It was
September 2003, the eve of my little sister's birthday. She was living with us at the time, and my husband and I were
definitely on the poor end of the spectrum. It was my husband who came up with the concept of doing a hot dog bar to
celebrate on-the-cheap. And it was I who thought, well, then, we'll need some Coney Island chili to go with the dogs!
But I'd never made it. I'd never so much as tasted it.
So, naturally, I Googled. And I didn't find much. (Since then, however, Sandra Lee has cooked up her Semi-Homemade version - let's just say this isn't a recommended option.) What to do? My husband said he had the answer. He took me to Nick's Famous Coney Island, the hot dog joint legendary for its authentic New York-style chili here in Portland.
They wouldn't sell their chili a la carte, nor would they give me the recipe. So we ordered two hot dogs, and I tasted it slowly, savoring the spices and dissecting the dish in my mind. Soon, I knew what I needed to do.
And I went home, and cooked this chili. It quickly became the most-requested
recipe in my family's repertoire (with the possible exception of a few no-bake cookie recipes, but that's a story for
another day). It's good either on the stove or in a slow cooker; either way, though, I suggest you cook it for 2-4
hours total.
Nick's Famous Coney Island Chili, the Sarah Gilbert bootleg version
First, prepare the spice mixture: 1/4 cup cumin, 1/4 cup
paprika, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp
oregano, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1 bay leaf. Chop three
medium yellow onions in a medium dice for three-four cups' worth of onions, and mince
six cloves of garlic.
In a very large skillet (I use a 12" cast-iron skillet), heat three tablespoons of vegetable oil and, once hot, add a spoonful of the spice mixture. After about 30 seconds, add in the onions and garlic and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until onions are soft.
Add three pounds of ground beef chuck (20% fat) and brown. While
your beef is browning, put one 16-ounce can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes (about
one cup), three tablespoons cider vinegar, and three tablespoons brown sugar into
your slow cooker. Add the browned beef mixture and the remaining spice mixture and cook over low heat for 2-3
hours.
If you want to make this really easy, you could throw all the raw ingredients in the slow cooker and cook over medium heat for 3-4 hours. It's better, though, if the onions and meat have a chance to caramelize before cooking together.
I serve my Coney Island Chili with good hot dogs, diced onions and shredded cheddar cheese. I've eaten it without the hotdogs, too, and sometimes added kidney beans. You can make Cincinnati Chili (five way, of course) by serving the chili over spaghetti with onions, cheese and kidney beans.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-22-2006 @ 10:24PM
Bryan Price said...
Blashpemy! I've always heard that Cincinnati Chili was boiled hamburger, never fried!
Of course, I'm from Columbus, so maybe they were lying to me.
Reply
1-22-2006 @ 10:38PM
sarah gilbert said...
well, Bryan, you may be right. I'm not from Cincinnati, either. but I do know that I like this version way better than any other I've eaten!
Reply
1-22-2006 @ 11:37PM
Mark said...
Three pounds of meat and only a pint of liquid for three hours? Is that correct? If you cook it on the stove would you need more liquid? What's the consistency of the finished product? Would it work in a pressure cooker (after browning)?
Reply
1-23-2006 @ 5:47AM
Blair said...
Bryan,
You are correct,Cincinnati chili meat is boiled(or they are lying to me also),along with the spices if i recal corectly.
Love the stuff, and try to hit one of the purveyors of it at least every other month(I'm in dayton, yet we still have quite a few!).
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 2:30PM
Gwen said...
Can't wait to try it .... Hope it is as good as it sounds.... I've never been to Coney Island but I Love Chili....I'll Let ya know how it goes !!!!
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 3:35PM
Tonia said...
after all the nice, precise measurements....how much is "a spoonful" of the spice mixture?
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 3:55PM
sarah gilbert said...
no, you don't need any more liquid - there's a lot of fat from the beef and that takes care of things. you DO need to be careful to keep your mixture at a low temperature, though, to keep it from burning or getting dry.
a spoonful - yes it's approximate, because it doesn't really matter. I use a tablespoon or so, typically.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 4:24PM
James L. Copeland said...
I am from Cincinnati and I thrive on this stuff. I do know for a fact that Cincinnati chili contains chocolate, so this recipe would need to be tweaked.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 4:24PM
Steve said...
I don't get it. The stuff they sell as chili in Cincinnati is a meat sauce. REAL chili has beans in it.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 4:45PM
Desree V. said...
I Desree Run a Pina Colada Business in coney island
for the last 8 yrs. and i wanted to say i met my husband in coney island area wow back in 1993 and im glad i did. anyway i knew nick personally . and hes a great greek cook. but i heard nick died a few yr ago . hey we all miss his good cooking. love Des!
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 5:04PM
warren webb said...
I am going to try this recipe right now are you sure there is no chili powder?
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 5:06PM
Ronda said...
You can have beans added to Cincinnati Chili.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 5:41PM
BEE said...
I really thought I was going to get a great recipe, but adding cloves and cinnamon to a chili sounds like suicide. No self-respecting Texan would do it. But, from what I have read here so far, some people may actually like it.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 5:57PM
Melodie Collins said...
I grew up on Cincinnati Chili and it is Definitely boiled. I moved away and miss it more than anything else, expcept family of course.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 6:04PM
Carol B said...
If you read the ingredients in 'chili powder' you will find that they are all in this chili recipe.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 6:06PM
T Zero said...
Real chili does NOT have beans. Chili is from Texas. I am from Texas. I am in Texas right now. That stuff they serve up north in the warming huts on the ski slopes is NOT chili! You try winning The Terlingua International Chili Championship with beans. They won't even let you enter.
Just read what this guy from Cleavlans.Com says.
Chuck Yarborough
Friday! Editor
It couldn't be simpler. Rule No. 1 of the Chili Appreciation Society International Inc. mandates for national chili cook-offs is, and I quote, "All chili must be cooked from scratch on site on the day of the cook-off."
Rule No. 2: "No fillers in chili. Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy or other similar ingredients are not permitted."
Quick. What was that first banned item?
Right. Beans. If you want beans, have beans. If you want chili, have chili.
I couldn't agree more. Though when I can't get to the slopes to go skiing beans in chili is the next best thing.
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 6:13PM
T Zero said...
Real chili, Texas Chili does NOT have beans. You can't even enter a Terlingua sanctioned Chili Cook Off with beans in there.
So says Chuck Yarborough
"It couldn't be simpler. Rule No. 1 of the Chili Appreciation Society International Inc. mandates for national chili cook-offs is, and I quote, "All chili must be cooked from scratch on site on the day of the cook-off."
Rule No. 2: "No fillers in chili. Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy or other similar ingredients are not permitted."
Quick. What was that first banned item?
Right. Beans. If you want beans, have beans. If you want chili, have chili."
Now if you can't get up north to the warming hut on the ski slopes, then having beans in chili is the next best thing. But beans on a Chili Dog? Sacrilege!
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 6:20PM
Sam said...
I'm from L.A.
Does any one know how to make anything resembling the chili they use at Pinks or Tommys?
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 6:26PM
Howard said...
I was born and raised in Coney Island and never heard of Nick's, also Coney Island was not known for Chili. Is this some type of joke?
Reply
1-27-2006 @ 7:25PM
Jim rhinehart said...
The Gold Star Chili restaurants in the Cincinnati area have their Coney Island chili seasoning mix available at most grocery stores in the area. When I am in the area on business, I go to a local Kroger and stock up so I can enjoy coney dogs and 5-way chili here in south Carolina.
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