The Cincinnati Cheese Coney Is Pure Hot Dog Bliss

If you’re already a Cincinnati Cony dog lover or simply want to mix up your hot dog game, this is the recipe for you!

In 1922 Tom Kiradjieff and his brother John, Macedonian immigrants, opened the Empress, a restaurant where they sold Greek food and hot dogs.

But, legend says, Cincinnati was German and business was bad. So he took his signature Greek lamb stew laced with cinnamon and cloves, switched to ground beef, added hot peppers and other spices, called it chili, and served it over spaghetti and hot dogs. Although it bore little resemblance to the classic Texas chili or Italian spaghetti sauce, it was a hit. Today it is estimated that there are about 200 chili parlors in the Cincinnati area.

In 1949 Nicholas Lambrinides, a Greek immigrant and a former employee of the Empress opened Skyline Chili. It is by far the most popular with more than 100 locations. They even sell their chili in cans online. Gold Star Chili is another popular chain with canned chili online. Camp Washington Chili is perhaps the most revered chili parlor. The single location is a Cincinnati landmark, and their chili has won a James Beard Foundation Award as an “American Regional Classic”.

Nobody knows if naming hot dogs “Coneys” was homage to the amusement park on Long Island in New York where hot dogs are the food of choice, or if the name came from the other Coney Island amusement park, the one built in Cincinnati in 1886. And nobody knows for sure who had the bright idea of topping Coneys with a huge mound of shredded cheddar cheese, but that’s how they make the Cincinnati Cheese Coney that is served all over town and at the ballparks: A pork and beef frank with a natural casing topped with mustard, then chili, then chopped onions, and an ungodly amount of shredded cheese.

How about a 3-way?

If you decide to skip past the Cheese Coney and just order a plate of Chili in Cincinnati be prepared with an answer to the question “2-way, 3-way, 4-way, or 5-way?”

2-way: Spaghetti topped with chili and oyster crackers on the side (never saltines).

3-way: A 2-way topped with a heaping mound of shredded cheese.

4-way: A 3-way with onions on top of the chili.

5-way (a.k.a. “The Works”): A 4-way with kidney beans on top of the chili.

Cincinnati Cheese Coney Recipe

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Cincinnati Cheese Coney's are served all over town and at the ballparks: A pork and beef frank with a natural casing topped with mustard, then chili, then chopped onions, and an ungodly amount of shredded cheese. Here's how to make them as good, if not better, at home.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 2 Cheese Coneys

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

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Cincinnati Chili

• 1 tablespoon American chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon  Morton Coarse Kosher Salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon lard
• 1 large onion
• 2 = garlic cloves
• 1 pound ground chuck, about 80% lean
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 cups water

The Cheese Coney

• 12 all-beef hot dogs
• 12 buns
• Yellow mustard
• 1 cup white onion
• 2 ounces finely shredded mild cheddar

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Method

 

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1. Prep. In a bowl, mix together the American chili powder, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper flakes, salt, ground black pepper, and the bay leaf. In another bowl, mix the tomato sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar, and water.
2. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Cook. Normally, at this stage we would brown the meat, but in The Queen City the meat is not browned, it is simmered. In a 2 quart (1.9 L) sauce pan melt the lard over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until limp, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Add the spices for 1 minute to release the oil soluble flavors and mix in. Be careful they do not burn.
4. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then knock it back to a simmer. Crumble the meat into the liquid leaving it wormy looking. Simmer on low for about an hour with the lid on. Remove the lid and discard the bay leaf. Cook it down until it is wet, but not runny, perhaps another 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the flavorings to your preference.
5. Fire up. Prepare the grill for medium-high heat cooking.
6. Cooking again. Cook the franks on the grill. Steam the bun.
7. Serve. Place the grilled franks in the buns, top with mustard, chili sauce and onions. Pile the cheddar on high. Don’t try to melt it. Serve it right from the shredder.

Notes

About the lard. You can substitute Crisco shortening or olive oil if you must.

Optional. Some Mexican chili recipes use unsweetened chocolate and it does a remarkable job of enriching the flavor without making it sweet. I’m sure it was not in the original Cincinnati recipe, but a lot of locals use it. If you want to try it, add 1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

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