Texas Versus Cincinnati Chili

Published on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

Ask a Texan and a resident of Cincinnati to describe what chili is, and you'll get two very different answers.

Cincinnati chili is essentially "something like a ground meat pasta sauce, with a Greek twist on chili spices," says paulj. Cinnamon, cloves, and even chocolate are the characteristic spices, mattstolz adds. The beans, if they're present at all, are served on the side.

Meanwhile, Texas chili is more of a "glorious beef stew" flavored with a mix of chile peppers, caseyjo says. Beans are not invited. "I defy my Texas-born parents by adding the tiniest bit of kidney beans, but they haven't disowned me yet," caseyjo says.

Of course, the popular conception of chili is a stew made with lots of beans, tomatoes, vegetables, and meat. "I grew up thinking I didn't like chili because all I ever was exposed to was canned chili with kidney beans," laliz says. "What a travesty!" "I wish they'd call Eastern chili, kidney bean stew, 'cause it sure ain't chili to me," Passadumkeg says.

Discuss: Cincinnati chili has no beans?

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  • In Cincinnati, there are a half-dozen chili restaurants, all with multiple locations, serving essentially the same dish. On a visit there, we sampled as many as we could: Skyline, Gold Star, Empress, Camp Washington, and a couple of others I can't remember. Our verdict was that Skyline was the champ. I found the Skyline recipe and reworked it, substituting turkey for the beef (Lower in fat,...+READ

    In Cincinnati, there are a half-dozen chili restaurants, all with multiple locations, serving essentially the same dish. On a visit there, we sampled as many as we could: Skyline, Gold Star, Empress, Camp Washington, and a couple of others I can't remember. Our verdict was that Skyline was the champ. I found the Skyline recipe and reworked it, substituting turkey for the beef (Lower in fat, better-tasting), and declared mine the champ. I'm from the midwest, and it wasn't until we moved to California that I encountered chili without spaghetti. I find Texas chili inedible, demonstrating the variety of tastes in this community. I long ago gave up on the "chili cookoff" concept, since it consists of multiple servings of the same Texas-style dish. I also like New Mexico Green Chile Stew, but that dish is not available anyplace outside New Mexico, it seems, except at Richardson's Cuisine of New Mexico in Phoenix. The only chili I find acceptable in LA is at Chili John's in Burbank, which doesn't have the proper spices, but at least is served with separate pasta and beans. But, unsurprisingly, mine remains my favorite.-COLLAPSE

  • My WVian Chili is more like a fusion of a texas chili and indian curry i find 'natti chili to be inedible an texas chili to be ok but not really complex enough.

  • I am Texan, born and bred, and find issue with the definition of Texas Chili as one without beans. This is a heated discussion down here on a regular basis. Who got to make the decision that Texas Chili shouldn't have beans? Chili without beans?! The Horror!

  • Texas chili, New Mexico chili, Mexican chili con carne are the way to go, and no ground meat, only chunks of beef cooked in the sauce for a few hours. The Cincinnati chili that I've tasted seemed to me to be a pasta sauce as paulj says, not a real chili sauce. While cinnamon, allspice and chocolate have a place in mole sauces, the focus in chili con carne needs to be on the flavors imparted by...+READ

    Texas chili, New Mexico chili, Mexican chili con carne are the way to go, and no ground meat, only chunks of beef cooked in the sauce for a few hours. The Cincinnati chili that I've tasted seemed to me to be a pasta sauce as paulj says, not a real chili sauce. While cinnamon, allspice and chocolate have a place in mole sauces, the focus in chili con carne needs to be on the flavors imparted by the choice of chiles used. IMHO-COLLAPSE