If you were anywhere near the Spirit Lake Casino on Sunday, Feb. 9 before the Super Bowl, you might’ve smelled some delicious chili. That was, of course, the annual Super Bowl Chili Cookoff hosted by the casino. Six contestants entered the cookoff with monetary prizes given to first through fifth place.
Past years have seen chilis of all kinds from mild, spicy, meaty, packed with vegetables, thick, thin, and many others. They all compete to see who has a chili that would be best for a Super Bowl party.
The judges included John Tollefson, Tommy Delong, James Pacheco, Ricky Belgrade, and the Journal’s own Andrew Benjamin.
Judges were instructed to consider the following: good flavoring and chili pepper taste (not too hot or not too mild), the texture of the meat (not too tough or not too mushy), consistency (not too thick or not too thin), the blend of the spices and how well they have permeated the meat, aroma, and color. The final consideration was “If I had to eat only one type of chili for the rest of my life which bowl on the table would I choose?”
A sample from each chili was placed in a small cup and passed to each of the judges. Each judge inspected and smelled the chili. Each judge then tasted the chili and scored in each of the consideration categories on a scale from 1-10.
The winners were as follows:
1st Place: Galen Delorme – $400
2nd Place: Wyatt Jetty – $300
3rd Place: Darwin Three Irons – $200
4th Place: Valerie Yankton – $150
5th Place: Lorena Brown-Joshua – $100
Congratulations to all the winners!
