the San Miguel Community Foundation’s offices at Prol. Pila Seca 91A, Col San Antonio.
Keep in mind that tent locations are assigned in the order that sign-up sheets are received. Location is critical in the Peoples’ Choice contest – so sign up early to get a great spot.
There is no deadline to enter the CASI contest. The deadine to enter all other contests is January 13, 2012 if you want to be assured a burner and a tent.
The entry fee is $35 USDs or $350 pesos per team – and that includes 10 pounds of ground meat (kilo equivalent) IF you are entering the Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili contest. Additional ground meat can be purchased in 10 pound increments for $30 USDs per 10 pounds.
First place prize for Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili is two round-trip tickets provided by our sponsor American Airlines for travel anywhere in the United States, Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean. Cash prizes for second and third place.
First place prize for Best Charro Beans is 7 nights for up to two couples in Casa Blance at Que Ve el Mar in Zihuatanejo! Click on the picture above for more information about this beautiful condo! Certain restrictions apply to travel time. Cash prizes for second and third place.
First place prize for the Best Margarita contest is a 3 liter bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional tequila!
So dig out your recipes, gather your ingredients, find some decorations, and get ready for some really HOT competition!
The CASI International Competition 
The San Miguel International Cook-Off is honored to be sanctioned by the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) as an official International Open Championship. This is a coveted distinction that allows our 1st, 2d and 3rd place winners to compete in the CASI World Championship at Terlingua, Texas, November 2012. (1st place winner will also receive a Coleman cookstove beautifully hand-painted by Wendell Rankin.) 4th-10th place will receive points toward qualification for Terlingua. You don’t have to be an expert to compete in the CASI competition. EVERYONE is invited to compete. And click here to read about the annual CASI World Championship Cook-Off in Terlingua, Texas. This is the granddaddy of all chili cook-offs and is the ultimate celebration of chili!
Cook-Off Kick Off Party: Learn the Secrets to Success!!!!!
Need help with your technique? No problem! On Sunday, December 11, 2011, we will have a special Cook-Off Kick-Off party where we will share some critical secrets of our prior winners. Learn the secrets to making CASI-quality chili and true Mexican charro beans – and to winning Peoples’ Choice! The party will be from 2 to 5 pm at Keith’s Longhorn Smokehouse. You’ll get free chili and charros to taste, and Keith will have a limited menu of food for purchase, plus a cash bar. This will be the perfect opportunity for Q & A. IF you sign up to compete in the Chili Cook-Off at our Kick-Off party, we will reduce your sign-up fee from $350 pesos to $250 pesos. Tickets for the December 11 Kick-Off party are $100 pesos and will be available at Keith’s Longhorn Smokehouse beginning November 20, 2011.
Click here for a winning CASI recipe by Don Gill, a “seasoned” CASI cook-off professional and a part-time resident of San Miguel!
