Cincinnati Chili Recipe - ZC style

Cliffwhelankeats

2 lbs ground beef (see Note 1)

1 quart Unsalted beef broth (see Note 4)

2 tbsp Chili powder

1 tbsp Dried minced onions

1 tsp Salt, coarse grind (Kosher is common)

½ tsp Ground cumin

½ tsp Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

¼ tsp Garlic powder

3 Whole cloves or ¼ tsp powdered cloves

3 Allspice berries or ½ tsp powdered allspice

1 Bay leaf

Day 1

Set heat to med/medium-high. Add ground beef and water to a pot and begin breaking up the ground beef with a fork or spatula until the meat is a fine texture and is cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator overnight. - Do not need to wait if using instant pot

Day 2

Remove meat from refrigerator and immediately remove the solid layer of fat on top. You do not need to remove every last bit, just as much as you can. Place pot over medium heat. While the meat and liquid are heating to a low simmer, mix spices well. Stir spices into meat mixture. Allow the mixture to come to a low simmer then turn heat to med-low and cook for 3 hours at a low simmer. Stir about once every 30 minutes. In the last hour, you may find that you need to add a small amount of water or broth to the mixture to keep it from scorching or sticking. I only had to add ¼ cup. When the 3 hours are up, you should have something that resembles hotdog chili…a very fine, soft textured chili with very little liquid left.

Note 1: I used 75/25 ground beef for this because I knew that I would not be able to remove every last bit of fat and wanted some extra flavor from that fat in the chili. If you use 93/7, you may be able to make this in one day since there would not be enough fat to have to worry with refrigerating overnight to remove most of it.

Note 2: Betsy's version was served with shredded Tilamook white cheddar and sour cream. My version was served over hotdogs with shredded medium cheddar cheese. Feel free to get creative.

Note 3: The original recipe called for 2 Tbsp of distilled white vinegar and 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce. I know some here do not mind using either in small quantities. If you do use them (even halved), however, i would caution that this chili will turn out sweeter and tangier than may be the intention or desire. There is much less liquid in this ZC version (original called for tomato sauce) and there is also nothing bland that this chili will be topping (spaghetti, traditionally). With this chili also cooking for 3 hours, the flavors are going to be very concentrated...hence sweeter and tangier than you might be expecting or wanting.

Note 4: Originally, this recipe called for cocoa powder and water, and I included it in my own recipe. However, upon learning that cocoa powder is not ZC, I omitted it from the ingredients list. This will change the color of the final product, so I encourage the cook to make this with beef broth to help compensate.

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