Many people across the United States, and maybe the world, have heard of Cincinnati style chili. It seems like very few people outside of the Midwest have ever tried it however, and that was usually from Skyline Chili, one of the biggest chili restaurants chains in the nation. But is it any good? My answer would be: it depends.
Origins of Cincinnati Chili
Skyline Chili started in Cincinnati over 75 years ago by a Greek immigrant. Now with over 160 loactions in Ohio and neighboring states, they have a loyal following. I’ve seen on Reddit that some people prefer their competitor, Gold Star chili, which I’ve never had but I’m told tastes very similar. Sort of a Pat’s versus Geno’s Cheesesteak rivalry for you in Philly, or Lou Malnati’s vs Giordiano’s Pizza in Chicago.
So what’s so different about it, compared to Texas Red or a Beef with Beans Chili? For one, it’s not traditionally eaten out of a bowl, it’s more often used as a topping for spaghetti, hot dogs, burritos, and french fries. On almost all of the photos I’ve ever seen from Skyline, you rarely ever see any chili, just mounds and mounds of shredded cheddar.
Is this really chili then or what?
So should this style of chili be considered a actual beef chili then, or more of an actual “gravy”? Based on the fact that Skyline uses it more as a meat-sauce topping, similar to sausage gravy or poutine. Plus, it is thinner than most traditional chilis, with no chunks of tomato or beans to diversify the consistancy. An even more strange difference is that the beef used in the chili is boiled instead of browned.
The largest difference is the taste! Immediately the difference in aroma hits your nose, and the first taste is sweet and tangy, and usually, followed by a whole lot of cinnamon. Now because this was originated by Greek immigrants, it does use some spices familiar to their homeland, such as greek oregano, marjoram, nutmeg and of course cinnamon.
How Can you make Cincinnati Chili at home?
Many “commercial” spice packets for chili say that all you have to do is add a teaspoon of cinnamon and you have Cincinnati chili. That may be good enough for people that have never tried real cincannati chili, but it’s hardly comparable. A good cincinnati chili uses plenty of coriander, cinnamon, and even nutmeg, although the official recipe is locked in a vault, according to their Wikipedia article.
Eat Good Chili has been working on our own blend of seasonings and instructions on how to make a great pot of Cincinnati style chili, and we will be debuting it soon for sale and able to ship nationwide. Check back here for more news and I’ll have a recipe posted here soon on how to do it.
If you really want to dive even deeper into what makes Cincinnati chili such a devisive food, you can read a great article by a lover of it at Food and Wine (https://www.foodandwine.com/skyline-chili-and-cincinnati-chili-explained-by-a-local-6402401)
