I tried this recipe as written and like many others I thought it needed more sauce. Family liked the flavor (I only used about half the chili powder) and said they would eat it again if I fixed it. Thank you.

This recipe was great. Tastes just like Skyline. I did take the advice of some of the other users and I cooked the ground beef in water and broke it up really fine with a whisk. I left the water in and then added the other ingredients and doubled the amount of tomato sauce so it was runnier. Yummy! I also added a little more cinnamon.

This recipe was okay. I added a cup of water, as others commented that the chili was a little too thick. I also chopped the browned ground beef/onion in a food processor. Additionally, I used a little less chili powder and added a couple shots of cayenne pepper sauce and a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder. My husband thought that this was good, but commented that the flavors didn't meld together quite as well as Skyline. He said that it was "Cincinnati-style" but definitely no Skyline.

Adding cinnamon doesn't make it Cincinnati style chili. The ground beef should be cooked in with the boiling water, spices and juice, never browned and then you need to use a hand mixer to chop up the ground beef into a finer texture. Chocolate is a must (bakers chocolate...) This tasted good, but it wasn't Cincinnati style chili... Look elsewhere if you want something closer.

I agree wth CKruse's review. Don't brown the meat first (let it brown as it cooks) and use a hand blender (like a Braun) to grind the meat up finely. And for me, I use pinto beans on top of the spaghetti... not mixed in. Plus be sure to use lots of finely-shredded cheddar cheese. It should melt on top of the chili and sort of 'bond' to the chili, so you can cut a bit of the chili and lift it off the plate. (And also, don't put it in a deep cereal-style bowl... serve it on a plate with a bit of a rim to it, so you can cut a bite off and scoop it up. True Cinci chili lovers don't twist their spaghetti on their fork... they cut and lift!

My family loved it. We recently visited (ok 6 times while on a 3 week vacation) the Hard Times Cafe is Old Town Alexandria Va. My kids loved the Cincinnati Chili Mac and were amazed it had Cinnamon in it. I followed some of the recommendations in the comments like adding Cocoa powder. I added petite diced tomatoes (1/2 a 28oz can), 1/2 a 28 oz can of tomatoe sauce, 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 2 galic cloves, and 1/1/2 tsp cocoa. I served this with cheese and sour cream. Yumm! This kids loved it!!

Very easy, very good!

following this recipe will give you a basic chili. "Cincinnati Chili" (i.e. "Skyline") chili, is much juicier... I would suggest NOT browning the meat first; let it cook in the sauce, stirring constantly. (hint; use a hand-held mixer to finely shred the meat in early cooking stage). Some folks have suggested adding beans to the sauce during cooking - that's not how we do it in Cincy. the basic chili is "garnished" with the addition of beans, finely chopped onions, & finely shredded cheddar cheese. Adding all of these garnishes yields a "4-Way", adding any two = a "3-way", etc. I have never seen olives used as a garnish with this dish, but I suppose that could work - just not authentic! use plenty of cocoa powder for that Cincinnati-caffeine kick.

This recipe was really easy and REALLY delicious! The flavors mixed perfectly and (thank GOD) it wasn't too cumin-y. I hate chili with too much cumin! I took the advice of some of the other reviewers and added a 15oz can of diced tomatoes in addition to the tomato sauce. Gave it a little extra juice without making it too saucy. I also used soy ground instead of ground beef (make sure to add 1-2TBSP vegetable oil when browning with onion since soy ground doesn't have any "natural" oil). Sooo good. Will make again and again!

I thought this was an excellent recipe. I did add a 28 OZ. can of tomato sauce to the chili rather than 2 8 oz. cans. I like my chili saucier. I also broke the spaghetti into smaller pieces, boiled it, then mixed it right into the chili along with the beans. I had company over this weekend and they devoured it! The "corn dog muffin" recipe on here goes really well with this. I will make this again! Thanx!

This recipe was great, but we elected to make a few changes to suit our tastes better. Firstly, instead of one clove of garlic, we used four. We used around a full tablespoon of cinnamon to make it stand out more in the end. Plus, about a full tablespoon of cayenne was used to give it some more heat. Finally, we cooked the beans in with the chili because it seemed to need some extra liquid. I suppose leaving the beans until serving time would have worked, but everyone wanted them anyway. Other than those minor changes (and we used fresh pasta) this recipe is fantastic. It picks up Skyline Chili by the shirt collar and smacks it around.

I'm in agreement with other reviewers--way too thick, nothing like the real Skyline Chili. The flavor was good, but still not like the original. I'll keep looking for their dry mix--they had it in grocery stores at one time...

I've been to Cincinnati and had their Skyline Chili- and this recipe is very authentic!! Very hearty, filling, and simple to make. Enjoy!

Very good but not quite skyline. This is only the second recipe I've tried and it's far better than the first one I made. It's missing something, but it's just as good as a mix/envelope. I didn't brown the beef and added a bit of water. I also added a little cocoa and extra vinegar which I thought made it a little closer but still no cigar.

Good! I followed one reviewers suggestions and didn't brown the meat. It was fine and eliminated a step. I think it was a tad bit dry. Not sure quite how to fix it. Its been a few years since I have had the real thing so not sure how to compare, but I will say that it is good enough to have again!

Guess it's something of an acquired taste... Tasted like an odd spaghetti sauce to me, not 'chili'. Not totally bad, but I'll stick to how I'm used to chili.