Cincinnati Chili

I've never tried it, but I can't imagine a chili without beans.

Well M, the way it's done is this. The chili is served over spaghetti noodles. Optional toppings include cheddar cheese, chopped onion, kidney beans, and oyster crackers.

I didn't have any beans.

It sounds good.

It's a treat in our house. but too much trouble to make from scratch. So we buy a package of Skyline in the frozen foods section and grate onions and cheese...yum

It sounds better than it actually tasted.

Chili shops are ubiquious in Cincinnati, the most famous being Skyline Chili. http://www.skylinechili.com

I was just trying something different. Don't think I'll make it again though.

It does sounds like an acquired taste, but heck, I'm grateful we still have regional cooking in the good ol' USA!

Chili with beans is akin to blasphemy here in Texas.

I've never understood why we in the warmer latitudes like spicy food so much more than you northerners. I'd think you'd be looking for something to warm you up.






(The best scientific explanation I've ever heard is that salsa actually has antibiotic properties; much needed before the days of refrigeration.)

Paul Prudhomme's recipe for Texas Red is one of the best I've ever tasted, but man, what a pain to make. And I know Paul's a cajun, but a cajun with tastebuds of no equal and a waistline to prove it.

My mom used to make chili with cloves in it. I always called it Irish chili. Her's had beans in it, too. It was not spicy at all. I've used her recipe as a base, but I put lots of spice in mine. The cloves add some interest.

DrewDad
Oh, I love spicy stuff. The hotter, the better. I make chili with beans, but I also make it hot.

I even grow my own hot peppers.

The best chili makes you sweat when you eat it.

FYI in Texas salsa is also known as chili, but with a Spanish accent. (CHEE-lay)

I do sweat when I eat my chili and my eyes water as well.

i also make and can my own salsa.

As you can see, this has no resemblance to Texas chili.Especially with the cinnamon and chocolate.

"For those of us who live in Cincinnati, Ohio and eat this seemingly peculiar concoction regularly, the recipe below IS Cincinnati Chili (translate that Skyline, Gold Star or Empress Chili). There are no crushed tomatoes or chili powder in it and the ground beef is not pre-browned. The Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar (not white), cloves, cumin, chocolate and cayenne pepper are all essential to the recipe as are the amounts of onion and garlic. Depending on the size of the pan used, the recipe can be doubled or tripled."

1 quart water
2 pounds ground chuck, crumbled
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed (use garlic press) or minced
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 peppercorns, ground
8 whole allspice, ground
8 whole cloves, ground
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated

Bring water to boil in a 4-6 quart pot. Add the ground chuck (do not brown first). Stir until separated and reduce heat to simmer. Add onions, garlic, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix well. Add peppercorns, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and grated unsweetened chocolate. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 1/2 hours cooking time in all. Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight.

Skim all or most of the fat and discard. Discard bay leaf. Reheat and serve over hot spaghetti, cooked al dente.

Optional toppings

Finely-grated Cheddar cheese, chopped onion, red kidney beans. Serve oyster crackers and red pepper sauce on the side.

Two-Way - spaghetti and chili

Three-Way - spaghetti, chili and Cheddar cheese

Four-Way - spaghetti, chili, Cheddar and chopped onion

Five-Way - spaghetti, chili, Cheddar, onions and red kidney beans

NOTE: The original recipe for Cincinnati Chili was created by John Kiradjieff and first served in Cincinnati's first chili parlor, The Empress, sometime in the 1920s.

Mine had no chocolate but the rest of it is pretty darn close. I wasn't happy with the flavor and added Worcestire and vinegar to kick it up. So I'm happy to see I did the right thing.

I also grow my own chiles but I don't use them in my usual chili. I prefer to use my own tomatoes, and reconstitute store-bought dried ancho chiles, which I then puree in a blender. Gives it that real "chile" kick and flavor. I love fresh chiles for stuffing, for salsa (pico de gallo), chutney, in cream sauces, but not in chili.

I'd be interested in your ideas on Pico de Gallo...I love that stuff. What do you use it on?

I make some mean chili.....its not good unless your eyebrows are sweating and eyes watering. When I make it at the cafe', I have them trying to buy it by the 5 gallon buckets. Its so easy.........lol I use my own little recipe in my mind...


Cincinatti Chili........its an acquired taste. And its one that I haven't acquired. I can't do the chili with noodles...just isn't right. I'm expecting Italian flavor and get hit with the chili flavor, it just doesn't mix.....

We use pico de gallon on chips and grilled meats, mostly. I can't make it fast enough during the summer months.

I just chop some tomatoes, hot peppers with seeds, onions, cilantro, mix in some salt and douse it with the juice of a lime, leave it in the fridge for at least a couple hours, then eat. Sometimes I add garlic, but not always.

Even my kids will snarf this stuff down.

Goody...I'll double the garlic.