Sweet, savory, with a little bit of spice — Skyline Chili is likely different than any bowl of the good stuff you’ve ever had before. If you live in Ohio, you’ll be able to pick up a pack of four 15-ounce cans of Skyline Chili at your local Costco. Cincinnati-style chili offers everything you already love about chili — namely, tomato sauce loaded with beef — and takes it to the next level, adding a unique, secret-recipe spice blend that internet sleuths hypothesize to include cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
Skyline Chili’s Greek-style recipe is seriously divisive online (that being said, Anthony Bourdain was a fan of Ohio’s chili), but it’s beyond-beloved in Ohio and surrounding areas. In fact, Skyline was recently named the best regional fast food chain by USA Today. If you aren’t close to the states with a Skyline Chili chain, or you don’t have an Ohio Costco nearby, fear not — you can order Skyline’s chili directly from its website. If you happen to get your hands on a can, you’ll want to take a few simple steps to enjoy it like a Cincinnati local.
Enjoy Costco’s Skyline Chili like a Cincinnati local
If you want to enjoy Skyline Chili like a true Cincinnatian, you’ll need to do more than toss it into a bowl with a bit of sour cream on top. While you certainly can enjoy Skyline Chili on its own, a true Cincy-style bowl includes pasta and a ton — seriously, a ton — of cheddar cheese. Skyline Chili is typically served atop a plate of spaghetti, and it makes sense. The sweet-and-savory combo works. Much like adding a pinch of sugar to spaghetti sauce to neutralize acidity and bring out the natural flavor of tomatoes, the sweetness of the chili pairs perfectly with pasta, creating a backdrop for the umami flavor you’ll get from an Everest-sized mountain of cheddar cheese.
Another popular way to enjoy Skyline Chili like you’re from Ohio is to add it to a hot dog for a savory-sweet chili dog that’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever had. Just like a plate of Skyline Chili-topped spaghetti, you’ll need to seriously load up on the cheese to create a signature Cincinnati-style chili dog. Don’t forget to load up on chopped onions (and maybe pack a breath mint or two, just in case). While Skyline Chili may be a different take on the dish than you’re used to, you might find that once you enjoy it atop a pile of pasta, hot dog, or baked potato, there’s no going back to your standard, non-cinnamon-infused chili recipe…