2016 -Knockout Chili

byBrayden Herrera

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Brayden began showing an interest in cooking at a very young age. Growing up on the Central Coast of California, he comes from a family who enjoys cooking together and trying new recipes. Brayden grew up in the kitchen around his Nana, Irene Menchaca, who has always been an amazing teacher. She taught him how to make homemade tortillas, tamales and her famous tacos! Some of Brayden’s favorite things to make are "bacon buddies" [learned from his dad], french toast [learned from his Poppy] and making desserts with his mom. As he got older he began asking about all the trophies at Nana's house, which led him to learn of his great-grandfather, Santos Menchaca. The more stories he was told, the more interested he became in cooking. While attending one of his first chili cook-offs at the age of 3, Brayden told his Nana, "I want to be a chili cooker like you when I grow up!" Brayden was so excited to learn of the ICS Youth Division and couldn’t wait to give it a try!

Ingredients

3 lbs. meat cut into 1/4 inch cubes
Cooking oil or spray
4 Tbsp. ground chili powder
2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
7 3/4 oz. can of El Pato tomato sauce
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. onion powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Instructions

Lightly coat pan with cooking oil or spray; once pan is warm, add meat and cook until browned.

Add chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt.

Allow to cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Add tomato sauce, onion powder and garlic, simmer until done.

Add salt and heat, if necessary.