What a year it was at the hot sauce contest–the temperature was 111°F at 5 pm, just 1 degree short of Austin’s all time record high of 112! And still somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 people showed up.
“If you want to beat the heat, you’ve got to eat the heat!” is a slogan coined by Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival MC-for-life Bryan Beck. Eating the heat is exactly what the preliminary judges do. Each of the 300 to 400 salsas submitted each year is tasted by several judges–if 3 of the judges give an entry the thumbs up, then it passes on to the finals where it is thoughtfully critiqued by the final judges–a panel of chefs and food professionals.
The three guys at the head of the table, Henry Alvarado (left) Carlos Conteras (right) and Fred Alvarado (seated next to Carlos) are the wily veterans of the preliminary judging. In the 21 year history of the contest, Henry has only missed once. At least one of the trio, known collectively as “The El Paso Boys,” has been at every single competition.
A list of winners for this year’s contest will be posted on the Austin Chronicle’s Hot Sauce page later today or early tomorrow.
This event looks like lots of fun, I wish I could have been there.