ANDREAS — Between bites of chili and sips of wine, more than 300 people discussed the qualities of their favorite chili worthy of winning the chili cook-off Saturday at Galen Glen Winery.
“I smoked the beef brisket for 16 hours at home on my smoker and that gives it that authentic wood smoke,” Brian Eager, Nazareth, winner of the cook-off, said of his chili entry.
The recipe featured three different beans, brewed coffee, all fresh ingredients and three different kinds of pepper.
“I’m a big cook; I actually thought about opening a restaurant,” Eager said. “It’s something fun to do, and I do most of the cooking at home anyway.”
While Eager had never entered a chili cook-off before, Julie Hamilton, last year’s second-place winner, returned with a new recipe in attempt to take first place.
Hamilton, North Hampton, was awarded second place again for a chili with “medium spice that hits you at the end.” She also provided cheese for optional topping to mellow out the spice.
The recipe Hamilton hoped to win the cook-off with featured chorizo, ground beef, Italian sausage and ground turkey along with four kinds of beans — light, dark, kidney and black — and 10 different kind of peppers. She also doesn’t add salt to her chili.
“I like a chili that’s full of flavor, not too spicy hot up front so you can’t taste the other flavors,” Hamilton said.
This year, Hamilton varied her recipe by using smoked paprika.
“I tasted the first place winner of the Allentown fair’s chili and it tasted smoky, so I wanted to incorporate that as something different this year,” she said.
Hamilton won 27 of 30 ribbons at the Allentown fair last year for her chili and also plans to attend culinary school in March.
Stephanie Shiffert, Slatington, took home third place with her venison chili.
A younger cook hoped to win the contest with her cellar red wine-based chili.
Veronica Whisner, 20, of Palmerton, has never competed in a chili-cook off before.
“I just entered to see if other people like my chili as much as I do,” Whisner said.
Her chili flavor comes from “all of the peppers (she) put in it,” she said. “The poblano (pepper) gives it a kick, but not too much.”
Whisner has been making her chili for about a year by trial and error.
“I tried sweet onion last time and I didn’t like it at all, so I stick with white onion now,” Whisner said.
A winning chili in Whisner’s opinion features a “good range of flavors, not too spicy but not too bland,” she said.
While seven chefs competed, Eager’s beef and brisket chili was overwhelmingly popular among the chattering tasters, including Megan Repsher, 31, of Lehighton.
“Number one and two are really close. The flavor is all-around really good,” Repsher said.
Smoking the beef first gave number two the top choice in Repsher’s list because of the “unique flavor” it gave it.
Shannon, 55, and Valarie Seckington, 54, both of Lehigh Valley, agreed that Eager’s chili was their favorite because of the smoky flavor it provided.
Valarie Seckington was teetering between chili No. 1 and No. 2 on the ballot, but chose to vote for chili No. 2 in the end.
“It has just enough spice, but it’s not overpowering and doesn’t get you at the end,” Valarie Seckington said.
Other fans of Eager’s chili included Melissa Renner, 21, of New York, and Robbie Daitzman, 22, of Lehigh Valley College.
The smoked brisket sent Renner and Daitzman over the edge to favor chili No. 2.
“The smoked brisket gives it a little spice, too,” Renner said.
The brewed coffee stood out on Daitzman’s taste buds to drive him to favor chili No. 2.
On the other hand, chili No. 4’s traditional taste pleased their friend, Lauren Walker, 21, of Lehigh Valley College, enough to choose that as her favorite.
“It tastes like what I think of chili,” she said.
This year marks the second chili-cook off at Galen Glen Winery.
“Last year was a lot of fun and successful,” Kathleen Matson, tasting room manager, said. “People were asking when can they enter again.”
Tasters were given a plate with seven numbers which marked where each chef would place their cup of chili. After tasting the chili and washing it down with their choice of a sample of cellar red or dry red Chambourcin wine, tasters filled out a slip on which their favorite chili’s were.
The first place winner received a $100 gift card to the winery, a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, second place received a $50 gift card to the winery and a bottle of wine and third place received a $25 gift card to the winery and two wine glasses. All other contestants received a $25 gift card to the winery.
All contestants were, by order of chili served, Hamilton; Eager; Cindy Lynn, Slatington; Chris Elliott, Deer Lake; Shiffert; Charles Billings, Palmerton; and Whisner.
