Scheidt's Cincinnati Chili
Sometimes, good things do come from Cincinnati.
Lo these many years ago, back in college, a certain roommate introduced me to a pleasure previously unknown to my northern tongue: Skyline. Even back then, there wasn't a lot of fast food that I would go for. But Skyline Cincinnati-style chili was something else. First of all, it was on noodles. Second, it was topped with a veritable mountain of shredded cheese. But most importantly, the seasoning was unlike any other chili I had ever had: mildly smoky but almost sweet, as if chili and pumpkin pie had a meaty lovechild.
Fast-forward an undisclosed number of years, and here I am, with a man with some deep Cincinnati roots* and the uncanny ability to produce quantities of meat stew suitable for entire military battalions, as evidenced by the New Year's sauerkraut. Naturally, he has a Cincinnati chili recipe that's fantastic. Even more naturally, I beg him to make it as soon as the weather turns even the tiniest bit autumnal. Hands off, ladies. I'm eating it all.
However, before you run off and make it, you must promise to adhere to the Five Commandments of Cincinnati Chili that I just made up.
1. Thy chili shall be very meaty, practically a ragu, but also with a very thin sauce that pools in the bottom of the bowl.
2. Thy chili shall not contain beans, making it palatable to young, old and picky. If thou truly desirest beans, see commandment 5.
3. Thy chili shall be sweetly seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, cloves and chocolate.
4. Thy chili shall be served upon a bed of spaghetti topped by a serious mountain of shredded yellow cheddar. here should be so much cheese that the heat from the chili cannot melt it all. This shall be known henceforth as a Three Way, and is a fine place to stop.
5. If thou truly desirest kidney beans, thou may put them atop the cheese to compose a Four Way. Alternately, shouldst thou prefer chopped raw onions, thou may put them atop the cheese instead. The overly devout top their chili with both red kidney beans and onions, the inimitable Five Way.
If you are prepared to keep this covenant, you can make the chili. It's actually quite easy, as you'll see in the instructions - all it takes is an afternoon to simmer, and maybe a football game and a houseful of friends to share it with.
Scheidt's Cincinnati Chili
Just another Scheidt family recipe pirated on Burghilicious
4 cups water
2 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 8-ounce cans tomator sauce
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (optional)
4 or more cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
5 whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste, depending on your heat tolerance/desire)**
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons your favorite chili powder
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
Prepared spaghetti (at least a pound)
Shredded yellow cheddar cheese (at least a ton)
Chopped white onion (optional)
Strained, canned red kidney beans
In a large pot, bring water and ground beef to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often to break up the "meat noodles"***, for 30 minutes. You want the final chili to have no noticeable meaty lumps, so this is your chance.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 3 hours, then cover for 30 minutes.
Serve atop a generous bed of hot spaghetti and smother with shredded cheddar. Top with chopped white onion and kidney beans, if desired. Chili freezes beautifully.
*Don't worry, his football allegiances are easily swayed. OH SNAP!
**Scheidt recommends substituting ground chipotle for the cayenne, particularly if you want something a little less spicy.
***Yeah, I said meat noodles. What about it?
Lo these many years ago, back in college, a certain roommate introduced me to a pleasure previously unknown to my northern tongue: Skyline. Even back then, there wasn't a lot of fast food that I would go for. But Skyline Cincinnati-style chili was something else. First of all, it was on noodles. Second, it was topped with a veritable mountain of shredded cheese. But most importantly, the seasoning was unlike any other chili I had ever had: mildly smoky but almost sweet, as if chili and pumpkin pie had a meaty lovechild.
Fast-forward an undisclosed number of years, and here I am, with a man with some deep Cincinnati roots* and the uncanny ability to produce quantities of meat stew suitable for entire military battalions, as evidenced by the New Year's sauerkraut. Naturally, he has a Cincinnati chili recipe that's fantastic. Even more naturally, I beg him to make it as soon as the weather turns even the tiniest bit autumnal. Hands off, ladies. I'm eating it all.However, before you run off and make it, you must promise to adhere to the Five Commandments of Cincinnati Chili that I just made up.
