Editor's Note: The Content Management System program used to build this article does not properly translate the tilde over the "n" in Jalapeno, so it has been omitted. Believe me, Gwyneth knows how to spell this pepper. Photo above by Harald Zoschke. Photos below by Gwyneth. --Dave DeWitt
On the Saturday before Labor Day I drove out to Sky City Casino at Acoma Pueblo for the 2006 World Championship Jalapeno Competition, an event attended by about 100 people, but nevertheless officially sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). It was the most awe-inspiring, uvula-tickling, gut-churning spectacle I have ever witnessed in what I must say is a long personal history of watching people eat. There were moments when I could only peek through cracks in the fingers I had clenched over my eyes, and there were moments when my lunch only stayed down because of the fingers clenched over my mouth.
Fewer than half of the competitors were New Mexicans, including a woman from Acoma Pueblo and a dealer from the casino; the rest were "pros," regular competitive eaters who had honed their gut-stuffing skills over years of IFOCE competitions like the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
The Contestants Dig In According to Matt Rizzetta of the IFOCE, searingly hot and outrageously acidic pickled jalapenos present one of the most difficult challenges in competitive eating. "Jalapeno is one of the most prestigious competitions," Rizzetta says, explaining why so many pros showed up at Acoma Pueblo. "There are a few things that pros take into consideration when choosing a contest, one is location and the other is prestige."
Shortly after 4 p.m., wearing official Sky City Sabor Caliente aprons, pros and locals all gathered in the casino parking lot, lined up behind a long row of folding tables and armed with nothing more than their appetites. As the crowd counted down from 10, these so-called "gurgitators" sized up the plates of pickled jalapenos laid out before them. Friends and family yelled encouragements to some of the local hopefuls, who looked alternately nervous and gigglingly game. The pros had their game faces on. They were focused, intense, pale and sweaty.
Once the contest had commenced it became clear what separated the amateurs from the pros. The amateurs were actually eating the jalapenos, taking bites and chewing thoroughly, while the pros just inhaled. They stuffed and stuffed and stuffed their faces full like chipmunks, pausing only to wash down the chile mash with their chosen beverages: water, Gatorade, iced tea, Diet Coke and…chocolate milk.
The chocolate milk was chugged by mohawked 20-year-old Pat Bertoletti, a relative newcomer to the sport who had never competed with jalapenos before, but who does hold records in Key lime pie (almost 11 pounds of pie in 8 minutes) and corned beef and cabbage (nearly 6 pounds in 10 minutes). The fourth-ranked competitive eater in the world, Bertoletti was a favorite to win at Acoma.
After a few minutes, all of the eaters started to show signs of wear. They began to take deep breaths. A few decided to stand, rather than sit, perhaps to allow for more expansion in their bellies. Their faces took on pained looks. Bertoletti, who rocked out with his iPod on throughout the contest, looked only slightly bothered, as though he couldn't quite decide whether to have Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey for dessert later.
Halfway through the contest it got pretty rough. Sweat ran down the chile-eaters' brows and dripped into their eyes, mingled their with tears and spilled onto their cheeks before joining the flow of snot running from their noses right into their mouths. Suddenly, Erik the Red, a 20-something professional eater from Seattle, stood up. His eyes were pressed tightly shut and beads of perspiration making his skin glisten like the sides of a soda can on a hot day. His cheeks were packed full, stretched taut like two water balloons about to burst and as he clasped his hand over his mouth, so did I. The juice of dozens of pickled jalapenos began to seep from the cracks between his fingers. "Noooooooo!" the crowd yelled.
Erik the Red holds back a "reversal of fortune" while Pat Bertoletti washes down a mouthful of jalapenos with chocolate milk. Carlene LeFevre, the wife of jalapeno competitor Rich "The Locust" LeFevre, shouted words of encouragement to Erik, along with Pat and her husband. Carlene is a competetive eater herself, having won Sky City's posole eating contest in 2004 (she put down 109.75 ounces in 12 minutes). Rich, a 60-year-old retired CPA, had his face level with his plate and was using both hands to cram jalapenos in his mouth. Ranked 8th in the world, "The Locust" holds records for SPAM (6 pounds in 12 minutes), birthday cake (5 pounds in 11 minutes 26 seconds), and huevos rancheros (nearly 8 pounds in 10 minutes).
As LeFevre feverishly shoveled, Erik The Red's crisis seemed to pass. He had narrowly avoiding what the IFOCE affectionately terms a "reversal of fortune." As the 15 minute mark drew near, several contestants came dangerously close to reversal.
When time was up, it was too close to call between Bertoletti and LeFevre. The contestants all lingered, looking pained and ill as they wiped their faces and awaited the results. When "Jalapeno" Jed Donahue darted away from the table, we weren't sure where he was going—until we all heard a really, really loud splash hitting asphalt. The crowd collectively groaned, and when Donahue returned to the table there was some confusion about whether or not he would be disqualified.
