The Classic Coney Island Hot Dog is a snappy hot dog with a beanless chili sauce and onions. We serve ours with a homemade cheese sauce.
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.
What’s the difference between Coney Island hot dog sauce and chili?
That’s a good question and there’s a lot of differing opinions, but the way that most people say is that it’s all about the beans…without beans or with beans. Coney Island Sause does not have beans. It also has ketchup and brown sugar in it, which are two ingredients not usually found in most chilis.
What type of hot dog should you use for a Classic Coney Island Dog?
As I said, I like a “snapy” hot dog. And by that, I mean 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 sauce and lots of toppings, you have to have a hot dog that will stand up to all the toppings and give it that perfect snap. I find that most of the Kosher-type hot dog you can buy at the market have a “snappy” casing.
You can’t have a classic Coney Island hot dog unless it’s drowning in a deep, rich, meaty Coney Island sauce. In fact, you might even catch yourself eating it right out of the skillet while it simmers. I know this for a fact because I caught my son eating it out of the pan when I stepped away from the oven. Now that’s a testimonial that I’ll take any day. I also made a classic cheddar cheese sauce because you can never have enough cheese, especially on a hot dog.
How do you assemble the hot dog?
There is a method to how you build the ingredients on this Classic Coney Island Hot Dog.
- Start with a top split bun which is untraditional bun but I find that it works better to hold all of the ingredients. It also lets you really load the hot dog full of the good stuff.
- Next, lay the grilled hot dog in the bun.
- Then layer it with a good heaping of the cheese sauce followed by an equally large heaping of the Coney Island sauce.
- Finally, top it with diced onions and pickled jalapeno.
And there you have it – a fantastic hot dog that puts a smile on everyone’s face.
Here’s my latest video:
PrintClassic 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.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: All American
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 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 Cheese Sauce:
- 8-ounces of shredded medium cheddar cheese
- 1 cup half-n-half
- 1 TBS cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Hot Dog:
- 8–10 premium hot dogs
- 8–10 hot dog buns (I use top-sliced buns)
- 30 slices of pickled jalapenos
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef (strain off any grease).
- Add three-quarters of the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes. (The remaining onion is for the topping.)
- Add all of the remaining ingredients.
- Reduce the mixture to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
For the Cheese Sauce:
- Add mild to a stove-top pan and warm on medium heat.
- Whisk in the cornstarch.
- Add 4-ounces of the cheese and whisk until it melts.
- Add the remaining 4-ounces of cheese and continue to whisk until fully melted
For the hot dogs
- Boil or grill the hot dog.
- Gill the buns – just until they start to crisp.
- Add the hot dog to the bun.
- Top the hot dog with cheese sauce, the chili, diced onions, and pickled jalapenos
This recipe is right on time, I just bought hot dogs, and now I’m going to make this sauce. I will try it with chicken chili first as I’m running short on beef. Do you have an idea of timings to cook chicken chili in the instant pot? I prefer cooking in it as it is a faster way to prepare meaty meals.
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Hi Corrie – Chicken is a great substitute and while I haven’t tried this recipe in my Instant Pot yet, I would presume you cook it as long as you would any other chicken recipes and take into account whether it’s bone in our bone out. I love to hear how it turns out.