Cincinnati Chili

Nearly every corner of the United States has its own regional rendition of chili. From the classic Texas red to the New Mexican chile verde, there are nearly infinite varieties of the American classic, but few are as unique as Cincinnati chili. If you’ve never heard of this classic variation, then get ready: With a tweaked sauce, spaghetti, and beans (on TOP of the chili), this recipe is anything but boring.

What is Cincinnati chili?
The first recipe for what we now know as Cincinnati chili was developed in, you guessed it, Cincinnati, Ohio, by brothers Tom and Jon Kiradjieff. The pair of Greek immigrants opened up Empress Chili Parlor in 1922 and were the first to serve this Mediterranean-inspired dish. While Empress is still a beloved, family-owned operation today, the original recipe spawned hundreds of other chili parlors throughout the city.

The flavors of this meat sauce are more evocative of Greek dishes, like moussaka and pastitsio, than other chilis you might find in the United States. Warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice add a unique layer of depth to the classic blend of beef and tomato.

How to make Cincinnati chili:
This recipe honors some of the old-school Cincinnati chili traditions while deviating from others. First off, many recipes claim that chocolate (either shaved or in powdered form) is an essential ingredient in this dish. A Cincinnati Enquirer reporter did a deep dive with some of the city’s most prominent parlors and concluded that their recipes don't include chocolate in any form. Neither does ours.

Another widely accepted rule is that you don’t brown the meat beforehand; instead, you add the raw beef directly to the pot of broth and stir until it’s completely broken down. We’re abiding by the same principle, but we did choose to cook the aromatics and spices in the pot before adding the liquid. Giving the ingredients some time to cook in the oil adds much more depth to the finished chili.

Lastly, another tradition our recipe follows is chilling it overnight (pun absolutely intended). Letting the flavors mingle together in the fridge only further amplifies the complexity, but it also solidifies a layer of orange-tinted fat on the surface of the pot. When you’re ready to serve, simply remove the fat from the top and reheat.

How to serve Cincinnati chili:
What makes this dish extra-special is how it’s served, which is unlike any other chili you’ve ever had. Cincinnati chili is regularly served atop a plate of spaghetti and a variety of other toppings, depending on how you order it. The process is streamlined into different “ways”:
— Two-way: spaghetti and chili.
— Three-way (the most common): spaghetti, chili, and finely shredded cheddar
— Four-way: spaghetti, chili, cheese, and your choice of either kidney beans or chopped raw onion
— Five-way: all of it!

Did you try this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments!