Yesterday was the Jersey City Chili Cook-off on 4th Street. There was chili, music, and artsy vendors. All I could think about was Homer at the Springfield chili cook-off with the spoon he carved from a bigger spoon (and there were no hallucinatory peppers grown my inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum).

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it over to the event until late in the afternoon, and most of the chili was already gone. I still paid my 5 dollars to taste what was left, which was eight or nine entries. With most of the crowd already gone, I was able to go back for seconds and thirds (fourths in some cases).

Out of the few remaining chilis, I was impressed. They offered a nice variety of flavor. I was disappointed that none were particularly spicy though. My favorite was the one made with Thai peppers (which I also use in my chili) and cocoa powder–it would’ve been even better if the sauce wasn’t so thick. There was even an entry made with Dr. Pepper, which was surprisingly good.
Next year someone needs to remind me to go earlier.