# Cincinnati Chili

A hearty and easy-to-prepare Cincinnati-style chili, very different from Texas chili, made with several non-traditional ingredients and served in five different ways.

- Total time: 75 min
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 5 cups water
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- 3 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 cups finely chopped onions
- 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large bay leaf
- 3 finely crushed garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons homemade chili powder
- 0.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
- 0.5 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ounce freshly grated unsweetened chocolate
- pepper
- salt
- 0.75 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- spaghetti
- onions
- red kidney beans
- cheese
- oyster crackers
- hot sauce

## Instructions

1. Add five cups of water to a pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Add two pounds of 85/15 ground chuck into the boiling water.
3. Move the ground chuck around until it all breaks up into fine pieces; avoid large chunks.
4. Once everything comes to a boil and the ground beef is broken up, remove all the protein foam from the top to prevent murky chili.
5. Lower the temperature to a low simmer.
6. Add two 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce and three teaspoons of tomato paste into a skillet to toast it.
7. Heat the tomato sauce and paste for about two minutes, stirring constantly until it starts to boil and the tomato paste is well dissolved.
8. Turn off the heat and add the toasted tomato mixture into the pot with the ground beef.
9. Add two cups of finely chopped onions into the pot.
10. Add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, one large bay leaf, three large finely crushed garlic cloves, one teaspoon of garlic powder, and one teaspoon of onion powder.
11. Add two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, one teaspoon of ground cumin, and one teaspoon of paprika.
12. Add three tablespoons of homemade chili powder, one eighth of a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, half a teaspoon of freshly ground cloves, and half a teaspoon of ground allspice.
13. Add one ounce of freshly grated unsweetened chocolate.
14. Season with pepper and salt to taste.
15. Add three-fourths of a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
16. Stir all ingredients together thoroughly.
17. Let the chili simmer on low for one hour, stirring occasionally.
18. After one hour, add two teaspoons of ground cinnamon and stir it in very well.
19. Continue simmering the chili for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
20. While the chili simmers, prepare spaghetti in boiling water.
21. Serve the chili in one of five ways: plain in a bowl, over spaghetti, over spaghetti topped with onions and red kidney beans, topped with plenty of cheese, or with oyster crackers and hot sauce.

## Equipment

- pot
- skillet

## Tips

- Do not brown the ground beef first; add it directly to hot water.
- Skim off protein foam to prevent murky chili.
- Toast tomato sauce and paste in a skillet for enhanced flavor.
- Add cinnamon at the very end to preserve its fresh flavor.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17g8UkAmXx/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/658bfcdc-abb5-4b83-8481-d9d61cdbfd45
- Extracted: 2025-12-14

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt