Cincinnati Chili Recipe

Cincinnati Chili

[list]2 lbs. ground beef
1 quart water
1 28oz. can tomato sauce
1 28oz. can peeled whole tomatoes
2 onions, chopped finely
2 tblsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cumin (seed or ground)
2 tblsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tblsp. white vinegar
2 toes of garlic
3 bay leaves


DO NOT brown the meat first. Combine everything in a large pan or crock pot and cook slowly for 4 - 5 hours, covered.

Remove the bay leaves and garlic before serving.

See below for serving suggestions.

Note: this recipe is not improved by using ground round or ground sirloin. Standard ground beef or ground chuck work best.

Serves 6 - 8


One Way: Served all by itself in a bowl. Cincinnati chili is rarely ordered this way
Two Way: Served on a bed of spaghetti, with oyster crackers on the side
Three Way: This is the classic Cincinnati Chili, topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese.
Four Way: Add either red kidney beans or chopped fresh onions
Five Way: Add both beans and onions

Many Cincinnatians enjoy sprinkling (or pouring) cayenne- or habenero-based hot sauce or dried red peppers over their meal as a condiment.

From the kitchen of John and Linda Lipman

Hi,

In the lecture on Saturday at Culinary Historians, they suggested/advised that organ meats, like ground heart, are in the original Coney dog sauce.

Now is your Chili sauce related to the Coney sauce or is a separate entity?

So this is your first day posting, it looks like you're having fun.

In the Cincinnati Chili domain, the coney dog topping and chili sauce are the same thing, all from the same pot, just different ways of serving it.

I haven't tried it with turkey. I know some conventional chili recipes are very good with turkey but for this one you want the meat to essentially dissolve, hence the no-browning.

I can testify that having made this recipe and also having eaten the products of all three chains, this recipe is very authentic.

cowdery wrote:

One Way: Served all by itself in a bowl. Cincinnati chili is rarely ordered this way
Two Way: Served on a bed of spaghetti, with oyster crackers on the side
Three Way: This is the classic Cincinnati Chili, topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese.
Four Way: Add either red kidney beans or chopped fresh onions
Five Way: Add both beans and onions

From the kitchen of John and Linda Lipman

So, let me get this straight, Three-Way is just chili with cheese, right? Why is it "three" way?

The recipe, incidentally, sounds great.

I've never been clear on the hierarchy of Cincinnati Chili...and, as you can see, I'm still a little vague.

Hammond

Yes, sorry for the confusion. A three-way is a two-way with cheese.

I'm a four-way guy (chili, spaghetti, cheese, onions) myself.

HI,

So how do you feel about the taste of the Chili, which they serve Cinci-style, at Steak N Shake?

Or the one at Chili Mac's?

Despite the fact that they serve it on spaghetti, the chili at both Chili Mac and Steak n Shake is the traditional Tex-Mex style, and nothing special.

At Chili Mac's they do have a Cincinnati-style that they often refer to as their 'mild' and a Texas-style, which is referred to as 'hot.' Although it's not as good as Skyline, Chili Mac's Cincinnati-style is probably the closest thing to Skyline as we're going to get around here. It's definately got that characteristic cinnamon & chocolate note that makes it unique. And of course, it's served 2,3,4 or 5-way. They also have Coney Dogs.

cowdery wrote:Cincinnati Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
1 quart water
1 28oz. can tomato sauce
1 28oz. can peeled whole tomatoes
2 onions, chopped finely
2 tblsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cumin (seed or ground)
2 tblsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tblsp. white vinegar
2 toes of garlic
3 bay leaves

Cocao powder instead of chocolate, eh? Never tried that...

My favorite 5 way chili recipe comes from Jane and Michael Stern's Square Meals. It includes grated unsweetened chocolate, and a number of additional spices, including turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, and ground cloves and coridander. Honey is also added, which gives it some essential sweetness, I think. And they call for you to ground your beef (chuck) fine -- so I just run mine through the food processor to get the right texture. I'll submit the whole recipe, if there's call for it, but it's too long to type in now. I love this recipe, and now I have to make some, as I haven't recently.

Once, when I started the recipe and found myself without cocoa powder, I ran across the street to the White Hen, got a dark chocolate candy bar. and threw that in. It worked fine.

