Cincinnati Chili

There are two kinds of people in this world – Gold Star Chili people and Skyline Chili people. Actually, I guess there three  – Gold Star people, Skyline people and people who have know idea what Cincinnati chili is. This combination of flavors is hard to describe and it’s nothing like “regular chili” – it’s sweeter and the texture is smooth. Just give this one a try.

What you need:

• 3 cups cold water
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 4 TBSP chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 2 TBSP red wine vinegar

Toppings: sever with spaghetti noodles, shredded cheddar cheese and dice onions.

What to do:

In large pot, place water and ground beef. Use your hand to vigorously stir, making sure to break up the meat and mix until it’s a smooth and uniform mixture (granted this part is a bit gross…I use a food-safe disposable glove). The mixture will be very thick, but don’t add any extra water.

Finely chop the onion and and add it plus all other ingredients to the meat/water mixture. Bring to boil, cover and reduce to a hard simmer. Mix well every 15 minutes. Cook for 1 hour 40 minutes, remove cover and cook the last 20 minutes with no lid – you have 2 hours of total cooking time.

Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with shredded mild cheddar and dice onions. Trust me, this recipe is worth the effort!