The Epic Outdoor Food Fest In Texas You Simply Cannot Miss

It's no secret that we're big on food here in Texas, especially things like barbecue, chicken-fried steak, and chili (without beans, of course.) If you're a fan of the latter, you'll be pleased to know that there's an entire week-long festival dedicated to chili each fall in our state. The Terlingua International Chili Championship is held annually on the first week of November, and the festivities range from the all-important cook-off to vendors of all sorts of foods. What's better than a warm bowl of chili on a cold West Texas fall night? I can think of few things that compare.

Every year on the first Wednesday of November, a four-night celebration of great food, music, and a backdrop of the towering Chisos Mountains.

On Friday, anyone who's up for the challenge can try their hand at bean, wing, and salsa cook-offs before the big chili competition the next day.

The entire week culminates on Saturday with the Terlingua International Chili Championship - easily the biggest and most prestigious chili cook-off in the country and possibly the world.

Hundreds of vendors fight tooth and nail to concoct the most mouthwatering batch of chili to impress even the toughest of critics.

The best part? Even if you're not competing, you can enjoy samples from all the contenders and leave the festival full and happy (and luckily not gassy since we wouldn't dare put beans in our chili here in Texas).

For more information, you can visit the festival's website.

Have you ever been to the International Chili Cook-Off? Do you remember who served your favorite chili?