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No need to hop on a plane – you can have a delicious, authentic Coney Island Hot Dog in the comfort of your own backyard or kitchen!
Diced onions, yellow mustard, and homemade hot dog chili sauce that’s bursting with flavor cover all-beef hot dogs placed on soft buns. Hot dogs don’t get much better than this!
There’s really nothing more American than a Coney Island hot dog! They’re as much of a nostalgic treat as my favorite Beanie Weenies. I usually make these bad boys for summertime parties, like the 4th of July backyard barbecues and all that jazz. Besides being wholly American, these hot dogs are also incredibly satisfying and delicious! The entire hot dog is to die for, but what really makes it remarkable is the homemade chili sauce.
And yes, this chili sauce is the real deal! I use a good amount of ingredients to make the chili sauce really stand out, and boy, does it ever! With ingredients like smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder and garlic powder (just to name a few), it’s impossible not to practically drool over this beanless chili. I’ve seen these hot dogs made before with a can of store-bought chili and it was a real shame. The homemade chili makes a WORLD of difference!
Of course, these hot dogs wouldn’t be complete without the onions, cheese and mustard, too! Those toppings are what elevate these dogs from being regular chili cheese hot dogs to Coney Island hot dogs. You might not think that my homemade chili and mustard belong together, but let me tell you – they’re a match made in heaven! These hot dogs are tangy, savory, cheesy, and oh so good. After you make a batch, you’ll feel like a real Coney Island queen!
How to Make Coney Island Hot Dogs
- Start cooking the chili meat. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pot breaking it up into small pieces with a fork. The smaller the pieces, the better your chili will be!
- Cook and drain. Continue cooking the meat until browned and no longer pink, approximately 7-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a large bowl. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Add the onion and garlic. Add the onion to the pot with the reserved fat. Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Toss in more ingredients. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika and tomato paste to the onion mixture stirring to combine. Continue to cook the onions until the tomato paste turns a deep Burgundy color, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Stir. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, espresso powder and vinegar. Return the beef and sausage back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. After it’s done simmering, do a quick taste check to see if you need any more seasonings.
- Time to assemble the Coney Island hot dogs!
- Toast. If desired, toast the hot dog buns under the broiler or on a grill.
- Add the dog and chili. Add the hot dog to the bun and carefully spoon the chili sauce across the top.
- Top it off! Top with mustard, a sprinkle of onion and cheese, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Why Use Espresso Powder
I get it – espresso powder in chili may seem a little bit odd, but I promise it’s delicious! And don’t worry, your chili won’t taste like coffee, either. Espresso powder is my little secret ingredient that helps make the chili even tastier and wonderfully rich with deep flavor. Just make sure that you’re not adding any more than what this recipe calls for, or you’re going to have a much more noticeable espresso taste!
How To Cook The Hot Dogs
If you’ve already got the grill fired up in the backyard, you can definitely grill your dogs for a great smokey, grilled flavor! And if you want them a little bit browned without having to deal with the grill, just melt a little bit of butter in a pan, then cook the dogs for about 7-8 minutes in that hot butter.
However, if you’re on a time crunch, check out How to Boil Hot Dogs!
Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
For the Chili Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Hot Dogs:
- 8 all-beef Hot Dogs, boiled or grilled
- 8 Hot Dog Buns, toasted
Toppings:
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions
For the Chili Sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pot breaking it up into small pieces with a fork. The smaller the pieces, the better your chili will be!
- Continue cooking the meat until browned and no longer pink, approximately 7-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a large bowl. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Add the onion to the pot with the reserved fat. Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika and tomato paste to the onion mixture stirring to combine. Continue to cook the onions until the tomato paste turns a deep Burgundy color, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, espresso powder and vinegar. Return the beef and sausage back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Check for seasoning again adding salt and pepper, if necessary.
To assemble:
- Toast the hot dog buns under the broiler or on a grill.
- Add the hot dog to the bun and spoon the chili sauce across the top.
- Top with mustard, a sprinkle of onion and cheese.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget these easy recipes to make your backyard barbecue really perfect!
- BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs
- BBQ Baked Beans with Bacon
- Juicy Lucy Burger
- Homemade Corn Dogs
- Sonoran Hot Dog
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I use a canned hot dog chili sauce. It’s made by Cadbury. I buy it on Amazon. It has an amazing flavor. I’m from Long Island. The only 2 ways to eat a hot dog is a Coney and a Chicago.
True story! My favorite ways to eat hot dogs, hard to pick a favorite. Thank you for your comment!
You don’t put yellow mustard on a NY hot dog. You use brown mustard. Do your homework.
I did my homework…..and you can request whatever mustard you want. Like when you order a Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia. Thanks for your comment!
This is not what they put on hot dogs in Coney Island.
If you read the entire origin that I wrote about above you’d know that the Coney Island dog is not actually from Coney Island. (I know, shocking!)