An old-new chili eating champion was crowned on Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday. Joey Chestnut, the biggest name in the sanctioned world of competitive eating, returned to Washington to swallow more chili than anyone else. The win regained him the the title of World Champion (at least in chili eating) and a $1,750 cash prize.
Chestnut consumed 1.875 gallons of Ben’s Chili Bowl chili in six minutes, keeping his yellow t-shirt cleaner than you would expect. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how gross a spectacle you would want to see), bowls could not surpass a 45-degree angle, which mean no one could chug it as if it were some sort of horrible meat smoothie.
“I hold the bowl close and keep doing the same thing over and over again; boom, boom boom,” Chestnut explained of his winning strategy. “Swallow a little bit at a time and don’t stop. As soon as you stop, it’s hard to ignore your body’s feelings telling you to stop.”
Chestnut had to take 2013 off due to other eating commitments, giving Bob Shoudt—aka The Notorious BOB—and Alexandria’s Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas a burping chance. Shoudt took home last year’s prize in overtime. This year, Shoudt managed 1.625 gallons, good enough for second place. Thomas and Juliet Lee of Gaithersburg finished third and fourth respectively, the only other eaters to clear one gallon. Chestnut committed in his victory speech to returning in 2015 with sights set higher than merely winning.
“I should have done a little bit more,” Chestnut rued. “Next year there’s definitely room for improvement and I’ll break the record.” That record would be the 2.125 gallons he put down in Orlando, Fl. earlier this year.
Chestnut chalked part of his success this weekend up to Ben’s secret recipe, which he is a fan of.
“Ben’s is great. I do another chili contest and I’m not ashamed to say it—this is a better chili. This one is a capacity contest. My capacity is great and when I like the flavor of the food, no one can touch me.”
The contest was a featured event at this past weekend’s Taste of D.C. festival, which saw Pennsylvania Avenue NW lined with restaurant tents, food trucks, and the chili contest stage. Complementing their Hummus House pop-up in Georgetown, Sabra passed out tubs of Greek Yogurt dip. British Airways flew Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone in from England to share bites specifically designed for flying, where altitude, humidity, and cabin pressure reduce the ability to smell and taste, meaning that the dishes must reheat well and be jammed with a little bit of extra flavor to shine through.
Pro-tip: the trick to memorable carrots at 30,000 feet is to cook them in duck fat along with seaweed braised brisket. Flight attendants even passed out English stout-braised beef short ribs on vol-au-vents, and pumpkin ratatouille canapés to passersby.
Also spotted: Racing President Abe strolling the streets, consoling disappointed Nationals fans. With local minds no longer on the baseball playoffs, Washingtonians could fully focus on gobbling up mini Carving Station corned beef sandwiches, BGR burgers, and Thunder Beast root beer floats. Anything to help fend off the saditutde.
