Ingredients List

For the chili:

2 pounds ground beef (80:20 is good; 90:10 works as well and will obviously be less fatty)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 cups water
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 large onion, minced 
6 cloves garlic, minced (pre-minced in the jar is fine)
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

TIP: Measure all of your ingredients first. I usually set all of the spices on my left with a small bowl in front of me. As I measure and put each ingredient into the bowl, I move the spice bottle to the right side so I know I’ve added it. It’s really easy to forget which spices you’ve measured out!

Directions

Cook the tomato paste: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste to the dry pot and cook, constantly scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the tomato smells rich and toasty and you start to see browned (not burned) patches in the bottom of the pot. This should take 1 to 3 minutes.

Combine the ingredients in a pot: Remove the pot from heat and add the ground beef and water. Mix them together into a sludge. It will not look pretty, but press on. There’s a method to this madness. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring all the while, so the sludge breaks up into a mealy paste. Add all the remaining ingredients.

Simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours: Stir the chili often. You want the volume to reduce a bit. If it starts to lose too much water and is getting too thick, reduce the heat and cover with a lid–leaving just a bit for some steam to escape. It will be ready in an hour, but the longer you let it simmer the richer the flavor will be.