Keeping the spice in their marriage Londonderry couple sizzles on chili competition circuit

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June 18, 2008

By Eric Parry

LONDONDERRY — Just like "Iron Chef" Mario Batali, Michael Kropp wears orange Crocs when he cooks.

And just like the famous Italian chef, Kropp uses nothing but the best ingredients whether he's cooking dinner at his Londonderry home or cooking a batch of his award-winning chili on the International Chili Society circuit.

"This is an ingredient that's going into my dinner, I want it to be the best it can be," Kropp said of his finely tuned mix of spices, beef and tomatoes that earned him fourth place at the World Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Kropp, a software engineer who works in Manchester, said he makes his chili the way people expect chili to taste.

That means no secret ingredients or fancy cooking techniques. Of course, that doesn't mean it always turns out the same.

At the New Hampshire State Championships at Alvirne High School on June 7, Kropp took fifth place in the red chili competition but his wife, Mary Alice, took second. A day later, Kropp did a little better and placed third but he still lost to his wife, who swept the competition.

The weather is always a factor when cooking outside under a tent, he said. And then again, sometimes things just don't work out and there's no good reason why.

Even though the Kropps are serious about their chili out on the circuit, it's not a dish they ever cook at home anymore.

"The first year I competed we got sick of chili," said Kropp, who began competing in 2002 and cooked it once a week trying to perfect his recipe.

The red chili competition is always the most intense, but the Kropps say they take the chili verde and salsa competitions very seriously. Chili verde, which is more commonly found in the Southwest, is usually a lighter chili with a green color that uses pork and tomatillos instead of beef and tomatoes.

Kropp and his wife use very similar recipes but have subtle differences they say make each dish unique to their own tastes. Kropp likes to use pork shoulder in his chili verde but his wife prefers to use the loin, which takes less time to prepare and is easier to cut.

Even though the Kropps said it's a lot of fun to spend the weekends traveling to chili competitions around the East Coast, it takes hours of work to perfect the 8 gallons of chili they usually make for a cook-off.

"The week of a cook-off there's something to do every night," Kropp said.

After spending hours in the local grocery store buying produce and meat, Kropp said it takes him about three hours to cut the meat into little cubes. Then he's still got to spend another couple of hours mixing spices and preparing vegetables for the salsa and chili verde.

"People are just amazed we don't have a restaurant and we just do it as a hobby," said Mary Alice Kropp, who says they sometimes have to travel to a couple of grocery stores to find the best ingredients.