Dipping a Jeff Ruby burger into Skyline Chili. Amazing or too far?
We dipped a Jeff Ruby burger into Skyline Chili at the Cincinnati Open. Here’s what we thought.
The idea of combining chili and spaghetti is a polarizing concept for some, but for Cincinnatians, it’s a way of life (and even some out-of-towners are starting to take notice).
Jessi (American) and her husband, Alessio Pasini (Italian), are known for tasting various cuisines from around the world. On Aug. 21, the couple posted a video to their 2.4 million TikTok followers of Alessio trying the famous Cincinnati dish.
“This is called Skyline Chili, and it comes from Cincinnati, Ohio,” Jessi said to her husband, who is notorious for disliking American cuisine.
Jessi had made a Skyline Way from scratch, but substituted the shredded cheddar cheese with white cheddar.
“I could only get white cheddar, so apologies for that, but it’s still cheddar,” she said before telling him the secret chili ingredients. “No beans in this chili and the beef is not sauteed before you mix it, it’s boiled. Cinnamon, allspice, cloves and chocolate powder.”
Alessio looked at the plate of spaghetti and chili with skepticism, saying, “Chocolate powder? Ohio, you never win a Super Bowl, right? There’s a reason for that.”
Then he tried it.
“Cincinnati….it’s good!!” he exclaimed, leaving Jessi in shock.
His wife joked that this “might be the best day ever for Cincinnati” because Alessio gave his stamp of approval for the Queen City staple, rating the dish a 10/10 and stating that we actually do deserve a Super Bowl.
Dining and Cooking