My first chili dog was from Joe’s in my hometown – a classic foot-long, hanging off the bun and smothered with chili and melty cheese. It was heaven! I can’t go back in time, but dogs made with this Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce are the next best thing!
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce
If you’re missing your fave smothered hot dog with chili and cheese from wherever you usually get your fix, or just want to save some bucks and make them at home, now you can do the same!
About Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce:
If you grew up (or live) anywhere in the Midwest or the South, this is going to be close to what you’ll find at ballparks, games, fairs, and so on.
This classic Chili Sauce is easy to make and has the perfect luscious texture. It’s flavorful with just the right hint of spice, so it’s family-friendly, too.
Make this hot dog chili sauce once, and you’ll never, ever, ever want to resort to a canned chili again! If you hafta to with a canned sauce, check out this link by FoodGuy on the Seven Best Canned Chili Sauces for Hot Dogs.
I always break up my ground meats with the type of masher on the right. The other I use in this recipe to very finely work the ground beef into tiny bits.
Making Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce:
You’ll get a better hot dog chili sauce if you use loosely packed ground beef instead of anything in a roll or chub pack. Use lean ground beef because it will be difficult to drain any fat using this method of cooking.
The key to making this sauce is to simmer the onions and ground beef (after the onions are sautéed with a little oil) with water; that breaks down the beef and is what gives the real classic texture to the sauce, and the texture is really just as important as the taste!
I’m gonna talk about two “gadgets” here, both potato mashers, that will help you get the perfect texture. If you don’t have one, use a large fork, like a serving fork, to mash your ground beef.
- The first is a potato masher with loops of metal; I use one whenever I’m cooking and breaking down ground beef or ground pork for a recipe. They have gadgets you can buy for six to 10 bucks, but why, when a potato masher works so well and does double duty?
- The other is a potato masher, too, the kind that has a grid. You can get by without but this, for me, is a double-duty gadget. I use it for potatoes sometimes, but mostly when I make refried beans, and it works great on the ground beef in this recipe.
Adjusting the Flavor & Seasoning:
Taste and adjust the seasonings! Add more of anything, but know if you’re looking for some heat, the best time to do that is when you add all the spices – cooking a bit helps them lose that “raw” flavor.
If you want a good amount of heat, dice a serrano or jalapeno, and saute with the onion, and add a few dashes of hot sauce at the end.
If you’re from the South (or used to eating canned) you might appreciate a little sweetness. Add a tablespoon or two of brown or white sugar.
Most of all, know that this is a great recipe as is and the perfect jumping-off point if you want to tinker and make it your own!
Oven Chili Cheese Dogs with Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce
How to Use, in addition to Chili Cheese Dogs:
You can use the Chili Sauce in a whole bunch of different ways! Preferably with cheese! Here are a few to get you started:
- Make Chili Cheese Fries: Smother cooked fries with the chili sauce and add cheese. If the sauce is warm enough, it will melt the cheese. If you use chunky cheese, like cheese curds, or if the cheese doesn’t melt, toss the dish in the oven, under the broiler, or in the microwave.
- Make a Chili Cheese Baked Potato or Baked Sweet Potato: No brainer. Just open your potato, top with the sauce and cheese! Add a dollop of sour cream if you lean that way.
- Chili Cheese Burgers: Smother your burger with the hot sauce (immediately before serving) and add cheese, your fave condiments, and you’re done! You may need a fork!
- Chili Cheesarito: Not quite the same as the famed Taco Bell version, but still killer good! Smear some chili across a flour tortilla, add cheese, roll up, and microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds for an ooey, gooey treat.
- Chili Grilled Cheese: Make your regular grilled cheese, but layer in some of this chili sauce. Go easy – once it is hot, too much will make things very messy.
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce ready to freeze.
How to Store Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce:
- Store your Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for three to five days. This may discolor plastic containers. When reheating add a touch of water.
- This freezes beautifully and will keep several months in your fridge’s freezer and closer to a year in a deep freeze.
Saving Money on Groceries:
Ground Beef freezes well and drops to a low about once a quarter. There’s no reason to pay full price. Stock up when you see rock bottom pricing. Generally, the larger family packs are less per pound. Divide into portions (a pound works great for most recipes) before freezing.
Tomato Sauce and other Tomato products are another item I generally keep on hand. I’ll pick them up as they go on sale, just about any time they hit a rock bottom price.
As far as condiments like ketchup, summer is the best time to buy. Watch all the sales before any of the major summer holidays (check out this page on Summer Savings) and stock up for the year. If you miss the summer sales, around the Superbowl is when you’re next likely to see great competitive pricing.
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: about 3 cups 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1/3 cup Ketchup
- dash or two Worcestershire sauce
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- dash or two of hot sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon or to taste, brown or white sugar (optional)
- additional water as needed
Instructions
Add oil to a saucepan and heat to medium-high. Add in the onion and stirring now and then, saute until softened. Add the ground beef and cook for several minutes, breaking up the ground beef. Do not brown. Add the water and continue to break up the beef as the water simmers.
When the water is nearly gone, add in the chili powder, salt, pepper, celery salt and dry mustard and stir in. Cook, stirring for about a minute. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and if using, to taste, a dash or two of hot sauce and the sugar. Continue to cook 15 to 20 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust any seasonings.
Once cooked as it cools and later if refrigerated, the sauce becomes thicker. Add additional water to bring back to desired consistency.
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