A little bit of the Wild West will be back in the Inglewood over the weekend.

Dust off your Stetson and dig out the lariat. The rodeo is back in town.

Bronco bustin’ in Inglewood? That’s right. The 1992 Great Western Rodeo and Chili Cookoff this weekend is scheduled to bring a little taste of the Wild West back to the South Bay.

Bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, bull riding and other events fill out the rodeo program beginning today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Cow-punching daredevils from across the country are expected to gather for a chance to test their courage and skill in riding contests that require them to cling a wildly bucking horse or bull for eight seconds without being thrown.

In blind dates with fate, riders are computer-matched with their animals. On Sunday, one cowboy will be selected to test a bull that has never been ridden for a chance to snag the contest’s $5,000 prize.

On Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., visitors can mosey over to the rodeo’s first chili cook-off sponsored in association with the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce.

For chefs who think the cook-offs are simply weekend folly, chief chili judge Norm Gaul sets the record straight.

“It’s serious, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said.

The culinary contest, sanctioned by the International Chili Society, will feature about 20 cooks vying for $850 in prizes, including a $500 first-place award.

The event follows the strict rules of the society. Chili must be completely created on site, and no beans or fillers may be used. Judges will be looking for distinct chili pepper taste, well-blended spices, pleasing aroma and consistency in the meat and sauce.

A winning bowl of chili must appeal to every hungry cowpuncher, so it can be neither too hot nor too mild, Gaul said.

“A good bowl of chili, everybody likes,” he said.

Competitors will arrive early to decorate booths that will identify their recipes with names such as “Classical Gas Chili” and “Body Bagger Chili.” After three hours of preparation and cooking, judges will taste-test one quart of chili from each contestant.

Although visitors will be able to watch the chefs work, wranglers with an appetite will need to turn to the rodeo’s chili chuck wagon and other food booths. Competition chili is not for sale, said Mark Devenport, event spokesman.

Live entertainment will accompany the cook-off beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday with ballads from the vocal group La Bahia, followed by country soul from KACE (103.9) disc jockey Mike Mann and his Night Riders and classic country from Karen Tobin and the Crazy Hearts.

Also on the weekend’s program: Country swing dance finalists who have survived several weeks of local competition will take the floor Saturday night and two-step for a $500 grand prize; the Miss Chili Pepper and Mr. Hot Sauce “beauty” contests; a classic car show, and an antique fire engine exhibit.

Two members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team also will be on hand, shooting hoops for their charity, Smooth and Special Inc., an organization that provides basketball camp scholarships for disadvantaged youth.

What: Great Western Rodeo and Chili Cookoff.

When: Today through Sunday.

Where: Great Western Forum, 3900 W. Manchester at Prairie Avenue, Inglewood.

Admission: Rodeo tickets are $5, $10 and $15. Chili Cookoff and entertainment are free.

Information: (310) 419-3182.