Crock Pot "Skyline" Cincinnati Chili (Take 2 and for two!)

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID:  Pretty close to Skyline, could use more spice.
SHE SAID:  Not spicy enough, but nice texture.

Finished product - forgot the cheese!

This was our second try at making "Skyline" Cincinnati Chili in our crock pot.  While the texture was a lot closer to Skyline's, we must have not used enough chili powder.  The spices are almost the same as our first recipe, just different amounts.  The main difference between the two recipes we've tried is the boiling versus browning of the ground meat.  After reading quite a few reviews posted by other home cooks, you get the Skyline texture by boiling the ground meat.

This time we also forgot to sprinkle on the shredded cheddar cheese even though we bought it just for this meal!   We halved the recipe which made enough for one meal and one leftover meal for the two of us.  We also decided to use Multi-grain Angel Hair Pasta which was a nice change from regular spaghetti.

Ground turkey

We will definitely try making "Skyline" chili again, with a slightly different recipe, but keeping the "boiling" part in and adding more chili powder and cayenne pepper.

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:  At least 8 hours on low.
2 qt crock pot

(Double the recipe to feed 4-6 people)

1/4 c. red onion, chopped
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. ground turkey (can use chicken or beef also)
1/8 c. chili powder (will increase to 1/4 c next time)
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/2 bay leaf
1 T. + 1 t. cocoa powder

Ready to cook!

1 - 10 oz. can beef broth
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 T. cider vinegar
1/8 t. ground cayenne (probably will try 1/4 t. next time)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
angel hair pasta (your choice of pasta)

Put ground turkey into crock pot.  Break up the turkey a bit.  Put all other ingredients in except for the cheese and pasta..give it a mix since you have a utensil from breaking up the turkey.  Cover and cook for  at least 8 hours on low.  Try not to cook on high...it just won't taste right.  Serve over pasta with shredded cheddar cheese.

Enjoy..we sure did!

Our first crock pot meal - part 2 of 2

RECIPE RATING:

HE SAID: Not exactly the same as Skyline, but pretty close. Enjoyed it!

SHE SAID: Like it! Will make again!

The female part of this couple was born and raised in Hawaii...in Hawaii, Chili is always served with rice...actually most dishes were served with rice, but with the variety of restaurants in this State, the changing demographics and health conscious diners, most restaurants here now offer a variety of starches or veggie substitutes.

Cincinnati Chili is ordered several ways (none with rice). The male part of this couple said he always had it three-way: chili on top of spaghetti topped with cheddar cheese. The chili is a bit spicy, so if you're not into spicy, cut back on the chili powder. This recipe was just right for us, although the male part of this couple said it's pretty close to Skyline, but not quite the same. Next time I'm trying the boiling of the ground beef.

The photo to the right was borrowed from Allrecipes.com. Our chili looked similar minus the onions and with more cheese.

We used our 4-quart crock pot for this. The pot fed two of for dinner (generous servings), the male part of this couple had one serving of leftovers and we stored away two containers (each would feed both of us) in the freezer. We wouldn't cut down the recipe to feed two people just one meal...save time..make the whole crock pot! The female part loves this chili...no beans. We made some whole wheat spaghetti for the chili. Next time we may try the chili on soy dogs for chili dogs!

We actually took from a couple recipes...here's what we tried.

RECIPE:

Seves 6, used a 4-quart crock pot

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 4-6 hours on low

Ingredients:

1 quart cold water

2 lbs lean ground beef

2 c crushed tomatoes

1 red onion, diced (you can use two, we prefer less onions)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c chili powder

1 t cayenne

1 tsp ground cumin

2 T cider vinegar

1 whole bay leaf

1/4 t ground cloves

1 t cinnamon

1 1/2 t kosher salt

cooked whole wheat spaghetti

shredded cheddar cheese (as much as you like)

In a frying pan, fry ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain fat. Pour beef mixture into crock pot, add the rest of the ingredients (except for the pasta and cheese), cook on low for 4-6 hours. Pour chili over spaghetti and top with cheese to serve this dish "three-way".

Enjoy!

Our first crock pot meal - part 1 of 2

Before we get into our first crock pot meal...a note about this blog. The decision to blog came last night as the female half of this couple shared a bunch of recipes with her family. Therefore the first 8 recipes we are posting do not have photos. We will try out best to include at least a photo of the finished dish although the female half of this couple really likes Stephanie O'Dea's blog where she shows a pic of all the ingredients, the food in the crock pot just before it's cooked and the finished dish.

Now on with our first crock pot meal...the female half of this couple has been wanting to eat chili for a while now. The great thing about chili is...it's like stew, it tastes better the next day...and in our case, it freezes well. We decided on Cincinnati Chili...as soon as it was announced via text to the male part of this couple, the female part of this couple got a text back saying "go with Skyline". The male part of this couple doesn't get excited about food...food is to sustain one's body in his opinion and he certain doesn't live for this and that when it comes to food. However, he does live for his mother's cooking hee hee. So, the female part of this couple was quite happy to get a response other than "whatever you want" out of the male part of this couple. Off she went searching for Skyline Cincinnati Recipes for the slow cooker.

Bottom line, we tried a recipe, but we fried the ground beef in a pan instead of boiling it. I thought the recipes that suggested boiling the beef were incorrect. Apparently it makes a big difference. The male part of this couple lived in Ohio for 5 years, so he's had Skyline Cincinnati Chili before. He would be the true taste tester.

See our next post for the actual recipe and results!