top of page
< Back

Cincinnati Chili

Yields 15 servings

Cincinnati Chili

Ingredients
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 quart water, or amount to cover
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 3 green peppers, finely chopped
• 1 (22 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• ¼ cup chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• Shredded cheese, oyster crackers, chopped onions, spaghetti, optional for serving

Instructions
Place the ground beef in a large pot, cover with about 1 quart of cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up the beef with a fork or masher until a finely ground texture. Slowly boil until the meat is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes, then remove from heat and refrigerate in the pan overnight.
If you are not able to make this the day before and refrigerate it, you can carefully skim off as much fat from the top of the ground beef as possible and then go onto the next stage.
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, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning.

bottom of page