One Pot Wonder: Cincinnati Chili

I thought that I'd made up my mind about Cincinnati Chili a long time ago. When I was dating my husband, he used to talk about how much he loved Skyline Chili.

Although Skyline Chili “parlors” can be found in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and, most recently, Florida, I’d never heard of the chain, let alone visited a Skyline.

  That changed in the summer of 1998.  My husband Mike, (college boyfriend at the time), was excited to introduce me to this regional “delicacy” on a day trip to King’s Island.  When lunchtime rolled around, I found myself waiting in the August heat for a heapin’ helping of Skyline Chili.

I’m not picky, I don’t have anything against chili, and Mike was looking at me expectantly. Dutifully, I grabbed a spoonful.

 That was my first and last bite of Skyline chili.  I remember thinking, "Okay. There. Now I've tried it." I just didn’t understand what all of the hype was about. I was unimpressed.  But most of all, I was also thinking that I was not going to ingest any more chili before boarding The Vortex.  I slid my serving across the picnic table to my date.  I may have even wrinkled my nose. Sorry, Skyline fans.

So why am I writing about Cincinnati Chili if I was so unimpressed? Well, last year I made a discovery; Skyline may be synonymous with Cincinnati Chili, but not all Cincinnati Chili is the same.

Where did this revelation come from? I found a copy of Cook’s Illustrated Cover & Bake Cookbook at the Strongsville library. One of the recipes that stuck out as I browsed was the Skillet Cincinnati Chili with Spaghetti. Here's how Cook's Illustrated described their Cincinnati Chili, "Redolent of cinnamon and other warm spices, this chili is very different from it's more familiar Texas brethren. One taste reveals layers of spices you expect from Middle Eastern or North African cuisine, not food from the American heartland." (page 223 Cover and Bake) They certainly had my attention with the description!

According to Cook's Illustrated and my own Google search of recipes, every Cincinnati Chili recipe is different. To quote Cook's Illustrated, "some use spices sparingly, while others empty out the entire spice rack." This information, coupled with the mouth-watering description above gave cause to re-visit my opinion regarding the regional favorite. And so, I prepared the Cook’s Illustrated version of Cincinnati Chili.  The verdict: I could not believe how absolutely amazing it tasted! In fact, I’ve prepared it again and again.

Before I share the recipe, here’s one final fact about Cincinnati Chili:  It's as much about what the chili is served over and topped with as the actual chili. Think of the menu at Steak and Shake where you can order Chili 3-way, Chili 5-way, Chili Mac, and Chili Mac Supreme. It’s all about the fixings!

Here's a guide to "The Ways" of Cincinnati Chili:
Two-way: spaghetti and chili
Three-way: spaghetti, chili, and shredded cheese
Four-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and either diced onions or beans
Five-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans
Cheese coney: hot dog topped with chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and mustard

 Skillet Cincinnati Chili with Spaghetti by Cook's Illustrated from Cover and Bake Cookbook and adapted slightly by me

1 lb. 90 percent lean ground beef
1 large onion, minced
salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 lb. spaghetti, broken
salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments:
1 minced onion
shredded sharp cheddar
Tabasco Sauce

1. Brown beef in a 12-inch skillet, breaking up with the edge of a spoon until finely broken. Drain. Remove from skillet.

2. Add a tablespoon of oil to skillet. Heat over medium to medium-high. Cook onions until browning around the edges. Stir in garlic and spices. Heat 1-2 more minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in chicken broth, then cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato sauce, and water. Return the beef to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or more.

4. Stir in broken spaghetti. Return to low boil. Re-cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve with accompaniments.

 The first time I prepared this recipe, I watched my husband with an anticipation that mirrored his on that long ago summer day at King’s Island.  "It's awesome, right?" I asked.  He quickly answered, "Oh yeah, babe. It's great. Tastes just like Skyline." What?! Just like Skyline?  Well, I don't know about that. I'm tempted to go out and buy a can of Skyline Chili and give it a taste test up against this recipe.

Heck, if it's that easy to achieve this wonderful flavor, then I'll be stocking up on cans at the grocery.  Nevertheless, I took his review as a great compliment. He loves that stuff, after all.

Read more of Krista's recipes on her blog.