In the end it was determined that Pat Bertoletti had put down 177 pickled jalapenos, a feat rewarded with the $1,000 grand prize. Rich LeFevre came in second, having shoveled in a total of 155. Even though he chucked much of what he'd eaten, "Jalapeno" Jed still won third prize for eating 144. Erik The Red, who did manage to keep it all in, took fourth after eating 107, and "Buffalo" Jim Reeves took home fifth place and $150 for eating 74 pickled jalapenos in 15 minutes.
Famous SHACK barbeque sauce recipe (Little Rock, Arkansas): - BBQ, tasty, tangy, and unforgettable.
SHACK barbeque sauce goes well as a marinate, sauce on any meat. The secret barbeque (BBQ) sauce recipe was given to me by a long time employee , over 5,800 printed copies were mailed to 38 states and 14 foreign countries after I mentioned it on the radio, and since the Internet it has gone virtually everywhere.
It is somewhat 'hot', adjustable to suite your tastes, but initially stick to the recipe', even though it APPEARS to be excessive (pepper for instance). The amounts reflect the size most ingredients come in at the grocery store. As it stands it makes about a gallon or more. I see no reason it would not survive reducing, but I have always used as gifts, and have never attempted cutting it down.
Over the years, the feedback has been overwhelming, and the whole, growing, tale and experience connected with this delightful stuff fascinates me. After you brew your batch, and have passed it out, served it, and gotten "hooked', drop me an E-mail as I collect the stories.
By the way, there is no 'hook', scam, follow-up, sales pitch, or other underhanded motive here, other than my toying with the idea of writing a book about the convoluted meanderings and travels of this exquisite juice. I was in broadcasting for over 30 years, originated and participated in countless 'promotions' and gimmicks...the SHACK sauce saga turned out bigger than all of them, and it was never connected to any deal in any way. (So much for skilled promotion managers;-)
So, GO, now into the kitchen, and make history. If you are so inclined, you have my permission to outright LIE and claim the sauce is your own concoction, but this might have the effect of splintering the and obscuring the history and adventures I'm collecting.
Enjoy! dp
Wet Stuff
Mix in a large bowl:
3 - 24 ounce bottle of ketchup (catsup) Use the plastic ones, we will refill after making sauce.
Fill with hot water, swoosh around and dump contents into bowl. Folks have asked: HOW MUCH WATER? Fill all three bottles, and dump all into 'Wet Stuff' (For original recipe use Grapette from Wal Mart- see 'additional notes').
Pour in plain ole cheap vinegar. "THE" recipe calls for just less than a quart, do not sweat this. use anywhere from a pint to a quart, strangely, this amount has scant effect on final product.
Put "wet stuff' in a LARGE pan, put heat on "high" by the time it is approaching a boil, you will have "dry stuff' prepared.
Dry Stuff:
Since you dumped wet stuff out of bowl, why not use for 'dry'? Into bowl, dump:
1 - 4 ounce can of chili powder 1 - 4 ounce can of black pepper 1 - 4 ounce can of garlic salt (SALT, NOT garlic powder!!!) 1/2 cup - sugar (is the ORIGINAL amount, why not TRY that, and adjust to your very own taste after 'brewing' mess up...likewise with Tabasco. See below) 1 - small Tabasco (anywhere from 1 to 4 ounces..start with about 1 oz...you can 'play' to taste after whole mess is completed. 1 - small mustard (size of an apple, just regular ole smear on a hotdog yeller mustard)
Stir ...btw, easier to put the mustard in last, and just swirl around till it looks like chocolaty brown tar.
Simmer
Dump all this stuff into pan on stove now approaching a simmer if you have been quick, and if you rinsed out the catsup with HOT water;-)
stir enough to make it evenly liquid...bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer.
30 minutes, (stir fairly often to avoid sticking).. during which the vinegar will bring sweat to your forehead, and tears to your eyes...think ventilation here.
Finish
That is it. Remove from heat, pour back into bottles you saved, unfortunately, you will have an excess of sauce. Improvise, all life has dry rot.
You now have a LOT of sauce. I always do, and find it MOST welcome as a gift.
BTW, there is no need to refrigerate your sauce supply, even if you inhabit hot and humid southern climes! Apparently mischievous microbes refrain from causing problems in gratitude for being immersed in this tomato based necter, or are immobilized by the ingredients rendering them deliciously inert.
Additional Notes
Do it this way the first time, later, you may substitute Grapette, for the water (seriously) SHACK DID for several decades ... for total authenticity you can obtain Grapette from Wal Mart
I add about a cup of sugar to my sauce, but this is heresy, and practice has strong adherents and detractors.
Likewise minced onions, NOT authentic, but can be pleasant.
Do NOT futz with the amount of black pepper. I KNOW it sounds like a lot. Trust me on this.
Also remember garlic SALT, not garlic powder!! several folks got this wrong, actually the sauce wasn't bad, but they were not fit as shipmates for WEEKS.
Do NOT judge 'heat', as in taste, by sipping off spoon from pot, even if you were stingy with the Tabasco. Dunk a piece of bread into sauce and sample that way. http://www.ibdjohn.com/shack/
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