Hi,

The reason I was inquiring about Steak n Shake and how it differs with your (or any) chili recipe: I just don't like SnS, which I now know is Tex Mex. I was at a SnS recently, I had the waitress bring out a sample to double check, which was fortunate because I learned AGAIN I just don't like it.

So if anyone posts a Chili recipe similar to SnS, then kindly warn me!

Meanwhile, I will consider making some chili soon.

Regards,

Whoa there Cowdery...hold on a minute...

As much as I like a Steak n' Shake fix from time to time...don't go callin' their chile "Tex-Mex".

Texas chile is made with diced meat or at the very least "chili grind" beef, which is stewing beef ground through a 3/8" die. It is then cooked with seasonings and without beans. The ground version is often used as a sauce for cheese enchiladas in real Tex-Mex places. S&S's version is closer to Hormel, thick and with chunks of tomato.



...and does the Cincy version really not include onion?

Point taken, Ronnie. I should have said that SnS chili is exactly like what every other chain calls chili, i.e., hamburger soup. True tex-mex chili is, indeed, a thing of wonder and beauty.

Not include onions? There are two onions in the sauce recipe, which cook down to nothing, texture-wise. And I always have mine four-way, with raw onions as a topping.

I'm new here, but people who know me know I don't eat anything that doesn't contain onions.

There they are! I didn't see them.

I look forware to trying your recipe.

I personally find the flavor of cinnamon and cocoa anathema to most people's taste when it comes to chili. When I've made it this way, most of my guests politely or otherwise decline seconds.

BUT ... I've snuck in small amounts of chocalate / cocoa and cinnamon to round out the flavor and had great sucess. My friends like it and don't know why and that's just as well.

Ramon wrote:I personally find the flavor of cinnamon and cocoa anathema to most people's taste when it comes to chili. When I've made it this way, most of my guests politely or otherwise decline seconds.

BUT ... I've snuck in small amounts of chocalate / cocoa and cinnamon to round out the flavor and had great sucess. My friends like it and don't know why and that's just as well.

Ramon, as you suggest, cinnamon and cocoa are anathema to most people's perceptions of their taste in chili (i.e., what they believe they like).

I think many people just don't know what they like. Their brain says "No," but the tongue says "Yes," and they, fools, believe their brain.

Hammond

hummos, miso, horseradish, sprout, turnip, sumac, etc

I can remember many foods, where my first taste was, "I'm not sure if I'm liking this but it's interesting." A couple days later, I'd crave that taste again, like a new vocabulary or a lush musical tone.

You absolutely have to manage expectations. If people are expecting "chili" they won't like Cincinnati Chili.

You absolutely have to manage expectations. If people are expecting "chili" they won't like Cincinnati Chili.

Managed expectations is hitting the nail on the head. Everyone has their idea of the best chili, which really evolves with whatever they grew up with. My current favorite restaurant chili is from Blackies, which is mild, beefy and beany.

I was in Cincinnatti last summer for a conference. I had it on my list to try the Skylark. Everyone who went advised it was awful. I immediately recognized this was an issue of expectations and frame of reference stuff. I never did make it to the Skylark, though I will be trying your recipe soon to see what it is like.

One of the biggest problems that I have enjoying cincinnati style chili here is that it is relatively easy to make the chili, or open a can of skyline or gold star, but it is almost impossible to get the other fixins right. the little, flavorful, hot dogs with the soft buns. the not al dente, not smushy spaghetti that has been on the steam table for hours. the finely grated cheese. these are what make my mouth water at the thought of visiting Cincinnati over thanksgiving, as much as the actual flavor of the chili.
Now if only my brother and I have the appetite to rerun last year.....a large 3-way and 3 cheese coneys at skyline, followed 90 minutes later by the same at gold star, followed by ice cream at graeters. We gave the nod to skyline by a slim margin.
-Will

WillG wrote: Now if only my brother and I have the appetite to rerun last year.....a large 3-way and 3 cheese coneys at skyline, followed 90 minutes later by the same at gold star, followed by ice cream at graeters. We gave the nod to skyline by a slim margin.
-Will

YOu didn't have time to hit Camp Washington???


Now that I'm married into a Cincy family, I also eat a few different branches of Cincy Chili over T-giving break. I'm a big fan of the 5-way AND the naked chili in a hot dog bun (no hot dog).

ab

Several points to make (from a Cincinnati native):

1) Skyline Chili is the largest chili chain in Cincinnati It is far from the best. They are the worst in terms of giving you any chili on your 3, 4, or 5 Ways and they are generally a poor value.

