Someone has actually asked this on here before, and the following answer i posted for them was selected as their best:

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes OR 1 can tomato paste (I prefer diced)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 can kidney beans
shredded cheddar cheese
onion, chopped

1. Mix all seasonings together
2. In large saucepan/pot, combine tomato sauce, paste, and water. After these are blended, add dry ingredients to tomato sauce mixture.
3. Add ground beef in small bits to tomato sauce. Simmer the beef in the tomato sauce for approximately an hour. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN MAKING PROPER CINCINNATI CHILI. You do not brown the meat, you allow it to cook in the sauce.
4. Once beef has slow cooked thoroughly in tomato sauce, the mixture should then be poured over cooked spaghetti.
5. Top the chili with the kidney beans. This is another important part of the chili being true Cincinnati style; the beans are used as a topping. Also top with the cheese and the chopped onion.

I hope this recipe works out better than your previous attempts! I've always loved this recipe..its great on hot dogs too.

You can see that there are some significant differences between the preparation and serving of Cincinnati chili and regular chili.

Good luck!
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Cincinnati chili can be traced back to Greece, unlike traditional chili, which comes from the Southwest.

It is different because of its thin consistency, its unusual blend of spices (that typically includes cinnamon, Worcestershire sauce, allspice, and... chocolate?) and the way of cooking the meat (the meat is boiled, then simmered with the sauce, rather than browned - NEVER brown the meat. If you see a recipe that calls for you to brown the meat, it's fake).

It is typically served in one of two ways:
-Atop a hot dog with a little onion, a little mustard, a LOT of Cheddar cheese (as much as can possibly be piled on) and sometimes hot sauce as a "coney."
-or-
-Atop cooked spaghetti, topped with a LOT of Cheddar cheese, and with oyster crackers on the side, as a "3-way." A "4-way" also adds either chopped onion or either red beans on top of the chili (NEVER in the chili) and a "5-way" adds both.

Here's a recipe:

1. In a 4-quart pot, add 2 lbs ground beef to 1 qt water. Stir until beef separates to a fine texture. Boil slowly for 30 minutes.
2. Add 2 8-oz. cans tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1 1/2 tsp red pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, 3-4 tbsp chili powder, 4 garlic cloves (chopped), 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 whole bay leaf, 5 whole cloves, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir to blend and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, then place cover on and simmer for 1 more hour.
4. Refrigerate overnight, lift fat off top, and reheat.
Source(s):
My dad is a native Cincinnatian.

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