Cincinnati chili isn't Texas chili and doesn't try to be. It's a thin, cinnamon-and-clove-spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti with a mound of cheddar or on hot dogs as coneys, and Bengals fans grew up on it at the city's chili parlors. At Paycor Stadium, open flames are allowed in the surface lots only, never in a garage, so if you're reheating the pot, buy a surface-lot pass. Lots and times are in our Paycor Stadium guide.
At the lot: Make it the night before and reheat it on the grill, then build 3-ways and coneys at the tailgate. Homegating: Reheat it on the stove and set out the spaghetti, dogs, cheese and onions buffet style.
Home gear: a heavy 6-quart or larger pot
4 HRS
At home, plus a night in the fridge
30 MIN
At the lot
12
Serves
Ingredients
Chili
- 3 lb ground beef (85% lean)
- 8 cups cold water
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
3-ways
- 1½ lb spaghetti
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Coneys
- 12 hot dogs
- 12 hot dog buns
- Yellow mustard
Toppings
- 1½ lb finely shredded mild cheddar (about 6 cups)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained, for 5-ways
- Oyster crackers and hot sauce
Steps
At home, the day before
- Put the cold water in the pot and crumble the raw beef into it with your hands or a potato masher, breaking it up until no clumps are left. Don't brown it first. Starting it in cold water is what gives Cincinnati chili its fine, saucy texture.
- Add the chopped onions, garlic, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire, all the spices, the bay leaves and the salt. Bring it to a boil over medium-high, stirring.
- Turn it down to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. It's ready when it's thick enough to coat a spoon but still looser than a Texas chili. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick. The beef is long past 160°F by then.
- Taste for salt. Fish out the bay leaves.
- Cool the chili fast: split it into shallow containers so it's 2 inches deep or less, and refrigerate it uncovered until cold, then cover. Overnight, the fat rises and sets on top. Lift it off and throw it out.
- On game-day morning, cook the spaghetti 1 minute short of the package time, drain, toss with the oil and cool it on a sheet pan. Pack it in a covered foil pan. Shred the cheese and dice the onion into separate containers.
At the lot
- Get the grill to medium. Put the chili in the pot (or the deep foil pans) over the heat, add a splash of water and stir often until it reads 165°F all the way through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add a few tablespoons of water to the spaghetti pan, cover it with foil and warm it on the grill, tossing once, until it reads 165°F.
- Grill the hot dogs until they're hot and steaming, about 165°F, and toast the buns for the last minute.
- Move the chili to the cool side of the grill to hold it at 140°F or above.
- Build 3-ways: spaghetti, a ladle of chili, then a big pile of cheddar. Add onions for a 4-way, onions and beans for a 5-way.
- Build coneys: a dog in a bun, a line of mustard, a spoon of chili, then onions and cheddar.
Pack for the lot
Lot notes
- Hold it low and covered: keep the pot on the cool side and stir from the bottom now and then. The rules for holding it hot are in how to keep food hot at a tailgate.
- Build to order: the spaghetti, dogs, cheese and onions stay separate, and the cold stuff stays in the cooler, until somebody asks for a 3-way or a coney.
Can you make Cincinnati chili ahead for a tailgate?
Yes, and you should. Make it the day before: the spices settle in overnight, and the fat sets on top so you can lift it off. Reheat it to 165°F at the lot.
What's the difference between a 3-way, 4-way and 5-way?
A 3-way is spaghetti, chili and shredded cheddar. A 4-way adds onions or beans, and a 5-way adds both.
How do you make chili dogs Cincinnati style?
Put a hot dog in a soft bun, add yellow mustard, then a spoon of Cincinnati chili, diced onion and a pile of finely shredded cheddar. In Cincinnati, that's a coney.
Why is there cinnamon in Cincinnati chili?
It comes from the Greek and Macedonian immigrants who opened the city's first chili parlors in the 1920s and seasoned it like a meat sauce from home. Cinnamon, clove and allspice are what make it taste like Cincinnati and not Texas.
Do you put beans in Cincinnati chili?
Not in the pot. In Cincinnati, beans are a topping: warm kidney beans go over the chili on a 4-way or 5-way, so the pot stays smooth for the spaghetti and the coneys.
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