A co-worker and I were talking the other day about a hamburger cook off. It got me thinking about what kind of cookoffs there are in the world.

Of course there is the Chili cook off. I love chili! There seems to be chili cook-offs in almost every state. A lot of them are for charity fundraisers. But for the devout chili makers that want even more competition there are organizations like the Chili Appreciation Society International, Inc. or the International Chili Society that hold competitions around the US and have Grand Finale cook-offs. Yummy!

Hamburger Cookoffs seem to be fewer between, but they are included in many of the BBQ cook offs around. A huge list can be found at bbq-festivals.com and a national competion is held in Texas every year with the National Championship Barbeque Cook-off. I’ll keep waiting for a Hamburger cook off here in my town. My husband makes some awesome red bell pepper hamburgers! And just for a little nostalgia Athens, TX claims to be the home of the original hamburger.

Global chili and bbq cookoffs occur too, but culinary art cookoffs seem to be bigger. The Iron Chef and Iron Chef America TV show just how in depth some of these cookoffs go. Someday I’ll try some of the delicacies they make, but for now I think I just stick with chili and BBQ!