Murray's Cincinnati Chili
Submitted by pkallen825
Cincinnati-style chili with ground beef, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and tomato paste simmered 2 to 4 hours, served over vermicelli with cheddar and raw onion.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
READY
Cincinnati chili is its own thing entirely. If you’re expecting a thick Texas bowl of red, this isn’t that. This is a thin, warmly spiced meat sauce served over pasta with a mountain of shredded cheddar on top.
What makes Cincy chili different is the spice blend. Cinnamon, allspice, and cumin give it a sweet, almost Middle Eastern warmth that you won’t find in any Southwestern chili recipe. The ground beef gets browned in butter (not oil), then simmers for 2 to 4 hours with tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, and dried chiles until the sauce is concentrated and deeply aromatic.
The long simmer is what pulls this together. At one hour, it tastes like spiced meat in water. At three hours, everything melds into a rich, complex sauce that clings to the vermicelli.
Pro Tips
- Break the meat up finely with a fork as it browns. Cincinnati chili should have a fine, almost crumbly texture, not big chunks.
- Taste the chili after an hour and adjust. Too sweet? Add a splash of vinegar. Not spicy enough? More ground chile.
- Simmer uncovered so the sauce reduces and concentrates. A covered pot stays thin and watery.
- Pile the grated cheddar on generously. In Cincinnati, the cheese isn’t a garnish, it’s a main ingredient.
Variations
- Go “three-way” with just chili, spaghetti, and cheese. Add beans for “four-way” or beans and raw onions for “five-way."
- Use dark chocolate (a small square) instead of extra sugar for a deeper, more complex sweetness.
- Swap vermicelli for spaghetti for the more traditional Cincinnati presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the meat to the skillet.
Break up any lumps with a fork and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.
Stir in the remaining ingredients up through the water.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
If the flavor is too sweet, add a small amount of vinegar; if not spicy enough, add a small amount of ground chile.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 4 hours.
Place a small amount of the cooked vermicelli in individual bowls.
Spoon on a generous amount of chili.
Top with grated cheese and raw onion or pass in individual
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