I felt like cooking the other day and made a BIG batch of my favorite Cincinnati-style Chili. I froze a good bunch of it and just polished off the last of the rest as leftovers and had inspiration to share the recipe, since it’s chili season just about everywhere right now!

If you’ve never had Cincinnati-style chili then I think you’re in for a treat.  It’s very much it’s “own thing” and has spawned several restaurants dedicated to the unique flavor and serving methods…Skyline and Goldstar Chili probably being the most well-known.  I’ve rarely seen them outside of the midwest though, and many people here in the South have never heard of “Cincinnati-style” chili.  It has some interesting spices, no beans (except on the side if you want), and is traditionally served over spaghetti.  I know, right?  The meat is also usually boiled instead of browned, but that makes me gag a little bit so I brown mine.    The serving methods are either as a “3-way”…spaghetti, chili, and a huge pile of shredded sharp cheddar, a “4-way”…same but with kidney beans on top of the chili, or a “5-way”…with added chopped raw onions also.  It’s also very, very good on a hot dog with a pile of cheese on top.  In case you were wondering.  Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off, it’s mostly spices!  You can also add Tabasco to taste at the end if you like, I prefer mine without.

Cincinnati Chili  (adapted from The Best Recipe)

salt
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (you can use whatever fat % you want…my last batch was actually with only 7% and was still really good)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder (I usually add more)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne (I add more)
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (the ones I like best are Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Organic)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups water

To serve:
1 pound cooked spaghetti
shredded sharp cheddar
15 oz can red kidney beans, drained rinsed and warmed
1 medium onion, chopped

Brown ground beef in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.  Drain beef in a strainer and return pot to stove (empty) over medium heat.  Add vegetable oil to pot and add onions when warm.  Saute onions until soft and browned around the edges, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.  Stir in spices and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water, scraping bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.  Add the ground beef back in and increase heat to high.  At this point it should look a little thin.  As soon as the liquid boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili is deep red and has thickened slightly…about 1 hour.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, pile spaghetti in a bowl and top with chili and choice of beans, onions, and/or shredded cheese.