Cincinnati Chili for the Firehouse | Rachael Ray

Food & Fun - By Rachael Ray on

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"I'm cooking up a meal that I've written in celebration of International Firefighters' Day," says Rach. "We're going to make Cincinnati-style chili, which is always served on spaghetti—fun fact, by the way! I'm presenting this as one of the dishes that I'm going to share with my friends at Denis Leary's Firefighter Foundation Challenge event that brings awareness to the needs of firefighters." (Rach is a member of the board.) The chili is made with ground beef and red kidney beans and served with the pasta, shredded cheddar, chopped onions, saltines and hot sauce, even though she says the dish is already spicy. Yum! 

Ingredients
For the Spice Mix:
  • ¼ cup chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika or pimenton
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked cinnamon or ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
For the Meat Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 yellow onions, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef, 80%
  • 1 quart beef bone broth or stock
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar (white or cider)
  • 2 cups tomato sauce or passata
  • One 14-ounce can red kidney beans
To Serve:
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • Yellow sharp cheddar, shredded
  • Finely chopped white onions
  • Saltine crackers, to pass at table
  • Hot sauce of choice, to pass at table
Preparation

For the spice mix, combine ingredients in small bowl.     

Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. 

For the meat sauce, heat oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.

5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Rachael Ray
$100 $80

Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and bay leaf and sweat onions until soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Add beef and crumble. Add spice mix and stir. Add stock or broth and vinegar, then add tomato sauce and beans and simmer 30 minutes. 

Salt boiling water and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.    

Toss pasta with half of the chili and a little reserved pasta water. Transfer to serving dish and top with remaining chili, along with cheese and onions. Pass crackers and hot sauce at table.