Cincinnati-Style Chili
For a taste of what everyone in Cincinnati is eating, check out this recipe. It’s easy to make-ahead and warm up during the week on top of squash or any veggie. If low carb isn’t needed try it over gluten free pasta or potatoes.
Servings Prep Time
12 20minutes
Cook Time
2hours
Servings Prep Time
12 20minutes
Cook Time
2hours
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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 tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ground, cloves, allspice, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1.5 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning. Remove Bay leaf before serving. Best if refrigerated overnight.
  3. One hour prior to eating, heat oven to 400 F. Slice squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet and roast until tender, 45-50 minutes. Use a fork to scrape out “spaghetti.” I generally add a bit of water to the pan.
  4. Lastly to make a true “3-way” top with cheddar cheese, we like white cheddar, but any cheddar will do. For dairy free try topping with onions or beans, or add those to your cheese for a 4-way or 5-way!
Recipe Notes
  1. If you don’t have time to cook the meat overnight, you can still boil the meat and drain it, or you can just sauté in a pain and rinse afterward. The boiling process gets the meat a bit finer than cooking in a pan.
  2. Slow Cooker- Cook the meat in advance with one of the options above, then mix all the other ingredients in the crockpot, then add the meat and stir well.  I put it on low for 3-4 hours then turn it down to keep warm until ready to serve! (Remove bay leaf prior to serving & make sure to stir again so the chocolate gets mixed in after it melts!) I doubled the recipe to fill a crockpot.
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