Utah Food

Cincinnati Chili: Make it in Your Kitchen

A specialty of the greater Cincinnati area, Cincinnati chili is beef chili made with a mix of atypical spices (compared to Texas chili) such as allspice and cinnamon. Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili are the best-known Cincinnati chili purveyors, but there are many throughout southern Ohio, each seemingly with its own secret recipe.

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Photos by Ted Scheffler

One of my favorite regional dishes is a comfort food popular in southern Ohio called Cincinnati chili. It’s somewhat misnamed since it’s not really chili as we normally think of it. Cincinnati Chili is really pasta with chili.

A specialty of the greater Cincinnati area, Cincinnati chili is beef chili made with a mix of atypical spices (compared to Texas chili) such as allspice and cinnamon. Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili are the best-known Cincinnati chili purveyors, but there are many throughout southern Ohio, each seemingly with its own secret recipe.

Cincinnati chili is typically served atop spaghetti (usually slightly overcooked; not al dente). When you order Cincinnati chili, it’s helpful to know the following styles:

2-way: chili & spaghetti

3-way: chili, spaghetti & shredded cheese

4-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese & onions

5-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, onions & beans

In addition, it’s de rigueur to serve Cincinnati chili with oyster crackers on the side. Hot sauce is another typical accompaniment.

As I said, there are a gazillion different Cincinnati chili recipes; this one is my favorite. Don’t let the number of ingredients dissuade you from making it as it’s actually very simple. Just dump everything into a pot and go! This is also a meal that’s very popular with kids.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1 qt. water
  • 1 28-oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 28-oz. can peeled whole tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
  • 2 finely chopped onions
  • 2 Tbs. cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbs. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbs. white vinegar
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 3 bay leaves

Optional toppings: finely shredded cheddar cheese, minced onions, kidney beans

Method:

Put all of the ingredients into a dutch oven or crock pot and cook slowly, barely simmering, for 4-5 hours. It’s virtually impossible to overcook Cincinnati chili. If cooking in a crock pot, you might want to decrease the amount of water. Just eyeball it. You can always add more water, if needed. The finished product should be fairly “wet,” – more saucy or soupy than Texas chili would be.

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

An important note: DO NOT brown the meat before cooking. Authentic Cincinnati chili requires that the meat stew with the spices. That’s why I recommend lean ground beef, since you won’t be able to drain off the fat.

Serve on a bed of spaghetti, along with optional accompaniments like onions, beans, crackers and such.

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