Cincinnati Chili Five-Way

The story

Cincinnati chili was developed in the 1920s by Macedonian immigrant brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff, who adapted Mediterranean-spiced meat sauces to local tastes. Their Empress Chili parlour established the system of serving the sauce over spaghetti in numbered “ways”. Other chains, including Skyline and Gold Star, spread the style across the region. It differs sharply from a bowl of Texas chilli. The finely textured beef sauce is fragrant with spices that may include cinnamon, allspice and cloves, and it is served as a topping rather than a standalone stew. A five-way adds spaghetti, chilli, beans, chopped onion and finely shredded cheddar. The dish is a defining food of Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, eaten in dedicated chilli parlours and at home. The numbered ordering system creates a shared local vocabulary. It is also used on small hot dogs called coneys, another central part of the city’s dining culture.

Ingredients

• Base
• 200 gram spaghetti
• Dairy
• 90 gram cheddar cheesefinely grated
• Main
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Protein
• 300 gram beef mince
• 200 millilitre beef stock
• Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 0.25 teaspoon ground allspice
• Sweetener or fruit
• 10 gram dark chocolate
• Vegetables
• 100 gram onionfinely diced
• 250 millilitre tomato passata
• 150 gram kidney beanscooked or drained

Method

1. Start the chilli

   Put beef mince into the pot with stock and passata while still cold, breaking it up very finely before heating.

   Look for: The beef should disperse into tiny pieces, not clumps. Tip: Cincinnati chilli has a fine sauce-like texture. Avoid: Do not brown the beef first for this regional style.

2. Add spices and simmer

   Add onion, chilli powder, cinnamon, allspice and chocolate. Simmer gently uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   Look for: The sauce should be loose but richly coloured. Tip: The warm spices are what make it Cincinnati rather than standard chilli. Avoid: Do not let it boil hard or catch on the base.

3. Cook spaghetti

   Boil spaghetti in salted water until just tender, then drain well.

   Look for: The pasta should be firm enough to hold the sauce. Tip: Keep pasta plain so the five-way toppings stand out. Avoid: Do not rinse the spaghetti; starch helps the chilli cling.

4. Build five-way

   Serve spaghetti topped with chilli, beans, diced onion and a mound of finely grated cheddar.

   Look for: You should see clear layers of pasta, chilli and cheese. Tip: Use finely grated cheese so it melts into the hot chilli. Avoid: Do not mix everything before serving; the layered look is part of the dish.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the upgraded serves-2 metric ingredient list; verify with a calculator before making health claims.