Today I had a tremendous hankering for Skyline Chili. I drove over to the nearest Skyline and got a regular three-way, two cheese coneys with everything, a large water, and extra crackers. As I prepared to dig in I realized that not everyone may understand that there is one, and only one, correct way to eat Skyline Chili. As a public service, I offer a how-to manual on this essential life lesson.
For those who don’t live in the footprint of Skyline Chili, I pity you. In any event, please understand that a “three-way” is a plate with three ingredients — spaghetti, a sweet, dark sauce, and a heaping mound of thinly grated, brightly colored cheddar cheese. (A four-way would add either onions or beans, and a five-way would add both.)
The first step in the consumption process is proper preparation of the chili plate. Begin by adding a liberal amount of the hot sauce that is kept in a squeeze bottle on every table in every Skyline restaurants. You should apply strips of the hot sauce, both vertically and horizontally, on top of the grated cheese, so that you end up with a kind of checkerboard pattern that will result in uniform hot sauce distribution.
Then, take the the oyster crackers and carefully place them on the top of the grated cheese, creating an oyster cracker blanket. This timeless technique ensures that the lightly salted oyster crackers are properly spread across the chili.
Now you are ready to dig in — and this is where many novices fail miserably. Recalling their days eating Chef Boyardee, they try to twirl the spaghetti, chili, and cheese on their fork. This is a pathetic blunder that is deeply embarrassing to every experienced Skyline patron in the restaurant. They realize that the only correct way to eat Skyline chili is by using the edge of the fork to cut down vertically through the cracker-cheese-chili-spaghetti mass, so that every bite is a small yet perfectly proportioned combination of spaghetti, sauce, cheese, and a cracker or two. This is why proper pre-consumption cracker placement is crucial.
I prefer to eat my Skyline chili right to left, perhaps because I am right-handed. I suppose you also could eat a plate moving left to right. However, the key point is that you start at one end of the oval-shaped plate and move from side to side. This approach maintains the structural integrity of the food mass. If you begin in the middle of the plate, the risk is far greater that you will experience the dreaded cheese-cracker cave-in, and once that occurs you can never fully recover the initial flawless proportioning.
As you consume this tasty concoction, be alert to the need for cracker conservation, and also to the hazards of cheese hogging. At some point, the cheese and sauce will have melded into a kind of melted cheesy shield that will skid over the top of the pasta. If you facilitate the skidding process, you may end up at the edge of the plate with no cheese — which is another appalling faux pas. Similarly, you want to have a cracker or two at the end of the plate to soak up those last few drops of cheesy/saucy goodness. Don’t be caught shorthanded!
As you eat your three-way, you also should consume your coneys. Any cheese drop-off from the coney — and there inevitably will be some — should be added to the remaining cheese pile on your three-way plate. This necessarily means that you will consume the last of your cheese coneys before you finish your last bite of the three-way.
After you have savored your last swallow of three-way and gone up to the cash register to pay for your fare, remember that the meal is not yet over. A crisp, refreshing mini York Peppermint Patty is as indispensable to the meal — and I do mean indispensable — as the extra bowl of crackers.
Correctly prepared and consumed, a three-way meal at Skyline Chili ranks among the finest fast food options the nation’s heartland has to offer. But, as with everything else, there is a right way to do it and countless wrong ways. Let’s get it right, America!
FAQs
They realize that the only correct way to eat Skyline chili is by using the edge of the fork to cut down vertically through the cracker-cheese-chili-spaghetti mass, so that every bite is a small yet perfectly proportioned combination of spaghetti, sauce, cheese, and a cracker or two.
How are you supposed to eat Skyline Chili? ›
tradition, you're supposed to cut. If you twirl it...you aren't from Cincinnati.
What are the 5 ways in Skyline Chili? ›
Serve your chili as follows (items for the 3,4, and 5 way listed in ingredients- others may require items not listed). 3-Way: chili, spaghetti, and cheese. 4-Way: a 3-Way plus onions or beans. 5-Way: spaghetti, chili, onions, beans and cheese.
