Skylike Chili - Skyline Chili Copycat

A good Cincinnati chili but not Skyline. I've been transplanted to the left coast from Cincinnati and lived on Skyline while there. I made a 3 lb batch using 93/7 ground beef and these are the changes I made. In a crock pot, 3 lbs of 93/7 ground beef, 5 cups beef stock, 3 cups grated onion, 3 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce, 5 TBS chili powder, 5 TBS unsweetened cocoa, 1 TBS granulated garlic, 3 tsp seasoning salt, 4 TBS soy sauce, 4 bay leaves. The rest of the ingredients of Tornado Ali's recipe I followed for a 2 lb batch. I just threw it all together in the crock and cooked it for 4 hours stirring every half hour to keep the consistency of the ground beef grainy and soupy. That's the way Skyline is. Oh, and by the way, a family member came up from Cincy who lives off Skyline and rated the above adjusted recipe a 9 out of 10. Thanks, Tornado Ali, for posting this. There will be lots of Skyline Copy at my place.

6 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

We are native "Cincinnatians" and have the pleasure of having Skyline whenever we want. This chili, however, is VERY close to the original. The only change I made was to put the browned beef and onion mixture (after it cooled) into the food processor and just pulsed it a few times to get the right consistancy (there should not be any lumps). Spouse (the spice lover) suggested more cayenne or cumin as he felt the original had a spicier after taste, but I thought it was great as is. We'll make often!

2 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Not exactly skyline, but definitely a great substitute. I made a few minor changes to suit my taste. I used beef broth instead of stock, nutmeg instead of allspice, doubled the salt, added 1 tsp of paprika, a bit of extra chili powder (maybe 1/2 tsp), added two 14 oz can drained kidney beans directly to it. I browned the ground beef and threw everything into the crockpot and cooked it on high for four hours. If I made it again, I'd cut down on the beef broth by 1/2, to make a thicker chili. I served it over spaghetti with finely chopped onions and lots of shredded cheddar cheese. My husband who grow up in Cincinnati, gave it the thumbs up. This is definitely going into my regular dinner rotation.

1 person found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Awesome chili!!!! I never liked Cincinnati chili that much before until I had some at a tailgate. My husband and I searched for a good recipe and came upon this one. I follow the recipe completely and then my husband usually tweeks it a little with more salt and for sure more red pepper. LOVE IT!!!!!!

1 person found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I used to live in Cincinnati for quite some time and absolutely fell in love with Skyline Chili (not Goldstar, or Empress, etc.) but Skyline. There is a difference to connoisseurs :) This recipe comes pretty darn close to the real thing. I've tweaked the recipe to my liking and simply boil the hamburger in the beef stock for about 20-30 mins or until it's cooked. I saute the onions and use only about 1/2 an onion (don't really care too much for onions) and I use garlic powder instead of fresh minced garlic. I let it cook in the crock pot on high for about an hour or so and then its good to go over a bed of hot spaghetti noodles and piled high with finely shredded cheddar. MMMMM! Thanks so much for this much cheaper way to enjoy Skyline chili without having to spend $50 for 6 cans over the Cincy Favorites website!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Ooh, very, very good! The deep fruity flavour from the cocoa is gorgeous with all the spiceness. I don't actually know what Skyline is (apart from the really bad movie ;-)) but I do know a delicious meal when I have one! Thank you, Tornado Ali!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Excellent rendition. I used freshly ground Guajilli chilis and Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder. Cooked as instructed, but finished it for 45 mins in a slow cooker.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Deeply flavorful and satisfying beef mince chili! I made it with cocoa powder and added 1 cup of dried and soaked kidney beans and reduced the amount of beef accordingly. Very good!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Dead on! My husband was raised in Cincinnati and said this was exactly like the real deal!

The only thing I will say is that it's easier to get the hamburger more crumbly if it is cooked in the liquid (beef stock).

