TheCleverHousewife

What you will need...This can be a bit pricey the first time only because spices are not cheap! Once you have everything though, you will have plenty of leftover spices for other batches!

-2 lbs lean ground beef
-4 beef boullion cubes
-4 cups water
-1/4 to 1/3 cup chili powder (to taste)
-1 tablespoon garlic powder (I tried this once with fresh garlic and it wasn't as good)
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper (depending on how spicy you like it. 1 teaspoon will make a milder chili, but it will still have a bit of kick)
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 square unsweetened baker's chocolate (yes, chocolate in chili...delicious)
-3 tablespoons white vinegar
-4 cans of beans, rinsed and drained ( I like to use 2 cans of dark red kidney beans, one can of black beans, and one can of white beans)
-1 15 oz. can tomato sauce (just use plain old tomato sauce from a can. Do not use prepared spaghetti sauce as it will affect the ratios of spices and flavors)
-1 large brown/yellow onion (I have seen these called both brown or yellow, just don't use white onion. Red onion is good too, but it gives the chili a different flavor.)
-1-2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for cooking the onion)
-One package Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (not in the picture...oops)
-one package of spaghetti or angel hair (optional, but if you want the authentic Cincinnati chili experience, this is how you do it.)

-First, add the 4 cups of water to the pot along with the four beef boullion cubes.
-Set the stove to medium and begin adding the beef. The best way to do this while maintaining consistency is to grab a small hanfull of beef, pull off small pieces and add them to the water/boullion.
-You don't want this to be boiling on high heat, or else the meat will cook too fast and become rubbery. Instead, let it simmer at a very low boil for at least 30 minutes. If you cover the pot, you will lose less water by evaporation.
-Cooking the meat by boiling as opposed to frying in a pan allows the meat to stay tender and juicy.
Combine all of the spices (Chili powder, Garlic powder, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cloves, Allspice, Red pepper) in a small bowl and mix together. This just makes it easier to add to the chili when needed. Also, the spices will be more evenly distributed, allowing them to mix into the sauce better.

-Chop the onion fairly small and add about 1 1/2 to 2 cups to a heated frying pan that has about one or two tablespoons of oil (oops, forgot to list that in the ingredients). Save the rest of the chopped onion to put on top of the chili.
-Let the chopped onion cook until it is clear and just barely starting to brown,
-Add the can of tomato sauce to the cooked onion and mix well.
-Add the combined spices and the bay leaf to the tomato sauce/onion mixture and stir until evenly mixed.
-almost done!

Now put it all together

-At this point, pour the tomato sauce/onion/spices mixture into the pot with the beef stock (which has been simmering for at least 30 minutes) and mix it all together. Try to get as much out of the pan as possible. I add a little bit of hot water to the pan and stir up anything that is left in there to make sure I get all of the spice/sauce mixture out.
-After combinig the sauce and the stock, add the three tablespoons of White Vinegar and the 1/2 square of Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate to the mix.
-Add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot, and let simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to cook together. This will be difficult, because you will want to eat it right away! It will still be really good if you eat it at this point, but if you wait it will be even better!
-This chili is not going to have a thick sacue like most traditional southwest chili, but if you let it cook longer it will thicken up a bit.

After simmering for a while, serve the chili over pasta with a big pile of shredded cheddar cheese and some chopped raw onion. Traditionally it is also served with sour cream, but I choose not to do it that way. Obviously, you can just put it into a bowl by itself and forgo the pasta which is also delicious. Chili dogs are also amazing with Cincinnati chili. However you eat it, I hope you enjoy this recipe, and share it with your family and friends!

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