Cincinnati Chili Batch 13 Planning
Beergeek | October 7, 2004I got some great insider info on how Skyline Chili is made. Mr. X wrote with some hints. Plus I’m working on a draft of my recipe 13. Read on for more.
Mr. X writes:
The whole base of Skyline Chili is Swanson’s Beef Broth. So for your last batch 12,……replace 4 of the 6 cups of water with Swanson’s Beef broth….BUT THERE IS ONE KEY. You must simmer the chili for 12 hours and then let it sit in the fridge for 3 days. Then heat it back up on the stove and a touch more black pepper, salt , and some torula yeast for digestion. This WILL taste more like skyline…..be sure to let the batch ‘cure’ in the fridge for 3 days before consuming….
just a friendly suggestion…give it a whirl!!!..
also , not white vinegar, but apple cider vinager….i know it will taste funny at first but just wait after cooking for 12 hours and then letting it sit…..let me know how your next batch turns out :)
ps….Skyline uses cinnamon sticks and not cinnamon powder……..
Hmmm… That’s some good info.
Add in the suggestions from jvx1:
I’ve been working with your recipe # 12 and although very close - still not perfect. The flavor is right there but the finish is always off - almost a bit chalky. Any ideas?
Some things I have done that I think work:
Omitted the curry powder - even a small amount overwhelms it the next day
Pureed a medium onion and 3 cloves of garlic in a blender with 1/2 cup of water.
Dropped the turmeric to 1/2 tsp
Dropped the yeast to 1 Tbsp but activated it prior to adding it in a small bowl of warm water.
Upped the brown sugar to 2 Tbsp
Upped the salt to 2 Tbsp
Used cider vinegar instead of white.
I added a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg but I’m not sure if it made much of a difference.
That’s a lot of good info as well.
So here are some thoughts:
+ Replace the white vinager with cider vinegar
+ Replace 2/3 of the water with beef broth
+ Simmer longer — 12 hours if possible
+ Increase the brown sugar, ginger
- Remove the curry powder
- Reduce the tumeric
At second tasting, perhaps increase the pepper, salt and add torula yeast.
Cincinnati Style Chili Batch 13 Draft
2.5 lbs lean ground beef (extra fine grind if possible) — 80% lean
2 cups cold water
4 cups Swansen’s Beef Broth
1 can tomato paste - (6 oz)
1 can tomato sauce - (8 oz)
.5 oz bitter chocolate
3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tbsp chili powder (dark)
5 tsp (Morton) kosher salt
2 tbsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Place water over medium heat and add the ground beef. Stir the ground beef into the cold water. Continue to stir as the water is heated. The ground beef will nearly dissolve into the water developing into almost a paste. Once dissolved, increase heat to high.
If you use frozen ground beef, let sit in the COLD water until it is matched the temp and it is no longer frozen. Failure to do this will result in lumpy chili.
Once the water is nearly boiling, add the other ingredients and continue to stir until the chili comes to a strong boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer.
Let simmer for 4-12 hours.
Serve as traditionally served or as you wish. I prefer over spaghetti with shredded cheese (3-way).
