Chef John's Cincinnati-Style Chili

A great chili recipe from Chef John who dishes up his take on flavor-packed Cincinnati-style chili, served over spaghetti with Cheddar cheese and onion.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 753 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups cold water
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon diced onion, or to taste
• 4 cups grated Cheddar cheese, or to taste
• 0.75 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.125 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 0.25 cup chili powder
• 0.125 teaspoon allspice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine beef and tomato paste in a large pot. Rinse out tomato paste can with a couple tablespoons of water and add to the pot with garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, sugar, and salt. Add apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and cold water. Mash and stir with a potato masher or a large whisk to break up the meat into fine pieces.

Step 2

Place the pot over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until flavors come together and chili reaches your desired thickness, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Step 3

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.

Step 4

Taste chili and adjust seasoning. Remove and discard bay leaf. Ladle over spaghetti into serving bowls. Top with onion and Cheddar cheese. Cut and scoop the noodles up with a fork like you're eating a casserole.