NO CONTEST!: ILLINOIS TOWN GAINING POPULARITY AS HOME TO AWARD-WINNING FOOD

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. -- Murphysboro may be known best as the birthplace of Memorial Day founder and Civil War general John A. Logan and for its blues and apple festivals.

The city is quickly making a culinary name for itself.

In the 1990s, the barbecue team from the 17th Street Bar & Grill won three grand championships at Memphis in May, a world-renown barbecue contest. More recently, Murphysboro attorney John C. Ryan's chili has gained national attention.

Ryan's Revenge, a chili recipe enlivened with mole poblano and lime juice, recently was one of five recipes chosen from 14,000 entries in a contest sponsored by Parade Magazine. Ryan and the other winners received $500, cookware and other prizes.

The recipe previously won a Midwest Living magazine contest for the best chili.

Ryan became serious about cooking chili 22 years ago when he started the Tex-Mex Chili Cookoff, a private party in which 300-400 people were invited to try out as many as 40 different chili entries. His chili won that contest three times.

The winning recipe is called Ryan's Revenge because it was developed in response to his wife, Marsha, winning the Tex-Mex Chili Cookoff one year. "She was bragging a little too much about it," Ryan says.

Marsha is a surgeon and, Ryan said, "a better cook than I am."

Mole, a Mexican sauce made of chilis, chocolate, tomatoes and ground nuts, and coriander are two of the ingredients that set his chili apart, Ryan said. He insists on using pure spices and orders his chili powder from Arizona or New Mexico to be sure the ingredients have no additives.

The chili has proven too spicy for some palates.

"I tend not to be bashful with chili peppers," he said.

The Apple City Barbecue Team is the only team to win three grand championships at the annual Memphis in May festival. Each time, the team won for its baby back ribs.

The barbecue team retired in 1994. "It's fun to go out on top," said Jerry Martin, manager of the 17th Street Bar & Grill.

Weekend nights, the waiting list at the popular restaurant has been known to grow 100 names long even though the building was expanded last year.

The restaurant is owned by Mike Mills, who also owns two Memphis Championship Barbecue restaurants in Las Vegas.

Bottles of the prize-winning barbecue sauce are available only at the restaurant, but Martin said the business is working on getting it into stores in the region.

Even though it no longer enters contests, the 17th Street Bar & Grill sponsors the Murphysboro Barbecue Championship each September.

Since the story appeared in Parade, Ryan has heard from many law school classmates who didn't know he could cook. A Murphysboro native wrote him from Metairie, La., to discuss chili. Last week, the judge congratulated him on his cooking prowess after court recessed.

"I guess you've got to be famous for something," Ryan says.

But he no longer makes Ryan's Revenge chili. He has moved on to a new recipe made with venison and black beans.

Ryan's 14-year-old son, Jack, is a good judge of whether a batch of chili is a good one. Ryan's daughter, Kit, is no help.

"She doesn't like chili, period," his said.

As for his wife?

"She recognizes this as the ultimate challenge," Ryan said.

RYAN'S REVENGE

Ingredients

1 1/2 12-ounce cans of beer

5 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary

1 3/4 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 medium-sized onions, chopped

1 1/2 Anaheim chili peppers, seeded and chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

4 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon green chili sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons mole poblano (in the supermarket's Mexican section)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Grated Monterey Jack cheese (for garnish), optional

Preparation

1. Combine the beer, chili powder, cumin, paprika, bouillon granules and oregano in a large heavy pot. Add 1 1/4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat.

2. Place 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stuck skillet over medium heat. Brown the meat in small batches, seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer the meat to the pot with a slotted spoon. Saut the onions, peppers and garlic over low heat, adding more oil if necessary, until softened, about 8 minutes, then remove to the pot.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, coriander, chili sauce, mole poblano and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.

4. Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Serve with grated cheese if desired.

Serving Info

Serves 8. Per serving: 477 calories, 13g carbohydrates, 32g protein, 32g fat, 104mg cholesterol.

SECRETS TO BETTER BARBECUE

Mike Mills, owner of the 17th Street Bar & Grill, offers the following barbecue tips:

* Start with a fresh, quality piece of meat with not more than a quarter inch of fat cover. A pork butt is a better value than a full shoulder. Beef brisket is a difficult piece of meat to cook because it is tough and the grain runs in different directions. A better choice is a pork roast, sirloin or top round.

* Apply a dry rub of spices prior to putting the meat on the fire and while cooking. Mills' dry rub, called Magic Dust, consists of 18 spices. A liquid sauce can be applied once the meat is cooking.

* Cook "low and slow." Mills' magic cooking temperature is 200-210 degrees. "I cook for a long number of hours," he says. "Most people don't want to take that amount of time." Most cooks barbecue in the 250-300 degree range, which is "very dangerous" at the upper end, Mills says. The meat will cook too fast. Mills cuts a hole in the bottom of his grill to insert a thermometer. He also advises putting the coals at one end of the grill and the meat at the other end.

* He uses charcoal as fuel with apple wood, hickory or a combination as the "side dress." Apple wood produces sweet smoke.