The 7th annual Hoboken Chili and Home Brewing Contest was a foodie’s paradise. From vegetarian chili to pulled pork chili to Nebraska chili to the winning batch of Italian inspired chili, this was a non-profit event with plenty of heat.
To quench that sizzle were numerous home brewed beers, happily shared to the over 21 crowd, while the underage set - and plenty of adults - cooled off with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
Winner (voted for by the fans who attended and tasted all the chili offerings) Andrew Greenberg, a Hoboken resident and native of Glen Ridge, offered up his “Netflix and Chili” concoction with more than a dash of Italia. Also with him was his teammate, sous chef and creative singage foodie, who had the idea to join the competition, Gary Levinson.
“I used pancetta, hot sausage, sweet sausage, cannelloni beans, pepperoni, beef, jalapeno , red pepper, San Marzano Tomatoes, and secret fresh seasonings, all topped with soft fresh mascarpone cheese, fresh basil and parmigiana cheese,” he noted, smiling.
As a taster - and the mother of this wildly creative chef - I am used to being wowed. The texture, which is so important to me, was perfect - not mushy but instead a perfect marriage of the beans, meats and other ingredients, with no one flavor overpowering my palate. The San Marzano tomatoes really added a definite punch to the chili, but in a subtle way that kept me going back for more. I loved the cool and soothing taste of the mascarpone cheese, which was deftly placed on one side of the sampling cup, along with the fresh chopped basil.
Other chili chefs were also quite impressive. Three of the chili creators served up their own delightful, memorable versions of pulled pork chili. One version had a sweet kick and was served over a teeny piece of corn bread and like it’s cousin version, also created by Nebraska cooks, had plenty of fresh corn to add a sweet crunch. The second Nebraska chili, with a solid blast of heat, was served over teeny pieces of cinnamon rolls. This was beyond delicious!
Nearby, another pulled pork chili was also outstanding, with wonderful tender bits of pulled pork on hand as well. The pulled pork imparts such a nice bit of chew to your bite, and the sweetness mixed with the spiciness was outstanding and addictive. These chili dishes were all 100 times better than any I’ve tasted in restaurants in New Jersey or New York, made with great passion and attention to the layering of incredible flavors.
Vegetarian chili made its appearance as well, and was a solid success, filled with plenty of lovely veggies and beans to boot. It was wonderful to see the vegetarian couple, a husband and wife, sharing their lovely healthy version.
The hand brewed beer was incredible, and the organizers handed out adorable glass mini beer tasting glasses, which helped to keep the tasting ongoing and fun.
One of the beers, called Die Brewing based in Hoboken, run by Mark, Laura and Kyle, was my favorite, and if anyone is looking to invest in a hot young new company, this is the one to call.
And, for all you ice cream lovers, there is a new flavor in town: Bourbon brown butter ice cream, made with Bourbon brown butter ice cream with dark chocolate whiskey cordial cups and a bourbon brown butter swirl. Wow!
The three judges had their hands - and mouths - full. I asked them how the heck they would pick a winner, and one of them laughed, saying they would judge by taste, appearance, etc, but also something else: the “Holy Ghost” - a pun referring to the location of this incredible non-profit event, at the Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken.The judges had the honor to choose a judge's favorite - the delicious chili called "Bangkok Blast".
As per Andrew’s secret recipe, even a reporter can’t seem to sway him to share it - yet.
But rest assured, I have my ways!
Updates to follow.
To learn more about the non-profit group that runs this event, visit HobokenVolunteers.com.
