Sinfully Good Chili

This is Cincinnati-style chili, a Midwestern American oddity that bears almost no resemblance to Tex-Mex chili. The Greek-Macedonian immigrants who founded Cincinnati’s chili parlors in the 1920s brought their stewing traditions with them, which is why this version uses warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and unsweetened chocolate alongside the cumin and chili powder.

The 5-way designation refers to the layered presentation. Buttered spaghetti goes down first, then the chili, then kidney beans, chopped raw onion, and a snowdrift of shredded cheddar on top. 3-way skips the beans and onions for just chili-spaghetti-cheese. 4-way adds one of the toppings back.

The simmer is long and low, and the recipe encourages tasting and adjusting. More cumin for traditional chili flavor, more cinnamon and mace for aromatic depth, more cardamom for warmth, more chocolate for body. This recipe is built to be tweaked.

The red wine vinegar at the start is the brightener that prevents the heavy spice load from going flat. Don’t skip it.

Pro Tips

• Cook the meat in water (the recipe’s water addition) rather than browning it dry. This is the traditional Cincinnati method and produces the loose-meat texture characteristic of the style.
• Simmer uncovered for the final 20 minutes if the sauce is too thin. Open simmering concentrates the flavors.
• Use unsweetened baker’s chocolate, not chocolate chips. Half an ounce grated is the right amount.
• Heat the kidney beans separately, not in the chili. They stay intact and have a cleaner flavor profile.

Variations

• Top with oyster crackers at the table for the authentic chili parlor experience.
• Drizzle with a few dashes of Tabasco for extra heat.
• Swap kidney beans for pinto beans, though Cincinnati purists will object.