There’s mild, medium and hot and “someone bring me a fire extinguisher — I just ate molten lava.”

Of course, there’s meat: beef, pork, venison … maybe a bit of bear, you never know.

The classic dish, in all its glory and variety, will be on display Oct. 13 at the 38th annual Fort Dodge Chili Lover’s Society Chili Cook-off at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village in Fort Dodge.

The contest begins at 7 a.m. when the cooks get to select their spot and set up. Fires, be they propane or wood, are lit at 8 a.m.

-Messenger file photo
Snow covers the trophies from Chili Cookoffs past at the table for the Hamson Devils team. Joel Hamlow, center, and Josh Mason, not pictured, won the award for best showmanship, at center. They also took home first prize in the judges’ taste testing competition, awarded later. The forecast for this year’s event calls for sunny skies and temps in the mid-50s.

The first contest is at 10 a.m. where salsa samples from the cooks will be judged.

At 11 a.m. Mojo Productions will start the entertainment and at 12 p.m. each team of cooks will perform their chili-themed skits. Past year’s have included comedy routines, poems and musical odes to chili.

At 1 p.m., the public chili judging starts. The $5 entry fee gets each person a cup and ballots to sample the cooks’ efforts and vote on their favorite.

The volunteer judges, said to be completely impartial, will do their work in secrecy from 1 to 4 p.m.

So how fast can you eat chili?

For those who believe they can eat a lot, quickly, the chili speed eating contest is at 3 p.m.

Justin Goodno, who helps organize the event, cautions that staying back a few feet is actually a good idea.

“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s always kind of a mess. The contestants end up wearing most of it though.”

At 4 p.m. the trophies will be handed out. There are first-, second- and third-place judges besttasting chili, a people’s choice award and the Wayne Goodno award for best showmanship. There will also be first- and second-place awards for best salas.

The long running beans vs. no beans debate has long since been settled at the cook-off.

“While traditional chili has no beans,” Goodno said. “We have long since gotten rid of that rule. Beans, they’re more than welcome.”

Cooks can find an entry form on the Fort Dodge Chili Lover’s Society Facebook page or by calling (515) 570-6162.