Cincinnati Chili is a unique culinary experience that combines ground beef, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, chili powder, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, brown sugar, and vinegar. This unusual chili provides a most enjoyable taste-bud-exploding experience. You don’t need to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to enjoy Cincinnati Skyline Chili.
Cincinnati chili originated with immigrant restaurateurs in the 1920s who were trying to expand their customer base by moving beyond narrowly ethnic cuisine styles. Ingredients for this chili might include ground beef, stock, tomato paste, cinnamon, other Mediterranean spices, and sometimes chocolate in a soup-like consistency. Toppings include cheese, onions, and kidney beans.
This is a weekend meal, as it needs to simmer in the Dutch oven for several hours. However, it is well worth the time and effort. It is just that good! Cincinnati Chili makes for excellent leftovers. It tastes even better the next day, as the flavors have had time to meld. Serve it with corn muffins, Johnny cakes, or sweet potato cornbread.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Ground beef: use ground beef with a bit of fat, like 85/15. Fat gives the beef flavor, but you don’t want so much fat that you spend a lot of time skimming it.
- Spices: chili powder, cocoa powder, ground cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, allspice, and cloves. These spices give Cincinnati chili its unique taste.
- Vinegar: I like the taste of apple cider vinegar in this chili but you can substitute red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
- Pasta: I like to serve this over spaghetti, but you can also serve it over macaroni noodles or rice.
How to Make Cincinnati Chili
This chili is so easy to make. First, saute the chopped onion and garlic in a large pot or Dutch Oven. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cooking for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Then, add your ground beef and beef broth and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer the beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Skim off any fat that floats to the top.
Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, ground cinnamon, ground cayenne pepper, ground cloves, ground allspice, cider vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours. Serve over cooked spaghetti with shredded cheddar and chopped onions.
Preparation Tips
- Cook the ground beef over a low simmer, breaking it up with a fork or meat chopper.
- Skim the fat off the top of the pot with a spoon. If you don’t want to waste anything, refrigerate what you skim off while the pot simmers. The fat will solidify and be easy to remove, and you can return the rest of the broth to the pot.
- Simmer the chili uncovered for 2-3 hours for the best flavor and consistency.
Ways To Serve It
- 2-Way Chili – Serve the chili over spaghetti. Yummy!
- 3-Way Chili – Top the chili and spaghetti with shredded cheddar cheese. Super yummy!
- 4-Way Chili – Top the whole caboodle with onions. Oh, my heavens!
- 5-Way Chili – Top the entire kit and caboodle with kidney beans! Heavens to Betsy!
- Coney dog – Top a hot dog in a bun with Cincinnati chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and a little mustard.
Store and Freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, first cool thoroughly. Then, transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 8 ounces of spaghetti cooked according to package instructions
- Shredded cheddar optional
- Finely chopped onions optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low the minced garlic.
- Add the ground beef and beef broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the beef, breaking it up as it cooks. This will take 20-30 minutes. Skim off any fat that floats to the top.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, ground cinnamon, ground cayenne pepper, ground allspice, ground cloves, cider vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with shredded cheddar and chopped onions.
Notes
- Cook the ground beef over a low simmer, breaking it up with a fork or meat chopper.
- Skim the fat off the top of the pot with a ladle. If you don’t want to waste anything, refrigerate what you skim off while the pot simmers. The fat will solidify and be easy to remove, and you can return the rest of the broth to the pot.
- Simmer the chili uncovered for 2-3 hours for the best flavor and consistency.
Nutrition
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Michelle
I hadn’t heard of Cincinnati chili before so thanks for enlightening! It sounds so good — will have to try it soon! Thanks for sharing.
Whitney sokola
Do you Brown the meat first?
Beth Pierce
No you do not.
John Sutton
A fellow co-worker cooked this in our Company’s kitchen and we all had it for lunch. This is the best Cincinnati Chili I have ever had in my life!!! You need to eat over hot or warm spaghetti and with finely chopped sweet onions as a garnish. It was so good I had two big bowls of it. Previously I’ve had Sky Line Chili but it cant hold a candle to this recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much John! So glad that you liked it!
Suzy
Had no idea that you could serve this over spaghetti! Such a delicious chili. So flavorful!
wilhelmina
This was a new one for me, but oh my, it’s delicious! I will be making it again very soon!
Toni
I really love how flavorful this is!! Quickly became a favorite at my house!
Lindsay Cotter
It’s been raining here all day! This was the perfect comfort food dinner for us!
Lauren Kelly
This is one of my favorite recipes. The ultimate comfort food!
eleanor
can i substitute other bbq sauce? from Canada and not have the Kansas city style
Beth Pierce
Yes you can. I would try to go with something that is not overly sweet.
Catalina
Sounds like a must try recipe! So easy and delicious!
Catalina
I’ve made it and it’s so flavorful! It’s so easy to make so I make it very often during the cold season!
Allyson Zea
I’ve never tried Cincinnati chili but now I really want to! This looks delicious!
Sara Welch
This was just the heartwarming dish I needed! My kids couldn’t get enough of this so I’ll be adding this to my weekly dinner lineup for sure!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Chrissie Baker
YESSS! This looks SO good- I think I could eat an entire batch in a single day.
Krista
I love the cocoa and cinnamon in this recipe! Sounds amazing!
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'!
Oh my I haven’t had Cincinnati Chili in years! I used to order it at Steak and Shake when we live in Missouri…of course that stuff isn’t very authentic. I’ve never made it myself but this recipe looks too good to pass up! Love the addition of cocoa powder. Talk about depth of flavor! Yum!