Rudy Valdez

World's Champion 1976

Rudy Valdez, a full-blooded Ute Indian from Palmdale, California, representing the Indian Nations, won the World's Championship. This was the first year that, besides a trophy, prizes were awarded to the winner. Rudy won a year's lease on a new Datsun Pickup, a pair of Larry Mahan cowboy boots and a Rival crockpot. Second place went to our first foreign winner, Jack Barber, representing England. Third place was Donna Williams of Arizona and fourth went to Myrt Davis of Rosamond, representing Tropico Goldmine.

It was decided by Woody and Shelby that the International Chili Society and World's Championship needed full-time management. Jim West was hired as Executive Director and offices were established at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, California. More celebrities were added to the World's Championship. Those in attendance were: Joey Bishop, Michael Dante, Jane Withers, John Casavettes, Harvey Korman, Peter Brown, Ross Martin, Peter Hurkos and Chill Wills. Entertainment and celebrities were becoming a trademark of the World's Championship with the popular Miss Chili Pepper, Shoot N' Hollar, Mr Hot Sauce, and beer drinking contests. We lost H. Allen Smith, Chef Mike Roy and Hondo Crouch to the big cookoff in the sky.
 

Ingredients:

1 pound pork shoulder, chopped into 3/8 inch pieces
1 pound beef flank steak, chopped very finely but not ground
1 teaspoon cumin, divided into two portions
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium white onion
6 6-inch long stalks celery, chopped
1 8 ounce can Ortega green chili salsa
1 8 ounce can Ortega green chile peppers, diced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon hot New Mexico chili powder
1 tablespoon medium New Mexico chili powder
1 heaping tablespoon mild New Mexico chili powder
water
salt to taste
 

Instructions:

Cook pork and beef in separate pans for 20 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon cumin to each skillet.
In a 6 quart sauce pan, combine tomato, garlic, onion, celantro, chili salsa, green chilies, oregano and Tabasco sauce. Make a paste, adding a small amount of water, with the three grades of chili powder and add it to the vegetable mixture in the saucepan. Cook this mixture 20 minutes.

Drain the juice from the meat, except 4 tablespoons and add the meat to the vegetable mixture. Cook about 1½ hours or until the meat is tender. Just prior to serving, add salt to taste.