Skyline Chili recipe: Secret Ingredient Hiding in Plain Sight? BEST Skyline Copycat Recipe Available

Skyline Chili recipe is in the video starting at 1:45. This is the most serious attempt at copying Skyline Chili's secret recipe available out there so far.
Link to article about the Skyline factory and procedure:

[Tinkidink]

I have been searching and searching for an actual copycat Skyline Chili recipe! I've tried probably a dozen different ones that all claim to taste like Skyline, but NONE of them were even close. Skyline Chili is my absolute favorite (I do have an addiction), and I had doubts when I came across your recipe here, but I loved the video and of course I had to give it a try. I did not have the fresh herbs so I bet it would be even better with those, like you said, but oh my gosh, this was BY FAR the best recipe I've ever tried. It actually smelled like Skyline, looked like Skyline, and tasted much closer than anything I've ever made in my life. I may have added too much water, that was probably the only thing as I thought I had it a tiny bit more liquidy, but I'll know next time. Thanks again for this amazing vid and recipe :)

[Noctaire]

Ok, so, all I can say is…YES. You cracked the code. This is absolutely the best rendition and closest to the actual restaurant flavor. I can stop working on it now. Thanks!

[mcfarvo]

This recipe is high up there in verisimilitude! I've tasted and adjusted the spices/seasoning after 2 hours of low simmering and it tastes very good. I think after the overnight in the fridge and reheat, on top of spaghetti with diced onion and shredded cheddar, this will be a high-fidelity replication of Skyline! Well done, my dude.

[wyldemanironworx]

Holy shyte dude! I have been chasing the skyline recipe for years and i think you've done it. I was a little bit skeptical at first, but i made it gospel per your instructions. Absolutely amazing.

[arsbadmojo]

I live in NC, and the only Skyline I can really get is either frozen or cans. Even though it is pretty easy to get hold of at the grocery store 2 miles away, for reasons that make no sense we still treat it like the cans are somehow hard to find. My wife opened a can the other day for a quick dinner and I enjoyed it so much I was looking for Skyline videos and found this one. Few days later I find a pound of ground beef in the fridge....hmmm....checked the pantry; I've got regular yeast but no brewer's yeast - got everything else, let's give it a shot. Only 1 pound of beef, and I just eyeballed everything. It still turned out FAR better than any other recipe I've seen. Wife came downstairs and said "Why did you open another can of Skyline, we just had it."

[mjohnsonmasterpieces]

Dude seems to be legit with actually no-BS attempt to recreate Skyline Chili. Even admits that no one can have the perfect recipe although his is really close. Will probably try to attempt this myself. Good vid!

[BallisticBBQ]

Regarding the ground beef, are you using 80/20? Great job on both of your videos. I will be shooting my own Skyline video and giving you full credit. Thanks for all of your hard work!

[paulfisher]

I made this for the Super Bowl and it turned out great! I really appreciate the research you did to make this as authentic as possible. I left out the active dry yeast, but other than that I followed your recipe exactly. Tastes very, very close to what I remember from the restaurants. I’ll probably add a little more heat next time (probably a little extra cayenne), but this was excellent. Thank you so much!!!

[aristocratmodel]

Add cinnamon in last. Skyline is also cooked down to a dehydrated cube added to water and recooked at the store.
The smell of cinnamon is overwhelming when cooking the cube which leads me to think it's added at the end, and then cooked in at the store.

[brianschwartz]

I lived in Cincinnati for a few years and have to say, this recipe is pretty incredible. I've tried other copycats and they weren't even close. I don't know how many iterations it took to get this version but I think you can stop now. AMAZING. In terms of the recipe, I used 6 cups of water for 2 pounds of beef. The recipe didn't specify but this worked for me. I didn't have the Brewers yeast and just used three packs of Fleishmann's instant yeast.

[Patricksadie]

Made this recipe today and it’s definitely the closest I’ve found yet and I’ve tried several. Thanks for the video!

[bernardhessley]

I made this for New Year for my cousin who is a big Skyline fan. After looking at many recipes, I thought your approach made the most sense. It was utterly delicious. Thank you.

[AdamSmith-mlji]

Making this right now it’s simmering as this comment was posted waiting until the last 30 minuites to an hour to taste test to see if I have to update the allspice or not I did do your spice mixture to a tee so far the aroma is fantastic !

[JeffScottBeergeek]

Easily the best home version of Cincinnati style chili and Skyline Chili specifically I've ever made -- and I've made dozens of recipes. Hits all the right notes. Fantastic!

[tractorgt]

My first job was at skyline in 89 and the chili came in a box in gelatin form. We added water and cooked it for several hours in a giant pourable vat. We'd fill up the steam table kettles from this vat that would last all day. Then we'd store what's left and reheat it in the morning while starting a new vat.

[nedschack]

THIS! 👏🎉 I was originally searching for a Glier’s recipe when I found your channel, but I’ll have to visit a butcher before I can try that one out. But I had everything on hand for your Skyline recipe except for the nutritional yeast. Quick trip to supermarket and I had this on the stove simmering away. IT. IS. AWESOME! We definitely won’t be buying canned skyline anymore! Can’t wait to test out your Glier’s recipe…hoping it’s just as good!

[chchchoon]

Great vid, I've never had this dish but I want to make it. Now throwing this out there, any possibility some of the seasonings are fried. My wife always make Asian stews and one has tomato paste. She fries the seasoning then dads the tomato paste. Ever thought maybe they do this then add that to the cooked beef?

[susangabriel]

Eye opening, mind blowing stuff here. I’ve tried a good many of the online recipes with mediocre results. This Jersey Girl only had the opportunity to try REAL skyline chili many years ago and it’s been my holy grail to try to re-create something remotely similar. I’ll be keeping my vinegar & unsweetened bakers chocolate in the pantry
and trying this out tomorrow (after I run to GNC for some nutritional yeast). Thanks for posting this. I’ll brave the heart addition next batch.

[DannyStrien]

It’s your #1 caller, I mean home chef, here

[Shin_Lona]

I live in Louisville, KY... close to Cincy. We have Skyline restaurants here, so I have had the real deal. The flavor profile of the spices is very similar to turtle soup. I haven't had it since I was a kid and couldn't tell you what is in it. My uncles used to make it out at the lake. This may sound crazy, but I'd recommend searching for a turtle soup recipe online and see what you come up with. Analyze the spices and see if anything stands out that could be a candidate for the mystery ingredient.

Kind of a wild card, but could be the clue you needed. Anyway, good work. This recipe is needed now more than ever. The canned Skyline has gotten outrageously expensive, which is why I'm looking into it. This seems like s solid baseline. Going to do some experimentation, if I come up with anything I'll let you know.