Make with 1/2 & 1/2 beef and venison. Tastes great.

Never had the original, but had to try this. At first, while it simmered I thought "too much cinnamon!" but as it simmered and thickened that strong aroma slowly dissipated, and at final taste...WOW ! Can't wait to slather it on a dog or try a 2, 3, or 4-way ! Definite keeper, "WHO DEY !!??"

Barbara depending on the class you were in I might have seen you at the kenwood skyline after one of the mustang games. Having grown up on skyline and also having a aunt who owned an empress chili parlor, this is a ok faux recipe, however NEVER cook with onions or beans in it. Not being able to release the actual recipe which empress used that was pretty close to skyline, i can tell you yours is missing a few spices and you have something that are not in the actual recipe. Keep trying it is getting closer. Also everyone also seemed to forget the extras of oyster crackers, Tabasco sauce on top and a peppermint patty at the end of the meal.

I manage a Skyline now. I once met Lambert Lambrindines the son of the founder of Skyline Chili years ago. When I met him we were in the process of opening a new Skyline Chili. I needed something out of the office, and walked in and he was in the office. I caught him in a semi awkward moment. He was dumping one of those mini bottles that you get on an airplane of Jack Daniels in his bowl of Chili. He could tell I didn't know how to react and he smiled at me and said, "Mike, you eat this sh#t as long as I have, ya gotta do something to mix it up a little every now and then." For whatever reason I said to him well I guess the Jack Daniels isn't included in the recipe, I guess it's the chocolate after all that makes it so good. For whatever reason he blurted out, we don't use any chocolate, that's a complete myth. Our secret ingredient is Nutmeg, not chocolate. He said he didn't have any idea where people got off thinking there was chocolate in the chili. Maybe he told me because I kind of caught him off guard while he was putting the Jack in the chili, who knows. Through the years I've also learned a big determining factor in the chili is if you use Red Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar. I am pretty sure Skyline uses Red Wine Vinegar where most others use Apple Cider Vinegar. As you can see from the info I have this recipe is missing some key components and there are some big differences.

Needs cumin. Also, in the real Skyline chili, the beans are not cooked in the chili but are added in later. It is served alone or with a combination of add-ins: chopped onions, grated cheddar cheese, or beans. It is often served over spaghetti or topping a hot dog (chili coney) with or without the add-in. The amount of tomato sauce in this recipe makes it too tomato-y and acidic. This recipe is not the original and has a Tex-Mex influence.

Someone mentioned adding nutmeg to this. Maybe it just needs more allspice as this tastes like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You all are right about no beans in the sauce. I lived on Morrison Ave. while attending Xavier for 2 summer sessions. Always ate Skyline 4-ways, as I have never liked the beans!

Nice try but no cigar, there's something missing in the spices, skyline HAS never disclosed the recipe. I was raised on skyline since I was 5 yrs old in Cincy, keep trying you're getting in the ball park.

Not bad at all. Too be honest, I ate at a Skyline in Ft Lauderdale, FL. Really nothing to write home about ? I will say it's a cut above supermarket Skyline in the frozen foods section for about $3.50/package at the grocery store. But my point, most of that canned or frozen food chili tastes like dog food anyway. For that matter, Wendy's and Publix chili is superior and then when you make your own from the mixes aisle it gets even better. Carroll Shelby's mix is infinitely preferable to anything I've eaten pre-made. Moral of the story, recipes like these are so much better than what Skyline will sell you, simply because the ingredients aren't budget like what Skyline is trying to maximize profits with. You know, ground up beef hearts, lips, hoofs & ears ?

2 way is Just spaghetti and cheese. 3 way is with spaghetti, cheddar and chilli. 4 way is all that plus your choice of onion with it OR beans. 5 way is everything. Plus you have your large sizes now. Just thought I'd clear that up. I work at Skyline

My aunt was friends with the original owner that started this restaurant, no onion, no beans in recipe... also cook beef but in refrigerator let set overnight skim off fat, then put back on stove add spices then finish cooking. Beans onions hot sauce crackers are added if wanted at end when ordered... 3, 4, 5 way. Coneys, no beans or onions unless ordered. And mustard originally was applied. Spices close.. that is all I am allowed to say. But the other stuff can tell you.

Guys, I work at the corporate facility for Skyline Chili Inc. This is where they make the skyline chili that all restaurants and grocery stores receive.

1. There are no beans in the original recipe.
2. All spices that come in are labeled only with letter and number combination. Example (1234HIRY).
3. (this is going to hurt your hearts) there is no chocolate in the original recipe.
4. There is no Worcestershire or vinegar in the recipe. The only liquid, other than water, that goes into the recipe is an additive that is a deep red color.
5. All meat is ground up fresh on site, never frozen meat. It comes in 2-3 times a week and is ground up. The can meat is the same consistency as the restaurant meat (depending if you're at a franchise or corporate owned store). Franchise like to cut corners, corporate restaurants do not cut corners.

There you have it! Any thing else I will reply with more.

Everybody tries to replicate Cincinnati Chili by adding all sorts of crazy stuff. First, raw onion is not (!) an ingredient in this chili; onion powder is. However, the raw stuff does go on top in making a 4-way. Second, adding chocolate is an old wives tale. Some started to mention cocoa in order to make the recipe more exotic. The fact is that unsweetened cocoa imparts no flavor but it may make the recipe a little more dark brown. Third, you do not put kidney beans in the chili. If you want kidney beans, they go on top to make a 5-way. The spice combination (all of which are dry) is generally salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, onion powder, and garlic powder. It's the portioning that is the key. Regarding ground beef, it is NOT sautéed but boiled. The recipe above states "lean hamburger". If it is 90% lean, then you can probably make this recipe and serve it that day. Otherwise, (unless you start very early) this chili is a 2-day process. The higher amount of fat (including 80/20 ground chuck) will have to be removed; usually by refrigerating it so the fat will harden for easy removal. Do not put everything together, then remove the fat. Since the spices are fat soluble, much of the flavor will be removed when you remove it. Generally, save yourself the money and go for the cheap stuff; 73/27. Finally, DO NOT rinse the meat. Some of the meat flavor is in the boiled liquid.

The Only hint I will give you is that is not tomato sauce and tomato paste! I do agree with the others about the onions and beans! ;-) My family is from Cincinnati my mother and grandmother both worked at the original Skyline! You also have to have a pink cow for dessert!

My mother-in-law used to make her Skyline using the actual original recipe. Although we lived in Cincinnati and within a few miles of a Skyline restaurant, I never told her that I much preferred the restaurant's version over hers. This is where I believe she made a fatal mistake; She would simply boil the ground beef into the recipe and you'd be eating chunky chili that had a 'meaty' flavor that hid the wonderful spices. Here's the trick. Place the room-temperature ground beef in a large mixing bowl, add the tomato paste and a small bit of the water. Knead the paste, meat and water together by hand. (I use latex gloves so the spices don't stain my hands). Continue adding the required amount of water while kneading. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a slow boil. This kneading process makes the consistency of the chili ultra-fine while letting the flavor of the spices blend perfectly into the meat.

The comments by Skyline employees and others are very helpful. Mixing water with the beef before boiling and using onion powder are very important, and delete the chocolate. The one employee said that they don't use Worcestershire or vinegar but I think that adds the flavors that some of the unmarked dry spices they use adds so I would not delete those ingredients. Combining those methods with the above recipe produced as close to the original version I've ever had, and I've tried a bunch.