Traditional Cincinnati Chili Recipes

CINCINNATI CHILI I

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes.
• Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned.
• Add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• It is the best if you now refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the bay leaf. Reheat gently over medium heat. Serve over hot, drained spaghetti. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• Cook the tomato paste: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste to the dry pot and cook, constantly scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the tomato smells rich and toasty and you start to see browned (not burned) patches in the bottom of the pot. This should take 1 to 3 minutes.
• Simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours: Stir the chili often. You want the volume to reduce a bit. (To be honest, just one hour of cook time is okay, but for optimal chili-ness, go long.)
• Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight: Refrigerate in an air-tight covered container. (Note: you can eat the chili immediately if you want to.)

TRADITIONAL CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• Pour water into a large cooking pot (5-qt size)
• Crumble raw ground beef into water.
• Add beans, onions, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and all of the spices, salt and peppers.
• Stir together and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer till meat is cooked and chili is thickened, from 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter (depending on how thick you like it).
• When chili is nearly done, prepare spaghetti (as much as you need - think in terms of how much you would want if this were spaghetti sauce).
• Place drained spaghetti on plates and ladle chili over it.
• Top with shredded cheddar.

CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• For the chili: In a stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, chili powder, cocoa powder, sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, cumin, garlic salt, allspice, pepper, cayenne, cloves, bay leaves, beef (do not brown first) and 2 cups water. Mix until combined. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 2 hours. Stir in the vinegar and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• To serve: Serve on a bed of spaghetti and top with the beans, onions and a mound of cheese (or any preferred combination). Add hot sauce, if desired, and eat with oyster crackers.

CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add half the chopped onions and the garlic and cook until soft, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and cloves. Cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the beef and cook the mixture, stirring, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt.
• Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf and 1 1/2 cups water; simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thicker. Add the chocolate, vinegar and Worcestershire and cook until the mixture is thickened but still soupy, about 15 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain well.
• Discard the bay leaf and season the chili with the freshly ground pepper. Divide the spaghetti among bowls and top with the chili, beans, remaining onion and cheddar. Serve with the oyster crackers if desired.

AUTHENTIC CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• Place the ground beef in a large pan, cover with about 1 quart of cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up the beef with a fork to a fine texture. Slowly boil until the meat is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes, then remove from heat and refrigerate in the pan overnight.
• The next day, skim the solid fat from the top of the pan, and discard the fat. Place the beef mixture over medium heat, and stir in the onions, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning.

SIMPLE CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• Cook ground beef in large saucepan until no longer pink; drain.
• Add chili seasoning, cinnamon, beans and tomato sauce.
• Add water to bring to correct consistency.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve over spaghetti, topped with cheddar and onions.

CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, cook turkey, onions and garlic until turkey is no longer pink. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. , In a large bowl, combine tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, chocolate and seasonings; pour over turkey mixture. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours. , Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Remove bay leaf from chili. For each serving, place 3/4 cup spaghetti in a bowl. Top with about 2/3 cup chili, 3 tablespoons kidney beans, 2 tablespoons cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion.

CARRIE'S CINCINNATI CHILI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onion until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender, 6-8 minutes, breaking meat into crumbles; drain. Transfer to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. Add next 11 ingredients., Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours. Discard garlic clove and bay leaves. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti. If desired, top with shredded cheddar cheese and additional chopped onion. , Freeze option: Before adding toppings, cool chili. Freeze chili in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add water or broth if necessary. Serve as directed.

QUICK CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add bell peppers and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add chili powder, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
• Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and molasses and simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.