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Never had Skyline Chili before, but this recipe was excellent!!! Thanks!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

If anyone wants the REAL SKYLINE CHILI it's very easy to get instead of taking the time to follow this recipe.Cooking time is 2-3 hours on a very low temperature. I live in Ohio and it's sold already pre-made straight from Skyline in grocery stores. You can also buy it in flavor packets that has the complete package of spices minus the hamburger,onion,spaghetti and beans.You can add that when your sauce is finished.I always buy the packets, which makes around 2-2/1 quarts. I then freeze the sauce and pull out a container when ever I want SKYLINE chili.I then add the spaghetti,onion, beans and of course hot sauce on top of the cheddar cheese.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

OMG!! this recipe is FABULOUS!! i made a batch for guests for a football get together we had saturday (in honor of the Bengals playing)...needless to say, when they heard the ingredients i was putting into this dish, i got some sour puss faces and even an offer to order a pizza, this was a Calif. crowd who have never even HEARD of Cincinnatti Chili...HOWEVER, when i served it up, EVERYBODY loved it! i too boiled the beef in the beef stock to get the right consistency instead of browning it, i also used the whisk to break up the beef and that worked beautifully, other than that, i stuck to the recipe and didn't change a thing. the cheese is an absolute MUST, don't omit that...the flavor it adds is worth the extra calories, even my mother, who doesn't like cheese, put it on hers and loved it. it truly was a hit, my boyfriend absolutely couldn't believe how good it was (and he kept saying that too!) and was truly disappointed to learn there was none leftover the next day. the hardest part of this recipe is explaining to people that it ISN'T chili...it's more of a spaghetti sauce. this will definitely stay in the regular rotation. thank you so much, it's absolutely delicious!!

UPDATE: Okay...so I FINALLY got to go to an actual Skyline Chili (even though it was in Naples, Florida) and i have to admit....this recipe was pretty dang close in my opinion. I loved the fact i was finally able to compare it to the real deal. Still lovin' it, and still delicious!!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This was Wonderful! Def. Keeper here. It makes a ton. we all had seconds and I still had a ton left. Took it to work and they couldn't finish it off either! Will make again. We made these and served over dogs!!!!! Oh and kids 3 and 6 were dancing in there seats! :>) Thanks so much for sharing this.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Yummy recipe! When I first started this I was a little concerned about the amount of cocoa ~seemed a little much and when I tasted it before it simmered I didn't like it. But, it definitely needs to simmer for an hour and then the bitter chocolate taste goes away. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients ~ it is really easy to put together. Thanks for posting this ~ will definitely make again! Made for Zaar Chef Alphabet Soup.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

What a great recipe! Pretty close to the real thing. I would say that out of 7 or 8 recipes I have tried this is the best. I did not brown the beef. Just threw it into the chili pot for 30 minutes. I then added onions and garlic and let it go for about 45min. Added seasoning and let it go for about another 45 min. I keeped it covered. Awesome!!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This is a very good recipe. I've tried a bunch of knockoffs and this is among the best. I like to boil ground beef or ground turkey (not the ground turkey breast) in water first and drain that to remove excess fat. Then add the broth and other ingredients. I like red pepper flakes instead of cayenne powder (sounds picky, I know - but this is the ingredient that can most affect the finished product). I also use a small can of paste instead of sauce, but I don't think that would matter too much as long as you wind up with a fairly runny consistency. To make a truly traditional n-way Skyline, don't forget to put some oyster crackers around the edge of the plate.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Oh man! If I could bottle this smell.... I spent summers in Cincinnati growing up and fell in love with Skyline. Thank you, Tornado Ali, for posting!! Like others, I minced the onion (I used a cheese grater on the onion over the pan) and let the onion simmer a while in a little evoo before adding the "meat" (I veganized this using Boca crumbles and vegan worchestershire). I LOVE that I get to stick to my vegan diet and still enjoy a childhood favorite! This comes out perfect every time and my house smells like heaven!!!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

The flavor is more important than the consistency for accuracy of how a given food tastes. As such, while you may get varying consistencies that are not 100% exactly what Skyline provides, the fact is that this recipe gives really the closest flavor I've had yet. And I've had Skyline off and on for years now thanks to a friend of mine who lives in Cincinnati. Very good recipe! :)

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

First of all, those of you who have no idea what Skyline is should not be rating this recipe. Secondly, you do not get the proper consistency in the chili if you brown and drain the beef. You have to cook it in the stock. Then you can remove the grease from the top with a ladel or cool the chili overnight and the grease will rise to the top and you can remove. If you brown and drain it first, you are not eating Skyline chili.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account