Cincinnati Dopers, Help Here Please (Chili Recipe Question)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Today I had a short layover in the Cincinnati airport. Unfortunately, it was too short to get a bowl of chili. Now, I’m jonesing for the stuff, and of course, it’s nowhere to be found in Minneapolis.

I’ve pulled several recipies off of the internet, and what follows seems to be the most common of the variations. Anything you would add or subtract or do differently to get a good bowl of Cincinnati Chili going?

Thanks!

1 quart water
2 pounds ground chuck, crumbled
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed (use garlic press) or minced
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 peppercorns, ground
8 whole allspice, ground
8 whole cloves, ground
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated

Bring water to boil in a 4-6 quart pot. Add the ground chuck (do not brown first). Stir until separated and reduce heat to simmer. Add onions, garlic, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix well. Add peppercorns, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and grated unsweetened chocolate. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 1/2 hours cooking time in all. Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight.

Skim all or most of the fat and discard. Discard bay leaf. Reheat and serve over hot spaghetti, cooked al dente.

2

That looks pretty close to my recipe, though I don’t ever make it now that I live in Cincinnati and have chili parlors on every corner.

It got the part about boiling the beef, which a lot of recipes skip and which is essential to getting the texture right. Expect this part of the process to look really, really nasty- if the pink, boiling beef makes your stomach turn a little, then you’re doing it right.

3

That looks pretty accurate, and the latest edition of The Joy of Cooking also has a recipe in it that works well. If you are interested, you can also order Skyline Chili from their website and have it mailed to you. This is the way most of my out of town friends get their requisite fix.