Gold Star and Empress, the two other chains do a lot better job.

Camp Washington is an independent that serves decent chili. However, many locals prefer Dixie Chili which I believe is in Covington.

Personally, I can make a better chili than most of them at home at a small fraction of the cost and serve it MY way. I think that the ONLY time that my family EVER goes to a parlor anymore is after funerals. The prices at the parlors are ridiculous, especially as the portion sizes have shrunk over the year.

2) The further you get from Cincinnati, the WORSE that Skyline franchises are. The ones in Dayton are edible. The ones in St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus are horrible.

3) If the chili is made properly, the cinnamon and the bitter chocolate flavors blend in pretty well and are not noticeable.

4) Have to confess that I use a private label mix that produces a chili that is almost as good as the homemade. Ten minutes of preparation, 2 hours of cooking time and everything is done, no problem.

5) In all my years, I do not recall seeing many people pouring habenero or pepper sauce in their chili. I am not saying that it isn't done but I never saw a tobasco sauce bottle in a chili parlor.

6) There is a place near Marquette's campus in Milwaukee that has the chili parloe feel and a chili that is pretty close to Cincinnati chili. It is pretty decent but the prices are outrageous. The guy has to be running at about a 20% food cost.

I went to college outside of Cincinnati so I've been eating Cincinnati Chili for more than 30 years. However, most of my Cincinnati Chili experience in recent years has been with Gold Star, because they're the one in Louisville where I am often. They may have started the hot sauce thing. They do have it on the tables and give packets of it with carry out. You're right that, historically, it was unheard of.

cowdery wrote:Cincinnati Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
1 quart water
1 28oz. can tomato sauce
1 28oz. can peeled whole tomatoes
2 onions, chopped finely
2 tblsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cumin (seed or ground)
2 tblsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tblsp. white vinegar
2 toes of garlic
3 bay leaves


DO NOT brown the meat first. Combine everything in a large pan or crock pot and cook slowly for 4 - 5 hours, covered.

Remove the bay leaves and garlic before serving.

We made this recipe last night and it was a big hit . My only observation is that it was really soupy and we had to reduce it somewhat. is it possible that the water called for in the recipe is a typo? Perhaps it meant 1 cup instead? Please steer me straight on this as this is going to become a regular on our weekly dining menu
bob

I just looked at the paper copy of the recipe in the kitchen. Where the recipe says "cook covered" I wrote "maybe uncovered." I think that's the answer to thinness. Cook it uncovered and let it reduce. I also have a note that says "not sirloin," but I already mentioned that. If your meat is too lean, that also will lead to a thinner sauce.

But, most of all, glad you liked it.

Having grown up in Cincinnati, I know that at least the Kenwood skyline has had hot sauce available for at least 30 years, in those glass containers with the conical metal caps with the holes that only let out one drop at a time. Gold Star now private labels both a mild and a "hot" pepper sauce that they sell in the stores.

Every time that I have tried to make the chili at home, either from scratch (once) or the packets, it has been very watery if I followed the directions. I usually would just cook it down more, or once I added flour to thicken it, which wasnt too bad. Now all I do is open the can......I still havent tried it over goetta though
-Will

Bob,

My post did not post.

You need to use a quart of water in order for the beef to cook as you are boiling the meat. And it should be uncovered

Personally, I use tomato paste instead of the tomatoes and the tomato sauce.

Personally, I have eaten more chili at the old "Hamburger Haven" which was the original Gold Star Chili on Beechmont Ave.

The chili is too watery when it leaves a lot of liquid below the spaghetti.

As a person that usually adds tvp to chili to absorb excess moisture (yes, I've had the speech on how beans should do the same thing), I also found the recipe to be a bit soupy at first. I left it on simmer for a bit to boil off some of the excess water and that seemed to solve the problem nicely though I might try the tomato paste next time around.

Also, as a person that avoids large chunks of meat in most things that she eats (hence the tvp), I actually enjoyed this chili because of the flavour of the meat without the monstrous chunks.

The chocolate and cinnamon was a nice touch also... though I'm fairly certain my roommate was completely turned off by the taste of cinnamon.