Cincinnati Chili (Cincinnati Chili) — Skyline-Style Spiced Chili over Spaghetti

• 900 gground beef, 85 percent lean
• 950 mlcold water
• 2 cantomato sauce (425 g each)
• 85 gtomato paste
• 30 mlapple cider vinegar
• 15 mlWorcestershire sauce (traditional brands usually contain anchovy)
• 1yellow onion (grated or very finely minced)
• 2 clovegarlic (finely grated)
• 3 tbspchili powder
• 1 tbspunsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1.5 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground allspice
• 0.25 tspground cloves
• 0.25 tspground cayenne pepper
• 1 leafbay leaf
• 12 gkosher salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 10 glight brown sugar
• 450 gdried spaghetti
• 18 gfine salt for pasta water
• 240 gsharp orange cheddar cheese (finely shredded into fluffy strands)
• 1 cankidney beans (425 g can, drained and warmed for 5-way topping)
• 90 goyster crackers
• 60 mlhot sauce (Cincinnati chili-parlor style)

Instructions

1. 1

   Put the ground beef and cold water in a heavy 5 l pot before any heat is applied. Break the meat apart with your fingers or a potato masher until the mixture looks loose and cloudy, because this cold-start method gives Cincinnati chili its fine, almost sauce-like texture rather than browned chunks.

2. 2

   Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, garlic, chili powder, cocoa, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, cayenne, bay leaf, kosher salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Stir thoroughly and scrape the bottom of the pot so the spices disperse evenly through the liquid instead of forming dry pockets.

3. 3

   Bring the pot just to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a slow, steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 1 hour and 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and skimming off excess orange fat from the surface if more than a thin sheen collects.

4. 4

   After the long simmer, the chili should be pourable but not watery, with finely suspended beef and a warm aroma of cinnamon, allspice, and chili powder. Remove the bay leaf, then simmer 10 to 15 minutes longer if the sauce seems thin or add 60 ml water if it has reduced into a paste.

5. 5

   Bring 4 l water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add the 18 g fine salt. Cook the spaghetti until tender but not mushy, then drain well without rinsing so the chili clings to the pasta.

6. 6

   Warm the drained kidney beans in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes while you dice the onion and fluff the finely shredded cheddar. Cincinnati chili is assembled quickly, so have the oyster crackers and hot sauce on the table before plating.

7. 7

   For each serving, place a mound of spaghetti on a shallow bowl or oval plate and ladle about 240 ml chili over the center. Make it a 3-way with cheddar, a 4-way with cheddar plus diced onion, or a 5-way with cheddar, diced onion, and warm kidney beans.

8. 8

   Serve immediately with oyster crackers and hot sauce, letting diners season the plate in the classic chili-parlor manner. Do not toss everything together before serving, because the layered look and the separate textures of spaghetti, chili, cheese, onion, and beans are part of the style.