Texas Chili Cook-Off Ubud 2026: Chili Cookers Wanted!

Think your chili has what it takes to win?

The Annual Texas Chili Cook-Off is returning to The Melting Pot Saloon in Ubud in 2026, bringing together chili cookers, hungry tasters, live music and the Ubud community for one of our favourite events of the year.

And right now, we're looking for chili cookers. Whether you've spent years perfecting a secret recipe or simply believe your pot of chili can stand up against the competition, this is your chance to put it to the test.

For everyone else, come hungry. A tasting kit will be available for IDR 100,000, giving you the chance to taste the competing chilis and have your say in who deserves the People's Choice award.

Even better, proceeds from the tasting kits will go to Bumi Sehat Foundation, supporting an organisation with deep roots in the Ubud community. And while the chili competition heats up, John and The Jail Story will return to The Melting Pot with live country and rockabilly music.

Here's what you need to know about the 2026 Texas Chili Cook-Off in Ubud.

Texas Chili Cook-Off Ubud 2026 — Event Details

🌶️ Event: The Melting Pot Annual Texas Chili Cook-Off

📍 Where: The Melting Pot Saloon, Ubud, Bali

📅 Date: To be announced

🎟️ Chili Tasting Kit: IDR 100,000

❤️ Charity: Tasting kit proceeds will go to Bumi Sehat Foundation

🏆 Awards: People's Choice + Highest Scoring Chili

🎸 Live Music: John and The Jail Story

👨‍🍳 Chili Cookers: We're currently looking for competitors!

We'll update this page with the confirmed 2026 date, schedule and final competition information as soon as they're announced.

Chili Cookers Wanted!

This is where you come in. We're currently looking for chili cookers to compete in the 2026 Texas Chili Cook-Off. You don't need to run a restaurant or be a professional chef to have a chili worth entering.

Maybe it's a family recipe you've been making for years. Maybe you've developed your own version of Texas chili. Maybe you've got a secret spice combination nobody can figure out. Or maybe you simply make a damn good pot of chili and think you can beat everyone else. Whatever your story, we want to see what you bring to the table.

Competitors will put their chili in front of both the public and our judges, meaning there are two different ways to win. Interested in becoming one of this year's chili cookers? Contact The Melting Pot Saloon for the current entry information and competition requirements.

Two Competitions. Two Ways to Win.

This year, we're recognising two different winners.

🏆 The People's Choice

This one belongs to the crowd. Guests who purchase a tasting kit will be able to taste the competing chilis and decide which one deserves their vote. No judging sheets. No experts telling you what you should like.

Just one question:

Which chili would you go back for another bowl of?

The chili that wins over the tasters takes home the People's Choice award.

🏆 The Highest Scoring Chili

Winning over the crowd isn't the only challenge. A judging panel will also score the competing chilis to determine the Highest Scoring Chili of the competition.

That means a cooker could impress the public, impress the judges — or potentially do both.

We'll publish more information about the judging process and competition rules as the event gets closer.

Taste Every Chili for IDR 100,000

Not entering? Then you've got a much easier job. Eat chili.

Tasting kits will be available for IDR 100,000, allowing guests to sample the competing entries and take part in the People's Choice vote.

It's your opportunity to compare completely different approaches to the same dish. One might be smoky. Another might bring serious heat. Another might stay close to traditional Texas chili. And somebody will probably arrive with an ingredient nobody else saw coming.

Taste them, compare them and decide which cooker gets your vote.

But your IDR 100,000 tasting kit does more than get you chili.

Eat Chili. Support Bumi Sehat.

Proceeds from the tasting kits at this year's Chili Cook-Off will go to Bumi Sehat Foundation.

Bumi Sehat is a nonprofit organisation with deep roots in the local community around Ubud. Its work includes maternal and family healthcare, childbirth services, education and wider community support.

The organisation grew from midwifery and maternal-care work in Bali, eventually establishing a clinic in Nyuh Kuning near Ubud.

That makes this year's Chili Cook-Off about more than deciding who makes the best bowl.

By buying a tasting kit, you'll be supporting the work of an organisation that has spent decades serving families and communities in Bali and beyond.

Live Music from John and The Jail Story

Chili tastes better with a little country music.

