Cincinnati Chili

My all-time favorite chili with you, Cincinnati Chili. I grew up on this chili and this recipe for me was pretty darn close to the real stuff. Serve it with oyster crackers or put it on top of spaghetti for the true Cincinnati experience.

I was born in Cincinnati and grew up just outside of the city. Every time I go back to visit my family, I still get myself a chili dog or 3-way at Skyline.

I’m not going to claim this to be the same recipe they use at the restaurants this is just my version and from a Cincy girl raised on this stuff, I think it was pretty darn close in taste and in my option the best way to make it from home!

The secret to really great Cincinnati Chili is cinnamon and cocoa. These are a really great, “secret” flavor to the chili.

Use any kind of ground beef you want. I prefer a leaner 90/10 ground beef. Make sure the beef is really ground up, and there are no big clumps. You want to make sure the ground beef is small. My dad likes to call Cincinnati style chili, meat soup because it’s a lot thinner than regular chili.

There are a few different ways you can eat this chili. The Cincinnati way is on top of hot dogs or spaghetti and topped with diced onions and lots and lots of cheese.

Ingredient Notes:

• Oil: Use whatever oil you prefer. I like to use EVOO or Avocado oil.
• Onion: Chopped finely.
• Ground Beef: I used a lean ground beef.
• Minced Garlic
• Seasoning: I used a lot to season this and it comes out so flavorful. You will need chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground all spice, dried oregano, salt, and ground cloves.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Brown Sugar
• Tomato Sauce
• Water
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Optional: Serve over spaghetti or a hot dog topped with diced onion and shredded cheese.

Directions:

Step One – Sauté your onions for 2-3 minutes on medium-high in a large pan. Add the beef and garlic to the pan and cook until the beef is almost fully cooked. Drain fat as needed.

Next, add chili powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, oregano, salt, ground cloves, and mix together.

Lastly, add tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and water.

Step Two – Reduce heat to low and let the chili simmer for 1-2 hours.

Step Three – Serve over spaghetti or a hot dog topped with diced onion and shredded cheese.

What is Cincinnati Chili:

Cincinnati chili is found in Cincinnati and surrounding areas. You can get it from Goldstar or Skyline. Both are Cincinnati Chili styles, but with a slightly different taste.

It’s a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce that is usually topped on hot dogs or spaghetti.

It’s traditionally not served with beans unless you order a 5-way which is 1. spaghetti 2. chili 3. cheese 4. onion 5. beans but as someone who has lived most of their life in Cincinnati, I have NEVER had this with beans. To me it isn’t the same.

Here are a few more of my favorite chili recipes that I think you will love also!

No Bean Chili: This is more of the commonly know chili taste but with no beans. So if you want a hearty chili without the beans you have to try this one out. 

Taco Chili: This one is a favorite of mine. My taco soup is my favorite soup so I wanted to play on that to make a chili recipe, perfect for winter!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili: This one is a readers favorite and has great reviews. If you want a new basic chili recipe check it out. 

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