Cornudas, Texas Chili Cookoff Festival 2025!
Enter as a cook with your chili recipe below!
The lineup is set for the famous chili cookoff in Cornudas, TX. Located in the small unincorporated town of Cornudas about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX we invite you to come out and join us for amazing chili, live music, events, giveaways, games and more!
Are you interested in signing up to cook in the chili cookoff and go for the 1st place prize of a FREE piece of land?! Sign up below:
*Entry fee is $10 per recipe. Please call Cornudas Cafe for more details at 915-964-2508. Non-refundable
Rules
1. Time and Location:
- The cookoff will take place at Cornudas Texas at 1pm mountain time on Saturday, September 27th 2025.
- Participants should arrive at latest by 11am for setup.
2. Eligibility:
- Participants must register by September 26th, 2025 at 5pm mountain time.
- Entry fee is $10.
- If participants want to enter multiple recipes, an additional entry fee of $10 will be charged per recipe entry.
3. Chili Requirements:
-Participants MUST come prepared with AT LEAST 2 gallons of Chili. 1 pint will be used by the judges while the remaining will be used for sampling by festival goers. The more the better!
- Chili may be prepared in advance, however we ask that final preparation and warming takes place on site
- All chili must be homemade; no prepackaged chili or store-bought mixes allowed.
- The chili must loosely follow the definition of “any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with or without beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients”. Our goal is to keep the definition as loose as possible. It MUST, however, generally be considered “chili” under a standard definition of chili.
- The recipe must include a list of ingredients (for allergy purposes) but not the quantities or specific preparation methods.
-Participants are required to bring their own chili cook apparatus. Cornudas cannot supply enough crockpots, electric outlets, etc for everyone. We will have backup power but supply will be limited!
4. Judging Criteria:
- Chili will be judged on the following criteria:
1. Taste (flavor, seasoning, etc.)
2. Texture (consistency of the chili)
3. Aroma (smell of the chili)
4. Appearance (presentation)
5. Creativity (unique ingredients or preparation)
5. Judging Process:
- Judges will score each chili on a scale of 1-10 for each criterion.
- The chili with the highest total score will be declared the winner.
- In the event of a tie, a “taste-off” may be held with the tied chilis.
*Judges reserve to tweak the judging process in the event of too many entrants!
6. Serving and Presentation:
- Entrants will be required to sample and taste their own chili in front of judges before serving to the judges or the public.
- Serving utensils and dishes will be supplied on site by Cornudas.
- Chili should be served warm; participants should bring their own warming devices.
7. Health and Safety:
- All participants must follow proper food safety guidelines and will be required to sign and health and safety waiver upon entry releasing Cornudas Texas and its affiliates from liability.
- Chili should be kept at a safe temperature before and during the event.
8. Awards:
- Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place based on the judges' scores.
- A “consolation” award will also be given
9. Disqualification:
- Any participant found to be using pre-made chili or not following the rules will be disqualified.
- Standard restaurant health and safety code must be followed at all times or it will result in immediate disqualification.
10. Miscellaneous:
- Participants must clean up their area after the event.
- All decisions by the judges are final.