Homemade copycat Skyline Cincinnati chili… unique and flavorful, this regional delicacy is easy to make at home for way less than the restaurant charges!
Have you ever had Cincinnati chili? It’s totally unique, and NOT like a traditional chili, but it’s an absolutely delicacy here in the Midwest. It’s also really easy to make at home, freezes wonderfully, and can be served in so many ways!
I love hometown things, and growing up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, that means Cincinnati-style chili!
It’s definitely NOT like any chili you’ve had before. To most people, chili is something like this. For us Cincinnati-ans… this is our chili:
A meat sauce full of unique seasonings that is served on top of spaghetti and topped with cheese (which we call a 3 way), and sometimes onions and/or beans will be added with the cheese (4 or 5 way).
Another classic way we enjoy this chili is on top of a hot dog, with some mustard and onions and a mound of cheese.
That delicious looking dog is called a coney. And they are heavenly… seriously.
I know… the term chili is confusing, because this dish is completely different… but wonderful (as most Cincinnati-ans are as well!).
I urge you to try it, at least once. Most people who try it, love it!
Around here, you can buy Skyline (and Gold Star) chili in cans, packets, and frozen trays. Which is convenient, but p-r-i-c-e-y! So I wanted to find a recipe that starts from scratch… for a few reasons.
- The price. I’m a cheap you know what, and refuse to pay that much for one can of chili.
- I don’t want the preservatives and whatever is in those packets.
- The most important reason… unless you live here, you probably won’t be able to find those cans, trays or packets in your grocery store. Bummer huh? Everyone should be able to enjoy this fabulous chili, no matter where you live!
It’s really simple to make too, just add water, tomato paste and chocolate to a large pot and cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
That’s right, you read that correctly… chocolate. Not the milk chocolate we all love to snack on mind you, but unsweetened 100% cacao bakers chocolate. My turkey chili uses this chocolate as well!
Add your spices, vinegar, and your beef. Crumble it using your fingers, then use a potato masher, whisk, or mash the beef against the side of the pan. Basically you want the meat all broken up into fine pieces. I mainly used the fork and went to town with my whisk. Get mad at it, break up that meat!
Now just bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let it cook, uncovered for 1 – 1 1/2 hours (you want a low boil). It will thicken up and become a wonderful meat sauce. And the smell that fills your house…. incredible!!
It’s up to you how you would like to serve up your chili… do you want coneys? A “way”? Or just chili in a bowl with cheese and oyster crackers?
It’s your house, your rules! I typically go for “ways” and coneys. Remember, here’s the breakdown.
CINCINNATI CHILI “WAYS”:
- 2-way = spaghetti and chili
- 3-way = spaghetti, chili, cheese
- 4-way = spaghetti, chili, onions OR beans, cheese (my fav is with onions!)
- 5-way = spaghetti, chili, onion AND beans, cheese
CINCINNATI CHILI CONEYS:
- Bun, hot dog, chili
- Bun, hot dog, chili, cheese
- Bun, hot dog, chili, mustard OR onion, cheese
- Bun, hot dog, chili, mustard AND onion, cheese (my fav!!)
Traditionally, people top their “ways” with oyster crackers and hot sauce. They’re great additions, I use them both!
This chili is also fantastic over crispy french fries or even a baked potato!! You can also use it in an amazing Skyline Chili Dip for your next party.
This chili season, I hope you give this non-traditional Cincinnati chili a try! Let me share this piece of my hometown with you all… I think you’ll LOVE it 🙂
Here are some other versions of chili to try too!
- Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Beef and Poblano Chili
- Healthier Turkey Chili
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 6 oz can of Tomato paste
- 1/2 oz baking chocolate (unsweetened - I use Baker's brand)
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or less, depending on your desired heat level
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
Instructions
- Add the water to a large pot. I like to use my dutch oven for this.
- Add the tomato paste and chocolate and heat over medium heat stirring to combine for about 3 minutes. (I stir with a whisk to really break up the tomato paste)
- Add chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder, cumin, allspice, cloves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, sugar and vinegar.
- Next, crumble the raw ground beef into the pot with your fingers, then use a potato masher, whisk or fork to break up the meat into very fine pieces.
- Turn heat to high to bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to med-low.
- Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, at a low boil.. stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened quite a bit.
- Serve over thin spaghetti or a hot dog.
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Chef Tips
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Lauren B. says
This is a great recipe! It’s rare that I just follow a recipe without a lot of changes. This one I pretty much follow to a T. Good stuff!
Sarijopen says
We tried the recipe yesterday and quite liked it! However, it was a bit too spicy in our opinion, and we only used 6 of the recommended 8 tbsps of chili powder on 2.5 lbs of ground beef. As we live in the Netherlands, we were not sure as to whether our chili powder might be different from the American one. DId you use 100% chili powder or is the American chili powder a blend of spices, like the recipe I found here: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/homemade-chili-powder/ ? Look forward to hearing from you! Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sarijopen 🙂 You’re correct… here in the US, our chili powder is a blend of spices, like in that recipe you linked, rather than just dried chiles. That would definitely make this very spicy!
Janice says
Hello,
I’m excited to try your recipe for this chili.
Does the chili not have a grease layer left on top after cooking if the meat is not drained?
Or will that make the chili not as savory/tasty?
Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Janice 🙂 There might be a little bit, but it will all depend on the fat percentage of the beef you use.
Jess says
I live within walking distance to Skyline and Gold Star but I’ll never walk there again! This was delicious and I feel so much better knowing what’s in it!
Cindy says
This is awesome as a coney or with spaghetti but I may also try wrapping some cheese (or shredded chicken and cheese) in tortillas and making enchiladas with this as the sauce!!! Thank you for this recipe!
Cindy Mel says
First of all, stumbled upon your site looking for a copycat Skyline chili recipe. Just made it exactly as written and it’s everything bit of Skyline that I hoped it would be! I’m from Steubenville but I live in Texas now. This recipe made my day. I also read all the reviews and practically peed my pants enjoying some of your sarcasm. Thanks! I’ll be checking out some of your other recipes on the site as well!
Kelly Kinder says
Just making this chili and hoping for the best…is 1/4 CUP of chili powder correct? Seems like a lot, but I didn’t see anyone else mention it in the comments. Just checking 🙂 Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, it’s the correct amount… however that is American chili powder, which is a blend of spices, not pure dried chiles. We never find that this has more than a mild zesty flavor, but everyone has their own preferences 🙂
Barb says
We love this recipe! I line up all the spices and cook the water and tomato paste and chocolate, add all the spices and ground beef, couldn’t be easier and it tastes amazing!!
Hayden in Cincinnati says
Hey, as delicious as the chili looks in the photos, the coneys need a bigger mound of cheese. Skyline piles the cheese on high, for sure.
The recipe photos look really delicious, though.
I live 1 block from a Skyline.
Karen says
I made this tonight. Very good! Husband gave two thumbs up. It’s a keeper. Thanks!
Ranee says
The next best thing ❤️❤️❤️
Ranee Tackett says
Can I use unsweetened cocoa powder??
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Tracie says
I’ve been using your recipe for years and always substitute with cocoa powder! It works and tastes great! Whole family loves it
Ryan says
Hi Tracie! How much cocoa powder do you use?
Tracie says
One and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder
Pat says
So good! I made a few minor changes-ground turkey and sautéed an onion and garlic before adding water, paste, etc. This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks so much.
Megan says
Excellent recipe. As soon as I added the spices, I could tell this was the real deal. But I was patient and waited for the chili to fully cook, which gave it a perfect texture.
This recipe is just like Skyline’s, except maybe a little better. I kept telling my boyfriend I was going to make Skyline Chili, and he insisted he couldn’t remember the restaurant, but after one bite, he exclaimed, “oh yeah!!! We had this in Ohio.”
Amber G. says
Your recipe is so good thanks although I didnt have ground cloves but it still turned out amazing your recipe is the only 1 I use!! Thank you fir sharing 😊.
Dawn Atherton says
Had to move away from my Chili home and hardcore craving a Way. Your recipe legit takes me to Coney.
Dave Tackett says
I’ve made this several times and love it. The only thing I change is cooking the ground beef separately and draining the fat. Never had the authentic, but this is great.
Allen says
I made this last night and it was amazing! I added a little more salt to taste and let it simmer for a few hours over a very low simmer. Sooooo good!