What is a skyline 3-way? ›
3-Way. Our signature dish–steaming spaghetti, covered with our original secret-recipe chili and topped with a mound of shredded cheddar cheese.
Can you eat Skyline Chili by itself? ›
One-way: Just a bowl of chili. Order it like that if you want, but you're missing out. And no one calls it a "one way." Two-way: Chili plus spaghetti.
What kind of meat is in Skyline Chili? ›
Ground beef: We like to use a lean ground beef like 85/15 since it has less fat and makes for a nicer, less greasy chili. Spices: Don't be intimidated by the long list of recipe ingredients.
What state is famous for Skyline Chili? ›
They settled in the bustling Midwestern town of Cincinnati, Ohio. And in 1949, Nicholas realized his dream when he opened the doors of his first restaurant, perched atop Price Hill on the city's West Side. His view of the downtown cityscape inspired the name and Skyline Chili was born.
Is Skyline Chili an Ohio thing? ›
The term is used to describe a unique type of chili that originated in the Cincinnati area. Based on Greek family recipes, it is different from Southwestern or Texas-style chili.
What is the difference between Cincinnati chili and Skyline Chili? ›
Skyline Chili is unique in that it is not chili con carne, the meat dish that originated in (and is the state dish of) Texas. Instead, Cincinnati chili is a sauce usually used over spaghetti or hot dogs, containing a unique spice blend that gives it a very distinct, sweet-and-savory taste.
Who is the rival of Skyline Chili? ›
Skyline Chili main competitors are Advanced Food Products LLC, Market Street Bakery, and Mimi's Cafe. Competitor Summary.
I would say the real secret is in the addition of cocoa and cinnamon and the large amount of spices you add. The chili tasted really hot at first, but as it cooked, the flavors mellowed and created that just right blend of spices that makes Cincinnati chili so different.
What kind of onions does Skyline Chili use? ›
-1 large brown/yellow onion (I have seen these called both brown or yellow, just don't use white onion. Red onion is good too, but it gives the chili a different flavor.)
Does Skyline put chocolate in their chili? ›
Answer: Nope, according to Dann Woellert, author of "The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili." For the 2013 book, Woellert spoke with the owners of all the local chili parlors – Skyline, Gold Star, Pleasant Ridge and Price Hill, to name a few – and they all confirmed chocolate was not an ingredient in their recipes.
Why did Skyline get banned? ›
The Nissan Skyline ban exists simply because the car failed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The Nissan Skyline is illegal in the US because of the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988.
How do they eat chili in Cincinnati? ›
The most popular order is a "three-way", which adds shredded cheese to the chili-topped spaghetti (a "two-way"), while a "four-way" or "five-way" adds onions and/or beans before topping with the cheese. Ways are often served with oyster crackers and a mild hot sauce.
How do you eat chili for dinner? ›
Best Side Dishes for Chili
- Rice. A scoop of steamed rice alongside your chili can work wonders. ...
- Cornbread Casserole. It's hard to mention chili without thinking of cornbread. ...
- Baked Potato or Sweet Potato. ...
- Fresh bread. ...
- Garlic Bread. ...
- Salads. ...
- French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries or Onion Rings. ...
- Biscuits.
Skyline Chili is unique in that it is not chili con carne, the meat dish that originated in (and is the state dish of) Texas. Instead, Cincinnati chili is a sauce usually used over spaghetti or hot dogs, containing a unique spice blend that gives it a very distinct, sweet-and-savory taste.
How do you eat chili beans? ›
Enjoy a rich and flavorful bowl as-is with a hunk of cornbread. If you're feeling more adventurous, use it as part of a bigger recipe. Spoon it over a roasted potato garnished generously with Greek yogurt and chopped onion.