John and The Jail Story will be back at The Melting Pot for this year's Cook-Off, bringing their country and rockabilly sound to the event. If you joined us for the previous Cook-Off, you'll already know them. If you didn't, expect a soundtrack that fits naturally into a Texas Chili Cook-Off at a saloon.

So while the chili cookers battle over spices, meat and secret ingredients, you can grab your tasting kit, find your favourite entry and enjoy live music throughout the event. Full performance times will be added once the 2026 schedule is confirmed.

So, What Exactly Is a Texas Chili Cook-Off?

The idea is beautifully simple. Different cooks prepare their own chili recipes. Then those recipes go head-to-head.

But the simplicity disappears pretty quickly once you start talking to the cooks. Everyone has their own idea of what makes great chili: the meat, chili peppers, spice blend, texture, heat level, cooking time and, occasionally, an ingredient they're absolutely refusing to tell you about.

That's why tasting several entries side-by-side is so much fun. They're all called chili. They definitely don't all taste the same.

Why Is There a Texas Chili Cook-Off in Ubud?

Because The Melting Pot isn't only putting on a Texas-themed event once a year. We're a Texas-style saloon in Ubud. Texas influences the venue, food and atmosphere throughout the year, so bringing a classic Texas community tradition to Bali makes sense for us.

The Cook-Off takes that connection and opens it up to everybody. Locals. Expats. Travellers. Professional cooks. Home cooks. People who know everything about chili. And people who simply bought a tasting kit because they were hungry. For a few hours, they all have something to argue about together. Who made the best chili?

A Chili Cook-Off With History in Ubud

This isn't our first time doing it. The Annual Texas Chili Cook-Off has become a recurring Melting Pot tradition, bringing chili cookers and the Ubud community together around food, competition, music and fundraising.

Previous Cook-Offs have also featured John and The Jail Story and supported Bumi Sehat, so both returning this year continues a connection between the event, live music and the local community.

And every Cook-Off adds something to the story. Different recipes. Different competitors. Different winners. And probably a few arguments over whether somebody's chili counts as “real Texas chili.”

Make a Day of It at The Melting Pot

The chili might be the main event, but you don't have to leave once you've found your favourite. The Melting Pot Saloon is also home to pool, darts, shuffleboard, axe throwing, ping pong, foosball and many more other games.

We show live sports across multiple screens, serve Texas-style and pub food, and have 23 beers on tap, including 19 craft beers. So bring some friends, taste the chili, vote for your favourite, listen to the band and stick around for the rest of the day.

Join the 2026 Texas Chili Cook-Off in Ubud

There are two ways to get involved this year.

Think you can cook?

We're looking for chili cookers now.

Bring your recipe and put it up against the competition for a chance to win the People's Choice or become the Highest Scoring Chili according to our judges.

Prefer eating?

We can work with that too. Grab an IDR 100,000 tasting kit, try the competing chilis and cast your People's Choice vote. Your tasting kit proceeds will support Bumi Sehat Foundation, while you get the considerably easier task of deciding which chili deserves to win.

Add live music from John and The Jail Story, a Texas saloon in the middle of Ubud and a room full of people arguing about chili, and we've got the ingredients for another Cook-Off.

Come hungry.

Texas Chili Cook-Off Ubud 2026 — FAQ

When is the 2026 Texas Chili Cook-Off in Ubud?

The 2026 Texas Chili Cook-Off will take place at The Melting Pot Saloon in Ubud before the end of the year. The exact date is still to be announced and will be added to this page once confirmed.

Are you looking for chili cookers?

Yes. We're currently looking for chili cookers for the 2026 competition. Contact The Melting Pot Saloon for current entry information and competition requirements.

How much does chili tasting cost?

A tasting kit will cost IDR 100,000 and will allow guests to taste the competing chilis and participate in the People's Choice vote.

Where does the tasting kit money go?

Proceeds from the tasting kits will go to Bumi Sehat Foundation, a nonprofit organisation whose work includes maternal and family healthcare, childbirth services, education and community support.

How is the winner decided?

There will be two winners. The People's Choice will be decided by the tasters, while the Highest Scoring Chili will be determined through judging by a judging panel.

Will there be live music?

Yes. John and The Jail Story will perform at the 2026 Chili Cook-Off. The performance time will be announced with the full event schedule.

Where is the Chili Cook-Off?

The event will take place at The Melting Pot Saloon on Jl. Raya Pengosekan (Hanoman) No. 22X in Ubud, Bali.