My Guilty Pleasure
I’ll be frank… I love a loaded hot dog. A good hot dog should be topped with a good coney sauce. But before we cook, let’s go back a bit. I grew up eating hot dogs sliced open and pressed flat between two pieces of soft white bread. Why? Because sandwich bread was always around, hot dog buns were not. The hot dog of my childhood was usually multi-meat blend with a seam pressed into length of the dog to guide your knife with precision… see, they were meant to be sliced.
On occasion, I was indulged with cheese dogs which had little chunks of gold that melted so much it spilled out of their cavities when you bit into the frank. Topped with ketchup. A slice of heaven! My guilty pleasure has refined a bit over the years. Here’s my favorite topping… coney dog sauce.
What You Need To Make Hot Dog Coney Sauce
- Ground Beef – I have used an 80/20 blend of lean to fat, but you really want more fat. If you can get a 75/25 that would be better.
- Onions – I recommend a sweet onion. I always do – I like the flavor.
- Spices – There’s a little heat in this coney sauce. The recipe calls for both chipotle and chili powder.
- Corn Starch – This is what we’ll use to make the sauce thick. It’s like magic, diluted in water and activated with heat.
- Worcestershire Sauce – If you can spell this consistently, you deserve a gold star.
- Brown Sugar – A little heat needs a little sweet. I really like the combination of spicy and sweet brown sugar. Then, pair this with the salty flavor of the hot dog.
- Tomato Sauce – Nope. This hot dog coney sauce is tomato free. The color of the sauce comes strictly from the chili and chipotle powders.
- Beans? – No. Bean free hot dog sauce.
How To Make Hot Dog Coney Sauce
Start by finely chopping a sweet onion. Next, in a small saucepan, cook the ground beef, onions, and salt until the meat is no longer pink. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Be sure to stir up the meat and break it apart into a crumbly texture.
After the meat is fully cooked, remove it from the pan, leaving the grease in the saucepan. Put the meat and onions on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Then, in a small mixing bowl or jar, add the corn starch to a bit of water. Mix the two until the water is cloudy. The corn starch should be completely dissolved, and the water will look like fat free milk. Add the corn starch slurry to the grease.
Chipotle and Chili Dog Sauce
We want to make this sauce flavorful, a bit spicy, and give it that classic red color. Add to the saucepan the chili powder and chipotle powder. Whisk until well combined.
Next, we need to make this sauce nice and thick. Bring the sauce to just a boil. The heat will activate the corn starch, which in turn, will begin to thicken. Allow the sauce to simmer on low for at least 5 minutes until the powders have dissolved and are no longer ‘grainy’ in the liquid.
Ground Ground Beef
One characteristic of coney dog sauce is the fine texture of the beef. How are we going to get there? Using a food processor. I tried a few methods to make the meat even more crumbled but found a food process get the job done. With the meat cooled a bit, add it to the processor and grind it for about a minute. The texture won’t be smooth like pate, but it will be much finer than the crumbles.
Add the blended meat, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce to the sauce. Mix until combined. Heat the sauce through until the sugar is completely melted, and the sauce is well combined.
What Do You Like on a Hot Dog?
There are foods in life which are so tasty, but have the sole purpose is to act as a vessel for even more tasty things. Hot dogs could be one of those. I really like a casing dog which has a skin and are made in links. You can find these in the grocery store, and I’ve purchased some from the local butcher in links. In my opinion, these casing dogs have the best flavor by far.
Be creative with your toppings! You just made a delicious coney dog sauce, what else should we try? Chopped red onions, pickled onions, different mustards, cheeses of all kinds, banana pepper rings, may even a bit of cubed avocado??
Hot Dog Coney Sauce
Equipment
- paring knife
- cutting board
- small saucepan
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
- food processor
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/4 lbs ground beef 75 lean/25 fat
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 3 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Onion. Finely chop the onions.1/4 cup finely chopped onions
- Beef. Cook the onions and beef with salt in another small saucepan.1/4 lbs ground beef 75 lean/25 fat, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Drain. Leaving the grease in the pan, drain the onions and meat from the grease and place it on a paper towel.
- Corn Starch. Mix 1/4 cup cold water with corn starch until the liquid looks like milk.1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon corn starch
- Chili and Chipotle. Add the corn starch slurry, 1/4 cup water, and chili powder to the pan with the grease. Bring the sauce to a boil until it begins to thicken. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the chili powder is no longer grainy in the liquid.1/4 cup water, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- Puree. Put the meat and onions in a food processor and grind for about 1 minute until the meat is a fine texture.
- Brown Sugar. Add the meat to the chili powder sauce. Add the brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Mix and allow the meat to simmer until most of the water is gone.1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 3 teaspoon brown sugar
- Enjoy! Serve on top of your favorite hot dog, with shredded cheddar, chopped onions, banana pepper rings, and mustard.
