Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili
From the episode: Midwestern Favorites
Warm spices and a host of unexpected garnishes lend this regional chili its unique flavor. We wondered if we could recreate this Midwestern dish in our test kitchen.
Serves 6 to 8.
Use canned tomato sauce for this recipe—do not use jarred spaghetti sauce.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions , chopped fine
1 clove garlic , minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Instructions
• 1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until soft and browned around edges, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
• 2. Add beef and stir to break up meat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chili is deep brown and slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and serve. (Chili can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
Recipe Testing
Five Ways to Cincinnati Those in the know can order their chili without a second thought, but for the uninitiated, here's a quick guide to the five ways of Cincinnati chili. The chili is almost never served on its own (one-way). Just don't forget the oyster crackers!

TWO-WAY CHILI: Served over spaghetti.

THREE-WAY CHILI: Served over spaghetti and topped with cheese.

FOUR-WAY CHILI: Served over spaghetti and topped with onions and cheese.

FIVE-WAY CHILI: Served over spaghetti and topped with onions, beans, and cheese.
Technique
Shred It and Forget It One of the hallmarks of Cincinnati Chili is the wisp-thin tangle of shredded cheese that graces the top of the chili or cheese Coney. To produce cheese with this perfect airy texture, chili restaurants use industrial-strength cheese shredders, but where does that leave the home cook? We found that the best way to re-create these gossamer strands of cheddar, provided the cheese is well chilled, is to use the fine holes of a box grater. To get the longest, thinnest strands possible, grasp the refrigerated cheese and run it down the length of the box grater in a slight arcing motion; this way the shreds will run the entire length of the block of cheese.

Long, light strands of cheese are essential for authentic Cincinnati chili.