I enjoyed taste-testing chili last week at Schomackers Home Galleries where family members (who happen to be business partners) competed for bragging rights to the best recipe.
Brothers Joe and Tony Schomacker and their dad, Randy, were chili cooks, and Sharon baked sweets to sell on the side. The whole thing raised money for local charity.
To make it more interesting, the three crockpots of simmering chili were labeled A, B, and C to discourage voting along party or friendship lines.
Unencumbered by personal or professional loyalties, my taste buds were free to speak their preference, one Styrofoam cup at a time
Option A had a creative texture with chunks of beef and pork among the lentils. The flavor had a hint of what I described as dill that at first caught in my throat. While I liked the meaty texture, it reminded me more of a hearty goulash than chili.
Option B had a rich, smoky taste at first sip, but after a couple more bites, the back of my neck began to perspire. In terms of texture this pot, with finely ground beef and sparse lentils, lacked the visual appeal of its competitors.
Option C was nothing like options A and B.
It was more diverse, with big chunks of unbroken ground beef – almost like mini meatballs. Visible among them were roughly cut onions and tomatoes in a sauce noticeably redder and much sweeter than the other two.
Having never been a chili cook-off judge, it occurred to me halfway through Option B, that I might be violating unwritten rules.
For example, I used the same ladle to dip from crockpots B and C … did it cross-contaminate the entries?
Also, we were supposed to taste samples, like the splash of wine in the bottom of glass at wine tasting.
After the first two samples (which were closer to serving sizes), I hoped I had left enough for others to try.
There was a lot more to this process than I anticipated, and when I was finished, I realized there was something expected of me.
A vote.
Despite all the tasting, I found myself at a loss for a favorite. Would I vote for A, B or C? Why did I have to choose just one? Each was so unique and different, like comparing apples and oranges.
Ultimately, I cast my ballot for Option C, but then stuffed some extra cash in the donation box and took two full Styrofoam cups — one with C and one with B — and mixed them together.
While enjoying the perfect combination of sweet and smoky chili, I jotted down ideas for Schomacker’s next chili cook-off.
1. Invite Take 16 to introduce new brews to cleanse palettes between chili comparisons. …
2. Invite Larry Lanphere and Dave Smith to compete for best local truffles.
3. Invite Wildflowers Boutique to introduce new coffee blends to wash down the chocolate.
By the way, Take 16 is hosting a chili cook-off Saturday for anyone who wants to bring a Crock-Pot of their best recipe.
Text Jacki at 605-228-0142 to sign up and visit take16beer.com for details.
Results from Schomacker chili cook-off are: Option A (Tony) garnered 50 percent of the votes, Option C (Randy) took 24 percent and Option B (Joe) got 16 percent. In all, they raised roughly $450 for local nonprofits.