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Cincinnati Cheese Coney Recipe


Cincinnati chili cheese hot dog plated
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4 from 73 votes
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.
Serve with. a local Cincinnati beer or a soda.

Course:
Dinner
,
Lunch
,
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
difficulty scale

Makes:

Servings: 2 Cheese Coneys

Takes:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

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
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.
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • 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.
  • Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Fire up. Prepare the grill for medium-high heat cooking.
  • Cooking againCook the franks on the grill. Steam the bun.
  • 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.