This is the actual recipe from Skyline. It was printed in the Cincy Inquirer in the early 70s. I use ground turkey instead of beef and the flavor and texture are the same (my wife says my version is better!). May need to make a batch soon!
I grew up in Cincinnati and our chili of choice was Gold Star. For close to 20 years I have been searching for a decent Cincy chili recipe to no avail...until I found this one! I did augment the recipe to make it more like Gold Stars. (Skyline is more "earthy" than I like) I added hot water every 1/2 hour or so- maybe 1/2 cup every time to mellow it out and keep it from getting too thick. I also added ~ 2 teaspoons of light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. The result was more like Gold Star's chili recipe which is my preference. Thank you for posting this recipe...it quells my craving at least until I make the trip back home to Cincinnati!
followed all the directions but only let it cool in fridge for 3 hours. great idea to get that fat off! was the best Cincinnati Chili recipe and i've tried a bunch! thanks so much , my family loves this stuff!
Tastes JUST like Skyline Chili! We don't live in Ohio anymore, so this was a perfect taste of home. Wouldn't change a thing- don't even miss the fat!
I had grabbed ground allspice instead of the berries-- so FYI- 1t. of ground=5 berries-- so you need 1t. ground allspice if you don't have berries.
Having lived most all of my life in the Cincinnati area I am very familiar with the Cincy style chili. Skyline Chili was my chili of choice. For a long time I have hoped for a recipe which would replicate this area favorite. Well with this recipe I think my search has finally ended. I followed the recipe as outlined except using allspice powder instead of berries and unsweetened cocoa powder instead of chocolate squares. I didn't overnight the beef in the fridge after cooking. I just carefully skimmed the fat from the top after giving it time to separate from the water. Giving it a taste a couple of hours into the cooking I gave it a shake or two more of chili powder and a couple more pinches of allspice. And that was it. After the three hours of cooking and boiling a pot of spaghetti I sat down to the truest reproduction of the "real thing" as I have ever had. If you try this recipe be patient. You need the whole three hours of cooking to fully merge all of the flavors and to get that true Cincinnati Chili taste. As the recipe noted might be necessary I had to occasionally add a little water during simmering to keep the consistency and to prevent it from sticking. If you do these things you will be rewarded for your efforts. We priced a container of Skyline while in the grocery today and it was a staggering 6.89!! Never again will we have to spend this outrageous price for a great local chili taste. Many many thanks for this recipe.
I live in Milwaukee, WI and I used to work at a chili restaurant in the Third Ward that specialized in Cincinnati Chili. I fell in love with it but unfortunately the owner of that place is bat- crazy... so I'd advise not going there. This recipe tastes exactly like the stuff at the restaurant! Exactly! And the part that's better? Since you skim the fat, your leftovers don't have a thick orange layer on top when they come out of the fridge! There's no point in using lean ground beef since you'll boil the fat out so just buy the cheapest one. Enjoy!
I have been using Allrecipes.com for 3-4 years now and have never had incidence with a 5-star recipe before. I created an account SPECIFICALLY to review this recipe. I had Skyline chili yesterday and this chili has a hint of the same flavor, but it is not the same recipe. I followed this recipe exactly and neither my husband nor I could finish our bowls. I'd try one of the Skyline seasoning packets or another recipe on this site.
This was awesome and tasted soooo much like the real thing but without the grease! I did not have whole cloves or the allspice berries so I used 1 1/2 tsp of ground. I did take another's advice and used beef broth instead of water and it was saltier than I'd like. I will use water next time! THANK YOU THANK YOU Melissa for this great recipe!!
I'm from Cincinnati and enjoyed Skyline chili my whole life. This recipe is the closest to the original Skyline taste and texture of any I've tested. Great recipe - Great chili.
