A couple of months ago I tried a new recipe -- one that was a Greek-style sauce for hot dogs and it was....o.k. But I'm going back to my favorite recipe when I need chili sauce again:

Hot Dog Chili from Aiken Pool Hall, Aiken, SC
1 lb. hamburger meat
4 med onions -- diced/chopped
4 Tbsp mustard -- yellow
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp vinegar -- apple cider
2 tsp chili powder
1 cup catsup
salt -- to season

Break up the hamburger meat and put into a 4-qt. pan. Add enough hot water to make a thick mix. Stir until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients. Cook slowly for 1 hour. Can be thinned as needed with water or beer.

NOTES : The Aiken Pool Hall, Aiken, SC, is famous for having the best chili dogs in the area.

Thanks teresa_nc, I will definitely give this a try. My adult son asked me for a recipe and my attempt was dismal, to say the least. lol
I'm from SC so I'm rooting for this one.
Loretta

Back in 2003 I was looking online for a good chili dog recipe and found this one from a Larry Andersen. He said he formulated it trying to copy the taste of the Coney Island Hot Dog. I have never strayed once we tried it. Caution: it is very spicy.

Larry Andersen Sauce 3 Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large white onion diced very fine
1/4 cup barbecue (he used Bull's Eye Original Western) I use whatever I have
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 T chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 clove garlic, minced very fine

Directions:
1. brown meat until no longer red....break into very small pieces
2. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are transparent. Add other ingredients and simmer while stirring.
3. Add a little water if too dry, but finished sauce will be very dry
4. Taste and adjust

Coney Island Hot Dog

We love classic Detroit Coney Island hot dogs (and chili fries). We now live in CT, and every time we're back in SE MI we make at least one stop for Coney dogs!! Pkguy posted this on a coney thread a while back. I made this up recently, and it's a little extra work, my husband said it was it was worth it!

Here's PK's note from the orginal thread:

Ok I haven't been doing much cooking lately but it is summer and I was talking to the next door neighbors about the long gone drive-in restaurant that used to be in this neighborhood (now a video and Little Caesars). Anyways, they used to have the greatest foot longs with a super coney sauce. I googled some recipes online, starting with one for the old A&W sauce and it was close but not quite the same. I had to make some adjustments and finally I got it pretty close. I ran one next door to the neighbor this evening and had him do a taste test and he was amazed, said it tasted just like the foot longs from the drive in used to taste. So here's the recipe ..
BTW I cooked it in the pressure cooker about 10 mins under pressure and you HAVE TO steam the hot dog buns!!!!!!

PkguyÂs Coney Sauce

Brown a pound of hamburger then into the pc
add 1 6oz can of Hunts tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1.5 TBPS frenchs yellow mustard
1 TBSP minced DRY Onion flakes,, no not real onion LOL
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp (heaping) ground Cumin
1.5 tsp celery seed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Pressure cook about 10 minutes

After cooking whizz it with a stick blender or in a regular blender to a smoother consistency then STIR IN
4 TBSP green relish

Sauce is supposed to be hot when you put it on the dog.

(to be classic, according to my DH, serve with chopped onino and mustard)

This one, posted by suebdoo was really good, too...
Coney Island Sauce
Posted by suebdoo Sat, May 31, 08

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup fresh or store bought bread crumbs
1/4 c. chili powder
1/4 c. paprika (Hungarian Hot) I use regular not hot!
6 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. cumin
Pepper, to taste
Onion
Fry meat with garlic and onion till done. Add bread crumbs. Mix all together. Add chili powder and paprika; mix. Add water. Stir in cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Add more water to thin or bread crumbs to thicken.

Bizzo, you are right. Here in Detroit we have the best coney island hot dogs. They are just awesome and you can get good ones most everywhere. However, National Coney Island is the most famous and they now make their coney sauce for retail stores...it's available in a frozen brick. Funny thing is all the coney sauce here does not include hamburger. You can add burger onto a dog along with the sauce, but it's not normally included with. If anyone wants any let me know and I can buy it and ship it. Can't remember what the price is but it wasn't outrageous for a one pound brick.

Duane

Duane, expect an email through gw mail. I'd be interested in some!!

Bizzo, I don't think the email through GW works for me. I'm sure the email addy is the same but for some reason it never goes through. You can email me at dukerdawg@aol.com.

Duane

First a disclaimer. I don't like this very much, because it tastes like beer. My kids love it, Elery loves it, the grandkids love it. It makes a lot but freezes well and the recipe can be cut in half:

CHILI BUNS

1 quart cheap beer (left open several hours to go "flat")
7 lbs ground chuck
1 lb. ground pork
3 tsp salt
2 cloves minced garlic
3 monions, chopped finely
3 tbls ground red chili sauce
3 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls dried cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix meats together in large cold kettle. Sprinkle salt, garlic and onions over the meat and pour flat beer over all. Mix lightly, taking care not to compress (itÂs easiest to use your hands). Turn the burner up to high and stir until mixture boils, taking care none sticks to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to medium, cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Mix all spices together and sprinkle over the chili. Turn heat down very low and let it seep in for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat up and let it cook 10 minutes more, stirring to mix spices in. Mixture should be moist and juicy, but not soupy.

Sprinkle onion down the center of a hot dog bun and a thin swatch of mustard down one side. Pack the chili into the bun tightly by placing a heaping spoonful in the center of the bun and then packing it firmly with the back of the spoon. Top with chopped onion.

Annie

gldno1 and bizzo, thanks so much for the recipes. I've never has a Coney Island dawg :( , but I've heard they are good.
I'm definitely going to try these recipes to see which my son likes best.
Thanks, Loretta

Oops! Annie1992, we were posting at the same time. Thanks for the recipe. If it tastes like beer I'm sure the guys will approve :)
Loretta

For anyone interesed (Bizzo..I sent you a separate email) there is a website www.nationalconeyisland.com and they have coney dog kits with the buns, dogs and sauce or you can buy just the sauce. It comes in a 1.5 pound brick. The dogs and buns are the same you can buy locally depending on your preference. Traditionally they are skin-on that 'snap' when you bite into them or use a fork, which is usually the way to do it slathered with sauce, mustard and onions.

Duane

I live about six blocks from the Aiken pool hall (technically, the establishment's name is 'City Billiards') and both I and my waistline can attest that they make a mean chili dog.