A unique Cincinnati dish – now available anywhere.
For starters, you don’t eat it out of a bowl. Instead, it’s usually served as a topping for spaghetti. The classic “Cincinnati 3-way” is a plate of spaghetti with Cincinnatichili and loads of shredded cheddar cheese. You can add onions to make it a “4-way,” or onions and beans for a “5-way.”
What’s even weirder, to most people, is the spices. This Crockpot Cincinnati Chili has a blend of Mediterranean seasonings – cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and even cocoa. For people used to Texas-style chili, this is a real flavor shock.
But once your taste buds adjust, you can start to appreciate this exotic flavor combo. It has a certain fragrant, pungent taste that has attracted loyal followers not just in Cincinnati, but all over the country. And to them, the only problem with this dish is how hard it is to find in most places.
Until now, that is. Because I’ve come up with a super easy recipe to bring this classic Cincinnati dish to your own kitchen – in the Crockpot, of course.
Just brown some ground beef with garlic, mix it with tomatoes and all those weird, wonderful spices, and cook it in the crock for 4 to 5 hours on low. Then, to make this a 5-way, stir in some beans and give it 10 more minutes before serving it up over spaghetti, with red onion and cheese. LOTS of cheese.
And presto – the flavor of Cincinnati, anywhere you want it.
How to Make Crockpot Cincinnati Chili
lean ground beef
garlic
crushed tomatoes
chili powder
salt
pepper
apple cider vinegar
hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
ground all spice
cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
cocoa powder
brown sugar
beef broth
bay leaves
red kidney beans
Serve with:
1 box of spaghetti noodles, prepared
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, and red onion
Directions:
- Brown ground beef and garlic together. Place in crockpot.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the bay leaves kidney beans spaghetti and toppings.
- Stir to combine and add in bay leaves.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4- 5 hours. One done cooking, removed bay leaves. Stir in red kidney beans and recover, cooking for 10 mins more.
- Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with cheese and red onions.
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Crockpot Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground all spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, more or less depending on how hot you like it
- 2 14 oz cans of red kidney beans
- Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, and red onion
- 1 16oz box of spaghetti noodles, prepared
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and garlic together. Place in crockpot.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the bay leaves kidney beans and toppings.
- Stir to combine and add in bay leaves.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4- 5 hours. One done cooking, removed bay leaves. Stir in red kidney beans and recover, cooking for 10 mins more.
- Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with cheese and red onions.
Video
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Angela says
This Chili sounds awesome, Corey …. so I’m going to make it (side dish) for our end of the summer cookout next weekend. I’ll double the recipe, maybe even triple it. I always use low sodium products whenever I can. I’m sure that everyone will enjoy this Chili. I haven’t yet made it, so I can’t fairly rate it, but I’m sure that it will be at least 4 *s.
Jeannie says
My grandmother was from Northern Kentucky but had relocated to Indiana. Every summer we would visit her sisters, my great aunts. I always looked forward to visiting Skyline or Gold star chili.
This is what I call a regional dish. It’s absolutely amazing. I’d leave out the hot sauce and add it to your individual plate. Add a ton of finely shredded cheese. The photo isn’t even close.
I’m off to the grocery store as my dinner plans have changed. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Tracie says
This looks great. I’m confused about the all spice. There are two entries. Should I use 1 tsp or 1 1/4 tsp? Thank you.
Corey says
I am so sorry for the confusion Tracie. It is 1 tsp 🙂
Ashley Hall says
I’m a Cincinnati girl, so I was very skeptical when I saw this recipe. So many places name things Cincinnati Chili, and it’s always terrible! I had to give this a try since I make so many of your recipes. Even my husband was scared when I said we were having homemade Skyline tonight. We were both very surprised at how close it was! I think the crushed tomatoes in the recipe threw me off, since you don’t taste anything tomato-y. It was a hint too sweet, I think next time I’ll try 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Yes that’s right, I’ll be making this again! It definitely passed the test for this Cincinnati girl!
Dorothy says
My 3 rd time making this recipe. I make a double batch freeze for chili dogs. My brother and sister in- law just asked for the recipe must be good ?
Thank you for sharing!
Corey says
Yay! I am so happy to hear everyone is loving it!
Kathryn says
I’m not sure this is going to pass the test for this Cincinnati girl. Authentic Cincinnati Chili is made by boiling the meat with a bag of spices. The beans are also never mixed it. They are a topping like the cheese and onions. Nevertheless, it’s in my crockpot now for supper tonight so we shall see!
Corey says
Oh I hope it passes the test Kathryn 🙂
Diana says
Corey, I too was borne and raised in Cincinnati. I saw the comment from Kathryn, and I must echo her comment about the beans. They are not part of the chili, like the cheese and onion, they are added as an accompaniment. This gives you the 3, 4 or 5-way chili combos. The Cincinnati Coney is a hotdog with mustard, chili, onion and cheese added to the bun.
I would like to share with your readers something else they might like to try. Serve the chili over Romaine lettuce, top it with cheese, onion, (and beans if desired), with a dollop of sour cream. You could even add black olives to the mix if you like for a really tasty salad. Serve with soup crackers or tortilla chips.
Jenny says
Ok, my hubby LOVES Skyline chili so I’m gonna attempt to make this. My question is if I want to omit the beans, do I need to change anything else?
Thank you so much!
Corey says
You might want to add in a little more meat to beef it up.
Nancy says
So good I make it once a month!! Just the three of us so I only make half the recipe – on top the stove – in a 2 1/2 quart pan —and it has become a favorite!
Kyle C. says
My girlfriend and I are addicted to this recipe. I’m always experimenting with chili and this has become one of our main go to chili’s over the last couple years. Also perfect for chili dogs!
Corey says
Yay! so happy you love the recipe Kyle! Yes!! Love this recipe for chili dogs 🙂