Classic Coney Island Hot Dog

The classic coney island hot dog is a snappy hot dog with a beanless chili sauce and onions. It’s a classic boardwalk tradition. 

When I think of the boardwalk or the State Fair, I always imagine biting into a snappy hot dog covered in chili sauce and onions. Of course, it’s dripping down my chin with the first big bite. OK – pinch me and wake me up so I can tell you about this game-day favorite hot dog and stop daydreaming.

You might be wondering what I mean by a snappy hot dog? It’s a hot dog that has a good snap to the outer casing when you bite into it. Because the classic coney island hot dog is covered in the deep delicious chili sauce, you have to have a hot dog that will stand up to it and give it that perfect snap.

You can’t have a classic coney island hot dog unless it’s drowning in a deep, read, meat only chili sauce. My chili sauce recipe is so good, I caught my son eating it out of a bowl. Now that’s a testimonial that I’ll take any day.

And of course, we added cheese because you can’t have a chili cheese dog without cheese and a classic coney island hot dog is a chili cheese dog.

Classic Coney Island Hot Dog

The classic coney island hot dog is a snappy hot dog with a beanless chili sauce and onions. It’s a classic boardwalk tradition. 

• Author: krazykitchenmom

Ingredients

For the chili sauce

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion – diced
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 2-4 TBS chili powder (depending on how hot you like your chili; you can always start with 2 and add more after tasting the final product).
• 2 TBS yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

For the hot dogs

• 10-12 premium hot dogs
• 10-12 hot dog buns (I use top-sliced buns)
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• The remaining diced onion

Instructions

1. In a large pot, brown ground beef (strain off any grease).
2. Add three-quarters of the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes. (The remaining onion is for the topping.)
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the mixture to a simmer.
5. Simmer, stirring frequently for 30 minutes.

For the hot dogs

1. Boil or grill the hot dog.
2. Gill the buns – just until they start to crisp.
3. Add the hot dog to the bun.
4. Top the hot dog with cheese, then chili and top it with diced onions.