Do you follow the NFL? If so then you should be aware that this year’s Super Bowl will feature the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s right the friken Cincinnati Bengals, what a turnaround! And as a fan of another team that has neither won nor been to the big game in a while (the Bills), I couldn’t be happier for them. Of course, I would have preferred that my beloved Bills were there, but a certain Patrick Mahomes thought otherwise. Ahh, I’m still pissed about that game! Anyways, I am all in on the Bengals bandwagon. And in honor of their super bowl birth today we are going to make the cities most iconic dish, Cincinnati chili.
Is it Really Chili?
Cincinnati chili is arguably the most polarizing dish in all American cuisine? You either love it or you hate it, there’s really no in-between. And I always believed that the reason for this division comes down to the simple fact that it’s called “chili”.
You see Cincinnati chili is very different from what most people in the US would consider chili. Sure it has some similarities consisting of ground beef with tomato and chili powder. But it’s actually derived from a Balkan style meat sauce, not chili con carne. That’s why it features some truly unique ingredients like cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and even chocolate.
And since most people don’t know this, they often feel like they got served some really off chili. Which honestly sucks! Because if they had simply known this difference they most likely would have been able to enjoy the dish for what it is. A delicious spiced meaty sauce.
But that still begs the question, is it really chili? And in my opinion, the answer is yes. As much as you might disagree, someone a long time ago decided to call the dish chili, so it’s chili. I mean no one bats an eye at green chili or white chili which are even further from mainstream chili. Yet Cincinnati chili gets all the heat.
So if you’re someone that still refuses to consider it chili then have at it. Just means more Cincinnati chili for the rest of us.
The Different “Ways” to Serve Cincinnati Chili
Ok now that I’m done defending Cincinnati chili, let’s take some time to discuss how to serve it. Because traditionally you don’t just serve it in a bowl like regular chili.
For starters, you have the “ways” system, which is basically chili over well-done spaghetti (yes well done, not al dente!) with optional additions. This is how it goes
- 2-way: Chili over spaghetti
- 3-way: Chili over spaghetti topped with a generous amount of finely shredded cheddar cheese
- 4-way: Chili over spaghetti topped with diced onions or kidney beans and shredded cheddar cheese
- 5-way: Chili over spaghetti topped with diced onion, kidney beans, and shredded cheddar cheese.
It’s really that simple, and if you want to go super traditional then serve it with some oyster crackers and hot sauce.
The other option is a “coney”. Which as you might guess is simply the chili is poured over hot dogs. And just like with the “ways” system these hot dogs can be topped with diced onion, shredded cheese, and occasionally mustard. It’s really up to you.
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 Hours
Servings: 8
Ingredients
6 oz. of tomato paste
6 Cups of water
1 Lb of ground beef
½ Cup of onion, finely diced (optional)
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
½ Teaspoon of cumin
½ Teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon of allspice
¼ Teaspoon of ground cloves
¼ Teaspoon cayenne powder
½ Teaspoon of brown sugar
1 Teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 Teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ oz. unsweetened chocolate (optional)
For serving:
Spaghetti, cooked
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Onion, diced
Kidney beans
Oyster crackers
Instructions
- Mix the Chili ingredients in a pot: get out a large pot or dutch oven and add the tomato paste and water to it. Use a whisk to combine these two ingredients until the tomato paste is fully dissolved in the water. Next, add the ground beef and stir it into the liquid with a wooden spoon until it forms a slurry (no large chunks of ground beef). Finally, add all of the remaining chili ingredients and stir until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
- Cook the chili: Place this pot over medium-high heat and let it come to a light boil, making sure to frequently stir the chili as this happens. Then reduce the heat to medium-low/low and let the chili simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 hours.
Just make sure that you stir the chili often (about once every 5 to 10 minutes), as we want the chili to become nice and thick. But if at any point the liquid in the chili reduces too much you can always add in another ½ to 1 cup of water as needed. Once it has cooked long enough and is thick enough to your liking take the chili pot off the heat.
- Serve the hot Cincinnati chili any “way” you want and enjoy!
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz. of tomato paste
- 6 Cups of water
- 1 Lb of ground beef
- ½ Cup of onion finely diced (optional)
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons of chili powder
- ½ Teaspoon of cumin
- ½ Teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon of allspice
- ¼ Teaspoon of ground cloves
- ¼ Teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ Teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon of salt plus more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate optional
For serving:
- Spaghetti cooked
- Cheddar cheese shredded
- Onion diced
- Kidney beans
- Oyster crackers
Instructions
- Mix the Chili ingredients in a pot: get out a large pot or dutch oven and add the tomato paste and water to it. Use a whisk to combine these two ingredients until the tomato paste is fully dissolved in the water. Next, add the ground beef and stir it into the liquid with a wooden spoon until it forms a slurry (no large chunks of ground beef). Finally, add all of the remaining chili ingredients and stir until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
- Cook the chili: Place this pot over medium-high heat and let it come to a light boil, making sure to frequently stir the chili as this happens. Then reduce the heat to medium-low/low and let the chili simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 hours. Just make sure that you stir the chili often (about once every 5 to 10 minutes), as we want the chili to become nice and thick. But if at any point the liquid in the chili reduces too much you can always add in another ½ to 1 cup of water as needed. Once it has cooked long enough and is thick enough to you liking take the chili pot off the heat.
- Serve the hot Cincinati chili any “way” you want and enjoy!