1. Thy chili shall be very meaty, practically a ragu, but also with a very thin sauce that pools in the bottom of the bowl.2. Thy chili shall not contain beans, making it palatable to young, old and picky. If thou truly desirest beans, see commandment 5.
3. Thy chili shall be sweetly seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, cloves and chocolate.
4. Thy chili shall be served upon a bed of spaghetti topped by a serious mountain of shredded yellow cheddar. here should be so much cheese that the heat from the chili cannot melt it all. This shall be known henceforth as a Three Way, and is a fine place to stop.
5. If thou truly desirest kidney beans, thou may put them atop the cheese to compose a Four Way. Alternately, shouldst thou prefer chopped raw onions, thou may put them atop the cheese instead. The overly devout top their chili with both red kidney beans and onions, the inimitable Five Way.
If you are prepared to keep this covenant, you can make the chili. It's actually quite easy, as you'll see in the instructions - all it takes is an afternoon to simmer, and maybe a football game and a houseful of friends to share it with.
Scheidt's Cincinnati ChiliJust another Scheidt family recipe pirated on Burghilicious
4 cups water
2 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 8-ounce cans tomator sauce
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (optional)
4 or more cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
5 whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste, depending on your heat tolerance/desire)**
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons your favorite chili powder
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
Prepared spaghetti (at least a pound)
Shredded yellow cheddar cheese (at least a ton)
Chopped white onion (optional)
Strained, canned red kidney beans
In a large pot, bring water and ground beef to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often to break up the "meat noodles"***, for 30 minutes. You want the final chili to have no noticeable meaty lumps, so this is your chance.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 3 hours, then cover for 30 minutes.
Serve atop a generous bed of hot spaghetti and smother with shredded cheddar. Top with chopped white onion and kidney beans, if desired. Chili freezes beautifully.
*Don't worry, his football allegiances are easily swayed. OH SNAP!
**Scheidt recommends substituting ground chipotle for the cayenne, particularly if you want something a little less spicy.
***Yeah, I said meat noodles. What about it?
So here's the vegetarian version that has also been requested.
You're going to substitute an equivalent quantity of Boca crumbles for the meat, but you aren't going to add them until the end. Instead, simmer all of the ingredients except the Boca crumbles for 3 hours. Definitely use the canned tomatoes. At that point, saute the Boca crumbles in a bit of olive oil until hot, then add them to the stew for the last 30 minutes. Then proceed according to the commandments.
October 20, 2009, at 11:27 PMHere's the beginning of the Scheidt chili story. We moved to Mansfield in 1986 where we met some friends whose parents were from Cincinnati. They had a recipe for Cincinnati chili, which they gave to us just in time for Super Bowl XXIII. The Bengals lost to the 49ers, but a tradition was born. Cincy chili for every Super Bowl.
October 22, 2009, at 8:24 PMPapa Scheidt's discovery - I always wondered how close this recipe was to the one used in the commercial version, so I experimented and found this delicious revision:
Scrap the Chili powder and the Cayenne - Why should the main flavor be from McCormick or Krogers? Look at the ingredients; chili pepper, cumin, oregano, dehydrated garlic... those things are already in the recipe.
Instead, chop up 4 fresh Jalapenos, 5 Hungarian wax peppers, and maybe a Habenero.
Whatever fresh peppers you find on a Sunday at the market will make a new taste. Sure, you play with fire and you'll get burned some times (shameless pun intended), but wow what a difference! Lauren and Steve, I have some in the freezer next time you get to Mansfield.
October 22, 2009, at 8:34 PMSpeaking as a "certain roommate", I feel that the Cincy chili should be shouted from rooftops! And then from the bathroom the next day, generally. My aunt has the "official secret recipe" from Skyline. And they just celebrated their 60th anniversary!
October 25, 2009, at 9:12 PMHey hey! Can you share that "official secret recipe" to compare with the one we've been using?
February 2, 2010, at 9:49 PM