Brent Allen of George West, Texas, cooks with the Buzzard Bar Cooking Team and won the 2017 TICC. His recipe starts the clock three hours before turn-in.
How they cook
80/20 ground chuck is browned in bacon grease and broken only to golf-ball-size chunks, simmered in a separate broth pot, rested an hour, then mashed gently after the second dump. A premixed blend of five chili powders feeds both dumps.