[mdccclxix]

Two crucial steps, if you're using beef, are:

1) put the raw beef in the water, don't cook it first. this breaks up the meat into that fine consistency it's known for. you may need some other flavoring in this stage, but not close to all of it.

2) you have to decide how much fat you want in the chili. if you want it to have a consistency closer to a stew, leave the fat in and skip this next step. if you want to have chili closer to Skyline chili or Camp Washington or Blue Ash, take the beef and water from the stove before you add too much of the flavoring and cool it off in the fridge. When it's cold, the fat will harden at the top of the water, skim it off and begin cooking again.

I prefer skimming the fat just because it gets you closer to the Cincy style, but I'll admit the first batch I made without skimming was tasty as well.