Cincinnati Chili

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

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ground Beef Tacos

Korean Beef

Frito Pie

Patty Melt

Hamburger Casserole

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Hamburger Gravy

Chili Mac

Cincinnati Chili Recipe

Cincinnati Chili is a unique blend of ground beef, onions, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.  It is traditionally served in a bowl over spaghetti noodles with shredded cheddar and oyster crackers.

5 from 40 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

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

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1057IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 4mg

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