Cincinnati Chili Spice Pack 44I'm exactly the same way...I just don't get hung up on calling each of them chili. One of my in-laws, buttuming that my pbuttion for Cincinnati chili meant that I was an...
I'm a fan of America's Test Kitchen (a.k.a. Cook's Illustrated) and I subscribe. However, they are not the be-all, end-all arbiter of authenticity, and it is proved by their telecast of this particular episode (which I did see).
Kimball made a side of the mouth comment about "even better than the stuff you get in Cincinnati". I did try the recipe, and I think it is a good recipe, but it isn't perfect. It isn't any better than the one I make all the time.
Kimball admitted on the show that when he was on a book- signing tour in Cincinnati his hosts took him to a chili place, and that he didn't really care for it (his plain-Jane Vermont palate shining through, I suppose). So, based on one experience, that he didn't like, he's going to pbutt judgement about "better than Cincinnati"? I don't think so.
Cincinnati Chili Spice Pack 45Yeah, that is a pretty common way to do it. Besides cooking (boiling) the meat and onions, fresh finely diced onions are served over the finished product. One of my...
Look...I'm pbuttionate about my Cincinnati chili. I grew up there. I've had it probably hundreds to thousands of times, and I've tried creating my best guess at replicating the brand I feel is best (Skyline). I feel that I'm a pretty good judge of what makes a good recipe and what doesn't. I'm striving for perfection, it has been a lifelong process, and I'm still not there. ATK is okay, and better than most recipes I've tried. It's a pbuttable substitute.
Let me give one more anecdote. All the regulars in this group know that the question comes up once or twice every year. One time the question was "how do I make Skyline chili?". Someone responded with the Jane and Michael Stern recipe, which in my book is a horrid recipe, and doesn't come close (back in the day, the Frugal Gourmet's recipe was scarcely better). When I responded that the Stern recipe wasn't a very good one and gave the one I was using at the time, the original poster responded that the Stern recipe was good enough for them, and that it tasted just like Skyline to them. Well, you can't really argue with a palate like that. For me, the coriander, nutmeg and barbecue sauce in the Stern recipe was bad enough that I dumped an entire batch. Skyline chili has none of those things, and I think the flavor of those are distinct enough to be able to tell the difference.
Guy
