Spicing up the new year

ALBERTON – The River Edge Steakhouse was filled with an assortment of aromas New Year’s Day as chilies simmered away at the resort’s second annual chili cook-off.

The cook-off started as a way for people to come together as a community at the start of the new year and was free to everyone who wanted to enter or participate. According to Shawn Hagle, co-owner of the River Edge Resort and the event’s organizer, the only entry fee was the chili.

“Just show up with a Crockpot of chili and we’ll give you a number,” said Hagle.

The event was advertised through Facebook and flyers posted around the area. There was no charge for anything beyond drinks and the River Edge covered all expenses. The resort put up prize money, with $10 donated to the winnings for each pot of chili entered.

“If we get 20 pots of chili, that’s $200 worth of prize money to be split between the categories,” said Hagle.

Between the restaurant’s lunch and dinner services, one corner of the combined dining room and bar had been reorganized for the cook-off’s use. The chairs had been removed and tables lined against a wall to create a second bar for the chili to be laid out on.

People from all over the area came to participate with competitors and judges from Superior to Missoula. All ages were welcome to participate, both as judges and competitors.

Nine chilies were entered into the competition, four of which were made with game meat. Just about every variety of chili was entered, from spicy to mild, light to dark, with an assortment of chunky or finely ground meats. A couple entries were made with the addition of beer or cheeses.

Along with the chili, cornbread was available to compliment the chili with a traditional side dish. While the River’s Edge Resort had already provided bread, some of the competitors brought some as well.

Everyone in attendance was welcome to judge and place one vote for each category. The cooks were honor-bound to not vote for themselves and steps were taken to ensure nobody knew whose chili was which with each chili assigned a number. The whole system was arranged so the only factor judges had to go off was the taste and appearance of each entry.

Some people just tasted each chili, while others treated the cook-off like a wine tasting and took time to catch every subtle flavor while notes were taken on each entry. Many people came back multiple times to compare different entries before a vote was cast. The cornbread was often used as a pallet cleanser between each sample.

The chilies were judged on three categories: Most Unique, Best Use of Game Meat and Best Overall. According to Hagle, game meat was defined as deer, elk, moose or other similar meats. These pots were specially marked so everyone knew which entries qualified for the game meat competition.

After approximately an hour of taste testing, Hagle took the votes to be counted and announced the results. The Most Unique and Best Use of Game Meat categories both received $20 prize money while the Best Overall got $50.

The Most Unique category was won by Sally Beall; the Best Use of Game Meat category was won by Tommy Micheletto; and the Best Overall category was won by Canyon Shope.