Cincinnati Chilli Burger

All of the best elements of Cincinnati chilli, but burger-ified. Crispy spaghetti buns, two smash patties, a pile of cheese, diced onions, and pickled chillies.

Done in 1 hour

Serves 4

Dish by Twisted

Ingredients

The chilli:

500gbeef mince, 20% fat

1onion, diced

400gchopped tomatoes

400mlwater

3garlic cloves

1 tspground cumin

1 tspchilli powder

1 tbspcocoa powder

1 tbspWorcestershire sauce

1 tsphoney

1 tspsmoked paprika

salt, to taste

The buns:

300gspaghetti, cooked

1egg

30gparmesan, grated

30gplain flour

Vegetable oil, for frying

Everything else:

150gbeef mince, divided in two

2cheese slices

1/2onion, diced

1pickled chilli, sliced

50gdouble gloucester, grated

Cincinnati chilli is said to have developed from immigrant chefs who were trying to make mediterranean dishes more palatable to the US audience. Chefs used dishes like pasticcio and moussaka to come up with 'chilli spaghetti', and thus the Cincinnati chilli was born! It has since developed into a big pile of cooked spaghetti, topped with a spiced tomatoey beef chilli, a huge mound of grated cheese, diced onions, and occasionally kidney beans or crackers.

Method

Start by making the chilli. Add a splash of oil to a large pan, then brown all of the mince in batches. Set aside.

Add the onion and garlic, sauté until soft. Add the beef back in, then add all of the seasonings. Stir well to combine, then add the tomatoes and water. Pour in Worcestershire sauce and honey, then turn down to low and leave to simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened.

Mix the cooked and cooled spaghetti with egg, flour, and parmesan. Arrange the spaghetti into two greased circle moulds, and freeze for an hour or until solid.

Heat the oil to 180 C, then carefully fry the two frozen spaghetti patties. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Set aside on a wire rack.

Smash two patties in a heated cast iron skillet. Once there's a deep brow crust, flip, then place cheese on top. Turn down the heat and cover.

Time to assemble! Start with the spaghetti bun on the bottom, then the two patties. Top with a good spoonful of the chilli, then a load of grated double gloucester. Finish with diced raw onion and pickled chillies, then the other bun.