It may be the middle of winter, but the competition was hot and spicy at Galen Glen Winery’s Chili Cook Off on Saturday.

“Today is our fifth annual Chili Cook Off that we do at Galen Glen Winery,” tasting room manager Kathy Matson said. “We do it to benefit the West Penn Fire Company, our local first responders.”

For $8, visitors got a 1-ounce sample of six varieties of chili, all made by local amateur and professional chefs, and a glass of wine. Half of the ticket price was donated to the fire company.

Galen Glen’s enclosed pavilion was packed to the walls with hungry customers, all eager to sample some of the finest chili in the area, alongside some local wines.

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While chili and wine may seem like an unusual combination, Matson said that actually pairs quite nicely. As part of the competition, each cook had to use Galen Glen’s Chambourcin or Cellar Red as part of the recipe.

Jake Snyder and Joe Sweeney, representing Grumpy’s BBQ Roadhouse in Allentown, opted for a Sweet and Spicy Mango Pork recipe, featuring meat that they smoked themselves.

“We have crossed tropical flavors alongside smoked food. We also have fused three different hot sauces made from the cellar wine all with varying heat ranges so the customers can be interactive,” Sweeney said.

“From smoky to smooth to sweet, all around, it’s a good mouthfeel,” Snyder said.

Angi and Tom Bremmer offered up a beef and sausage chili, using their signature chorizo that set them apart in previous competitions.

“I think the love that we put into the chili makes it the best,” Angi Bremmer said. “It has a little zing, a little spice to it, but it’s good.”

Ryan and Amanda Weir whipped up a Texas-style option, focusing on top quality ingredients, and leaving out a common component.

“I used fresh peppers and Angus beef, and no beans. That’s one of the keys,” Ryan said.

Jen Fritzinger, firefighter and recording secretary for West Penn, went with a barbecue bacon cheeseburger style to defend her company’s two-win streak.

“I think that being different with the barbecue bacon cheeseburger, a lot of people haven’t heard of it. A lot of people have told me it’s pretty good, so I’m hoping there’s a chance,” she said. “I’m always trying to defend the streak, but it’s all for a good purpose, even if I don’t win. It’s an awesome thing that they do here.”

Pam Ardinger and Jan Cool stood out as the only cooks using a chicken recipe, but it’s an option that still packs in a ton of flavor.

“It’s the chicken, the beans, the protein. It’s healthy. It has some hominy in it, giving it an extra layer of flavor, and the wine,” Cool said.

Rory Flynn, chef at the Marion House Bar in Jim Thorpe, and Aillinn Brennan went with a Chamborizo chili.

“We made it our own,” Flynn said. “We braised the beef in the wine, and it brings a lot of flavor to it. There’s chorizo and a braised short rib in there.”

While it seemed like there was no one distinct favorite among the crowd, Fritzinger’s Firehouse Chili was a hit with all the volunteers that showed up.

“I’ve got to go with the Firehouse Chili. I’ve got to support all of us at the firehouse, and I really liked that one,” West Penn firefighter Tyler Resch said.

Marlene Kiick, who has a nearby summer property, found out about the event the day of, and brought her friend Maryann Reiser of Lower Nazareth to check it out.

“I like number two (Texas style), because it tastes just like mine,” Kiick said with a grin.

“I’m at number three (Sweet and Spicy Mango Pork), and I’m kind of favoring it right now, though I still have a few to go,” Reiser said.

After the shutdown at 3 p.m., Matson and the Galen Glen crew tallied that votes and declared Sweeney and Snyder of Grumpy’s BBQ Roadhouse as the champions.

Flynn and Brennan, representing The Marion Hose Bar in Jim Thorpe, took second place, and Fritzinger’s Firehouse Chili secured her a third-place finish.

Sweeney and Snyder’s recipe will be featured during Chambourcin Week at Galen Glen Winery in October, where guests will have the option to pair the red wine with the prizewinning chili.

No matter what the results, at the end of the day, the crowd got a great chance to expand their palates, and most importantly, support the first responders at West Penn Fire Company.

“It’s a great thing that the people in the community are doing for us, and I really loved the idea,” Resch said.

See the photo gallery.