How to Make Cincinnati-Style Chili

Every region claims to have the world's best chili. The Cincinnati version has the consistency of spaghetti sauce and is served over noodles or hot dogs. You'll find it in fast food restaurants throughout the greater Cincinnati area. Tom Athanas Kiradjieff, a Macedonian immigrant, created the original recipe by adapting a Greek stew. He changed the meat to ground beef and added chili powder and other spices. Tom also invented many ways to serve Cincinnati-style chili. If you order a two-way, you'll get spaghetti and chili, a three-way, spaghetti, chili and shredded cheese. The four-way adds diced onions and the five-way includes beans.

Things You'll Need

• Food processor (optional)
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 qt. water
• Stock pot with lid
• Large spoon or spatula
• 1 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 4 tsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 5 medium bay leaves
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1 block unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups finely shredded mild cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Add ground beef to water in a large pot and stir until the beef separates into pieces the size of small peas. You can run the beef through a food processor first.

2. Add all the other ingredients, except the cheese, and stir to blend.

3. Bring the chili to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about three hours.

4. Cover the pot after the chili has reached the desired consistency. This should happen sometime during the last hour. You want the chili to have a sauce-like, almost watery consistency.

5. Serve the chili over spaghetti noodles with a handful of finely shredded cheddar cheese to make a three-way. Or, if you prefer, make a chili dog by serving the chili over a hot dog and topping it with a smaller handful of finely shredded cheddar cheese.

Tips & Warnings

• Never combine the onions with the beef. In traditional Cincinnati-style chili, the onions are only used as a topping.

• The traditional hot dogs are an import from New York, hence the name "Coney." They tend to be smaller than typical hot dogs to allow for more chili.

• If you like it spicy, Louisiana hot sauce is a great compliment to the flavor of Cincinnati chili.