Cincinnati Style Chili With a Twist

According to our friends at Wikipedia, Cincinnati Style Chili is actually a Mediterranean inspired meat sauce which is used to top spaghetti. It can also be used on hot dogs to make Coneys or Coney dogs.

Cincinnati Style Chili was introduced to Cincinnatians in the 1920s by a pair of brothers from Macedonia. Cincinnati Style Chili has a long and interesting history. Numerous articles and even a book have been written about it!

The “Secret” Ingredients

Cincinnati Style Chile normally combines ground beef, beef stock, tomato paste and a variety of spices into a sauce or thin stew. The spices used include a unique combination of sweet and savory spices such as chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and bay leaf.

While none of the over 200 chili parlors in Cincinnati will reveal whether they actually do use unsweetened chocolate in their chili, many of the recipes that I found did use it.

How Many Ways?

What is a Way? How many of them are there, anyway? With Cincinnati Style Chili, “ways” are actually combinations of toppings added to the basic Cincinnati Chili. Standard Chili toppings include shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped onions and beans.

A “two-way” would be spaghetti topped with the chili. Adding shredded cheese to this basic combo makes it a “Three way”.The addition of onion makes it a “Four Way” and finally, adding beans makes it a “Five Way”.

The Chili is often served with oyster crackers. I was unable to get oyster crackers as there seems to be a great cracker shortage. We haven’t been able to find oyster crackers for over a month at any of our local Stores!

It Isn’t a Bowl of Chili

Cincinnati Style Chili is actually served on a shallow plate, not a bowl. It is also eaten with a fork, not a spoon like you would normally expect to eat chili. Pictured below is my husband’s plate of Cincinnati Style Chili. He actually added a bit (ok a lot more) chili powder on his!

When I was first introduced to Cincinnati Style Chili, I was expecting it to be more like what I consider to be traditional chili or Tex-Mex Chili. This Kim’s Black Bean Slow Cooker Chili is more what I was expecting. I wasn’t prepared for the fine texture of the meat or the unique flavor of the sauce. Honestly, I thought it was weird and I didn’t really care for it. Now that my palette has matured and I have taken the thyme to understand the history behind it, I realize it is actually quite delicious!

LET’S GET TO MIXIN’!

Are you wondering what the “twist” is that I was referring to in the title? Well, like my decorating style, “Kim Style” which is a unique blend of several decorating styles, this recipe is the result of studying several different recipes and creating one that uses two of the spice blends from Mad Dash Mixes. By looking at the ingredients listed on the backs of the Mad Dash Mixes packages and comparing them to the spices used in the various Cincinnati Style Chili recipes, I decided that using the mixes in place of the various individual spices would work. The Chili Mix also has a thickening agent in it that helps make this Cincinnati Style Chili recipe a little thicker than normal.

I also added a little unsweetened cocoa to the spices. In place of the shredded cheddar cheese that is normally used to top Cincinnati Style Chili, I used shredded mozzarella.

In addition to changing up the spices, I used balsamic vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar. A few of the recipes called for coconut aminos. I substituted Worcestershire sauce for that ingredient.

Since my recipe adds the onions and the beans to the recipe while it is cooking, once we add the shredded cheese, we will automatically have a 5-way Cincinnati Style Chili.

Now you have a flavorful, unique dish to serve at your Super Bowl party while you cheer on the Bengals! Touchdown Bengals!!!!

Basic Chili Staples to Have on Hand

Let’s talk about some staples to keep on your shelves or in your pantry.

Preparing a variety of soups and Chilis is easy to do if you keep staples such as Kidney Beans, Black Beans (or pinto beans) and diced tomatoes in your pantry. These items can be used in a number of different recipes. I usually have at least 4 cans of each on my pantry shelves.

Two other items to have in your panty are Chili Mix and Caribbean Jerk Seasoning from Mad Dash Mixes.