If you know beans about chili …  you know there are no beans in it!

That’s what thousands of chili lovers have discovered at the Great Chili Cook-Off. Whether you like your chili hot n’ spicy or mild with a little zing, there’s a delicious concoction of meat, sauces, peppers and spices to tempt your taste buds at the cook-off.

Over 240 gallons of the best chili north of Texas are brewed at this exciting benefit for The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) each year. Since 1980, over 1,500 cooks have displayed their culinary skill while competing in the event’s two competitions: the North Central Regional Chili Cook-Off and the Renegade Chili Cook-Off.

Eighty cooks compete in the North Central Regional Chili Cook-Off, which is sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS). The cooks brew “true chili,” which is any kind of meat cooked with chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients with the exception of thickening agents such as beans or spaghetti. The winner of the North Central Regional Chili Cook-Off receives $500 and a guaranteed spot in the International Chili Society’s World Championship Cook-Off in California.

Forty cooks compete in the Renegade Chili Cook-Off. They tap their cooking creativity by preparing “anything in the pot chili,” which allows fillers such as beans and pasta. The winner receives $250 and a guaranteed spot in the following year’s North Central Regional Chili Cook-Off.

The cook-off features much more than just great chili. Join us for a day of country concerts, the USA Demolition Derby, Great Midwestern Egg Drop Contest, a horse show, an art show and much more. For more information, call 800-482-1455.