Julie Clark
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Hot Dog Chili Sauce
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This famous Hot Dog Chili Sauce is meaty, slightly sweet and full of flavor. Great on hot dogs, fries and as a chili base! Simmer it in the slow cooker to deepen the chili flavor.
Do you love hot dogs or oven baked brats? One thing I cannot resist is a hot dog cooked over the fire. But really, anytime there is a hot dog loaded with hot dog chili sauce and cheese, all bets are off.
Set aside the ketchup, mustard and pickle relish this summer and try something new on your hot dogs!
What makes our hot dog chili sauce recipe so famous?
There is a little hot dog shop near my hometown in Northeast Ohio that serves an amazing chili dog. Unfortunately, since we’re not in the area anymore, I don’t get to go there much. But thankfully, a friend gave me this copycat recipe for their famous chili sauce back when I was in high school, over 30 years ago!
I’ve compared the “real thing” to this copycat recipe in a side-by-side comparison, and this hot dog chili sauce recipe is about as close as it gets.
If you love coney dog sauce, then give this easy hot dog chili a try. And there’s no beans in this hot dog sauce.
Ingredients Needed
One thing to note is that there is a bottle of sauce called “chili sauce” you can buy in the store. This is not the same thing. That chili sauce we use in my Grandma’s meatball recipe, but in this recipe you’re combining ingredients to make a meaty sauce called hot dog chili sauce.
You’ll need:
- Ground beef. Use 80% lean ground beef.
- Onions, garlic, salt and pepper, for flavoring.
- Flour. This flour thickens the sauce. Use more or less as you’d like.
- Tomato sauce and water. This is the base of the chili sauce recipe.
- Chili powder. Yes. This recipe calls for ½ cup chili powder. It’s not a typo! Add less if you’d like but give it a try sometime with the whole ½ cup! You can also make your own chili powder at home.
- Pimentos. Pimentos can sometimes be hard to find in the grocery store but look near the olives and pickles.
- Sugar. I love that this sauce is slightly sweet. Sweet and spicy, just like our award winning chili!
Simmer in the Slow Cooker
In the summer, I like to let my hot dog chili recipe simmer all day in the slow cooker instead of the stovetop. It completely fills my 6-quart slow cooker.
How to Serve Hot Dog Chili Sauce
- Not only does this hot dog chili sauce make an average hot dog like a gourmet chili cheese dog, but spoon it over some french fries or a baked potato and you’ve got chili cheese fries that rival the best.
- Another idea? Eat it on top of macaroni and cheese. This makes an amazingly wonderful combination.
- And lastly, a chili cheese hot dog pizza! One of my favorite ways to eat this sauce.
Can you freeze hot dog chili sauce?
This makes a large batch of homemade hot dog chili sauce. Make half a recipe if you prefer, but I like to make a large batch once and have it on hand in the freezer for the summer.
Any leftovers freeze well. Just portion it out in smaller containers, freeze, and you’re ready for game day, Friday, or whenever that craving hits.
Hot Dog Chili Sauce
This famous Hot Dog Chili Sauce is meaty, slightly sweet and full of flavor. Great on hot dogs, fries and as a chili base! Simmer it in the slow cooker to deepen the chili flavor.
Servings 30
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 4 small onions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned into the cup and leveled)
- 38 ounces tomato sauce equals 2 15-oz cans and 1 8-oz can
- 30 ounces water
- 4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 1/2 cup chopped pimentos
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar to taste
Instructions
- In a large stockpot (at least 6 quarts) over medium-high heat, brown hamburger, onions and garlic together, until the meat is totally cooked. Drain off any fat. 4 pounds ground beef, 4 small onions, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir in the flour to ground beef and mix well. 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Add the remaining ingredients to the stockpot. Mix well and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Cooking this long breaks down the ground beef and gives it a nice texture. 38 ounces tomato sauce, 30 ounces water, 4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon black pepper, ½ cup chili powder, ½ cup chopped pimentos, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Place a hot dog in a bun and top with chili sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and diced onions. Serve over french fries, too.
Notes
- Add less flour if you like your chili sauce a bit more runny. Add more or less sugar, depending on how sweet you like it!
- This makes a large pot full of chili sauce. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can also store the sauce in the freezer.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the recipe making 30 servings, with 1 serving being 1/30 of the sauce. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 308mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.9mg
wonder if this could be canned if you leave out the flour
Did a prep run of this for tomorrow’s Big Game Day! It’s amazing. Better than, dare I say, Cincy based Skyline? So excited to have this in my recipe box. Since my family loves kick, I threw in a diced jalapeno. This fellow Cbus based Ohioan says Thank you, Go Bucks and Go Bengals! Love your recipes.
This was the hot dog B. O. M. B.!!!!!
I don’t need nearly as much chilli. Can you post Ingredients for a smaller portion? Cooking for one person but I get left over and willing to freeze some.
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious and exactly what I was looking for to duplicate what I ate as a child. We have a small family so I cut the recipe in half. Still had some to freeze.
I was looking for a recipe similar to a place I would go to in NE OH, years ago. When I read this, I was astounded. I will definitely give it a try. My parents just drove to Kinsman, Oh to get chili sauce like this. How funny if it was the same place.