Grumpy Beer Geek

I occasionally get email from people asking about Cincinnati and Skyline chili — various things. But this email was from someone who has put a lot of really good thinking into developing a Skyline clone recipe. I’ll be using some of these discoveries in my next batch. Thanks for the great insights, Alexander.

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FDA requirements about allergen ingredients are not actually laws. Companies are not required to list ingredients that are known allergens. However, product liability torte law has persuaded most manufacturers to list ingredients that are known allergens. Failure to list allergen ingredients frequently leads to losses from product liability lawsuits. Based upon the ingredients listed on frozen Skyline, I concluded that Skyline has adhered to the full disclosure policy. This is the reason why you see the ubiquitous “spices” and “natural flavors” but also see specific trace ingredients. Onions, yeast, and paprika are known allergens. Therefore, they are disclosed. Keeping with this logic, I am comfortable ruling out ingredients such as peanut butter and cocoa (or any other form of chocolate) from the recipe. As you probably know, nuts are known allergens. Thus, I concluded there is not any cocoa in the chili.

FDA requirements also require that ingredients must be listed in order by volume. In instances of identical volume, ingredients are then listed alphabetically. This is useful information in determining how much onion powder, garlic, and paprika are needed.

FDA also requires nutritional information to be listed based upon the source ingredients…not the end product. A company can argue all they want about how their yeast is breaking down the sugar. The original sugar content still must be listed. This little tidbit is the key to unlocking how much tomato paste should go into the recipe. The ingredient order and the carbohydrate information gets you a pretty good lock on the tomato paste content. Once you do the calculation, however, you realize that there can’t possibly be any sugar, molasses, or other carbohydrate source in the recipe. Atkins diet followers love the frozen chili just for that reason.

Chemistry. I took tons of it in high school and college. Then, I had to teach it as part of my first career. I cursed it the whole way. Inevitably, I now consider chemistry in everything I cook. You were on the right track with the sequence of ingredients. There are two ingredients that must have a specific timing. One is the vinegar (for chemistry) the other is the yeast (for biology). The vinegar acts as a tenderizer to break down the meat. BBQ competitors will confirm that simmering ribs in vinegar water before grilling is often a “secret” to fall-off-the-bone ribs. The vinegar must be added early and given a chance to tenderize the meat.

Biology. The yeast must be added at the end after the chili’s temperature has dropped. Cooking temperatures will kill the yeast. You don’t need a tremendous amount of yeast. There isn’t a whole lot of carbohydrate in the recipe for the yeast to feed on. They are feeding on the sugar in the tomato paste. Also keep in mind that beef stock manufacturers use yeast in their product. So, the yeast listed on the Skyline box is cumulative.

Botany. Mr. X’s comment about cinnamon. Very few people know that most of us are buying cassia bark when we buy cinnamon. Cinnamon is made from the bark of a particular species of tree. There aren’t enough cinnamon trees to satisfy the worlds appetite for cinnamon. Enter the cassia. It grows faster and is more abundant than cinnamon. It also tastes fairly similar to cinnamon. However, if you want real cinnamon (which the Skyline people apparently do), you are better off paying a lot for cinnamon sticks. Recently, however, McCormick did us a favor and began selling actual cinnamon. It is labeled Saigon Cinnamon. It costs more. Compare its scent with the 50 cent “cinnamon” and you will see why it costs more. Neat tidbit. In many other countries, especially Asian countries, it is illegal to sell cassia bark as cinnamon. The two spices are labeled differently.

My Batch #5 recipe. All my batches are micro-batches. Pretty darn close. Close enough to fool most people. The real Skyline has more of a creamy texture and a clear pumpkin pie scent. The creaminess is what I am trying to decipher. The various ways I know to improve creaminess involve the use of known allergens.

Mix the following in a pot. Mix well and let stand for 30 minutes without heat. The vinegar will tenderize the meat.
1/2 pound of 93/7 ground beef.
14 oz can of Swanson beef broth. (salt contributor)
1.5 tsp of apple cider vinegar.

Heat on low until the fat melts and rises to the surface. Stir frequently.

Add the following:
1.5 oz tomato paste.
1 Knorr extra large beef bullion cube. (salt contributor)
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp onion powder (salt imitator)
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/8 tsp paprika (this is a tricky spice because it acts as a neutralizer)
1/4 tsp ground mustard (awesome find Jeff…I never would have guessed)
1/8 tsp salt (I don’t like to add this, but Skyline is salty)
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1/16 tsp cumin
1/16 tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp cloves

Mix well. Increase heat from low to 2. Heat uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir often. Should simmer with bubbles.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 hour.

Remove from heat and wait until chili is very warm.

Add 4 pinches of yeast (not rapid rise). Store in the fridge overnight or longer.

When re-heated, thicken as desired with xanthum gum.

Final notes: According to my nose and tongue, there isn’t any allspice, ginger, turmeric or mace in the recipe. I am conversing with a food manufacturing contact to see if there are such bulk ingredients as pumpkin juice or squash juice. These may explain the creaminess and the pumpkin pie scent.

