2018 Chili Cookoff!

Mike Singleton, NC Pickle Festival chili Cookoff winner being interviewed by reporters from Mount Olive Tribune and The Mount Olive Messenger. Reporter on left is William Holloman and reporter on right is Steve Herring.

As the cool weather sets in here in North Carolina, it’s the perfect time to start practicing and perfecting your chili recipes for the 2018 Chili Cookoff! The Chili Cookoff is a huge hit each year and provides a little extra spice for the NC Pickle Festival. Last year’s Chili Cookoff winner, Mike Singleton from Havelock, NC, even went on to compete on the international level at the World Chili Cookoff. He placed in the Top Ten and received honorable mention!

This year’s Chili Cookoff will be a two-day event and will have three categories, versus one category like the years prior.

Friday Night – Homestyle Chili
Homestyle Chili is the cook’s favorite combination of ingredients resulting in a dish seasoned with chili peppers and spices. The use of beans is REQUIRED for this category and garnishes should not be used.

Saturday – Traditional Red Chili
Traditional Red Chili is any kind of meat or combination of meats cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients. BEANS and PASTA are strictly forbidden and, again, garnishes should not be used.

Saturday – Salsa
There are no rules as to the ingredients or how to prepare your salsa other than it MUST be homemade (and delicious!).

There will be a People’s Choice award given to one entry on Friday for the Homestyle Chili category and one on Saturday for the Red Chili category.