It’s finally here. After a 2 year break, hosting a homebrew club meeting at our place seemed like the perfect time to post the next version of my Cincinnati Chili recipe. Changes this time include increase in the amount of meat, more cayenne (perhaps a little too much), pureeing the onion and garlic, switching to dark cocoa powder, and a further refining of the spices.

I think the results are fantastic. Perhaps the best ever! Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Cincinnati Style Chili Batch 16

3 lbs lean ground beef (extra fine grind if possible) — 80% lean
2 14oz cans Swansen’s Beef Broth (less salt version) chilled
1 and 1/2 cups cold water

1 can tomato sauce – (16 oz)
1 medium white onion, pureed in food processor
3 cloves garlic, peeled and pureed with onion

First spice addition (at beginning)
1/2 tsp dark cocoa powder (Hershey’s Dark)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp dark molasses
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp chili powder (dark)
1 tsp (Morton) kosher salt
4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Second spice addition (at end)
1 tbsp chili powder (dark)
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper (to taste)
2 tsp (morton) kosher salt (to taste)
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Gather all the spices, sauces, and etc. for the first spice addition In one container before starting — makes it easier.

If you use frozen ground beef, let sit in the COLD broth until it is matched the temp and it is no longer frozen. Failure to do this will result in lumpy chili. Use a potato masher or heavy whisk to help break it up if needed.

Place broth over medium-low heat and add the ground beef. Stir the ground beef into the cold liquid. Continue to stir as the water is heated. The ground beef will nearly dissolve into the water developing into a paste. Once dissolved, increase heat to high.

Add the tomato sauce, onion puree, and first spice addition and continue to stir until the chili comes to a strong boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a medium simmer. Let simmer for 2 hours covered. You can put it in a slow cooker/crock pot and let go all day for better results.

When nearly done cooking, add the second spice addition, stir for 2-3 minutes to make sure that it is completely incorporated and remove from heat.

Refrigerate for 2-3 days before reheating and serving for best results.  This allows you to pull off the fat which will collect at the top when chilled.  Otherwise try to pull off the top with a ladle.

Serve as traditionally served or as you wish. I prefer over spaghetti with shredded cheese (3-way).

And it’s pretty damn good. I reduced the spices by quite a bit in this batch. All the others, while on the right track, all seemed over-spiced. Some new additions this time (molasses, mace, onion, garlic) and some taken out (onion powder, vanilla, lemon juice, ginger).

You may ask yourself “what happened to batch 14?” — well it wasn’t very good. I chose to dump most of it actually.

Cincinnati Style Chili Batch 15

2.5 lbs lean ground beef (extra fine grind if possible) — 80% lean
2 14oz cans Swansen’s Beef Broth (less salt version) chilled
1 cup cold water

1 can tomato sauce – (16 oz)
1 large white onion minced fine

First spice addition (at beginning)
.5 oz bitter chocolate
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp dark molasses
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp chili powder (dark)
1 tsp (Morton) kosher salt
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Second spice addition (at end)
1 tbsp chili powder (dark)
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper (to taste)
2 tsp (morton) kosher salt (to taste)
2 tbsp granulated garlic
1/16 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp mace
2 tbsp active dry yeast

Gather all the spices, sauces, and etc. for the first spice addition In one container before starting — makes it easier.

If you use frozen ground beef, let sit in the COLD broth until it is matched the temp and it is no longer frozen. Failure to do this will result in lumpy chili.

Place broth over medium-low 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.

Add the first spice addition and continue to stir until the chili comes to a strong boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a medium simmer. Let simmer for 2 hours covered.

For best results, let simmer for at least 2 hours. You can put it in a slow cooker and let go all day for better results.

When nearly done cooking, add the second spice addition, stir for 2-3 minutes to make sure that it is completely incorporated and remove from heat.

Refrigerate for 2-3 days before reheating and serving for best results.

Serve as traditionally served or as you wish. I prefer over spaghetti with shredded cheese (3-way).

Batch 14 is done. Recipe coming soon. It was pretty good, but a little too sweet. I think I will try adding more chili powder and tomato paste to whats left to give it a little more savory flavor. A picture for you.

I’ve set up a couple groups on Google’s new Groups verison 2 web site (still in beta). One for lovers of Cincinnati style chili to discuss it and where to get it. The other specifically for those interested in making it.

Cincinnati Chili Lovers

Cincinnati Chili Cooks

P.S. Google Groups 2 is still in beta — it may not be available at times, but in the end will be much much better than Yahoo! Groups.

It’s true. It’s there. And It’s good. Read more for details.

While visiting friends and family for the holidays I stopped by the local Kroger and picked up some little cans of Cincinnati heaven.

I picked up 14 cans total — cost me $2.24 per can. Dumped them in a suitcase — checked it on the plane and it got back safely. Now I just need to try making my own batch again — now that I can compare it to the real stuff. Hopefully I can work on that this weekend.

Anyone want to open up a Skyline franchise in San Francisco? I keep checking — but they never get farther west…

I was thinking about ordering some Skyline Chili online from their store. But at $4/can before shipping I just can’t justify it. So I sent them an e-mail. We’ll see if they respond.

UPDATED — They did. Click Read More to read my email to them and their response.
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