Last Updated May 21st, 2023 at 11:50 pm by Lisa
Hot dog chili sauce is a "go-to" football food on game days, Superbowl parties, tailgating, or summer cookouts. And the best thing, this great recipe is ready in just 20 minutes or can simmer away in a slow cooker all during the big game!
Salsa and beer add great unique flavor to this delicious recipe. Adding a can of refried beans is an easy way to make chili nice and thick, perfect for piling on top of chili dogs...
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce Recipe
This recipe doesn't contain ketchup like most recipes. Instead, it gets its delicious flavor from ingredients like salsa, beer, and refried beans. And has just the right amount of classic chili spices. Get the party going with these...
- favorite brand hot dogs or sausages
- hot dog buns
- homemade pickle relish
- this chili sauce (make sure it's warm!)
- grated cheese
- green onions
Ingredients For Hot Dog Chili Sauce
- white onion
- butter
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- chili powder
- granulated garlic powder
- oregano
- cumin
- ground beef
- bottle beer
- good salsa
- refried beans (makes the chili thick!)
Hot Dog Chili - Stove Top Instructions
Slow cooker instructions are below in this post and in the recipe card.
- Chop the fresh onion into a minced fine texture. Over medium-high heat use a heavy Dutch oven, pot, or large skillet. Add the butter and saute onions with sea salt, ground pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, and cumin. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the ground beef, cook the beef, and saute until completely brown and crumbly, about 10 more minutes.
- Once the onion and ground meat are browned, turn the heat down to a medium-low simmer, and skim any excess grease and fat off. The easiest way is to dip a large spoon across the surface and discard it.
- Add the remaining ingredients of 12 ounces of beer, salsa, and refried beans. Cook on low, and give it a good stir every few minutes. Serve warm.
What are the best hot dog toppings?
- crispy crumbled bacon
- condiments of relish, mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise
- sauerkraut
- fresh diced or pickled jalapenos
- diced tomatoes
- sour cream
- salsa
- shredded lettuce
- coleslaw
- green onions, chives, diced red or white onion, or Mexican pickled onions
- diced dill pickles or sweet pickles
- crunchy Fritos corn chips
PRO TIP: If you want to have a little thinner sauce, add some more beer or beef broth.
Hot Dog Sauce Recipe Top Tips
- A homemade hot dog meat sauce is a bit healthier than a canned brand from the grocery store. This recipe is made with fresh ingredients and no preservatives as long as you ensure the salsa and refried beans used in the chili don't contain any preservatives or chemicals.
- Make Ahead: The best way to relax and have fun at parties and on game days is to make food ahead of time and have different ways to serve and reheat dishes. This recipe can be made up to two days for the party.
- Football Theme: On game days, add a special touch and plate your chili cheese dogs on football plates with football food picks! 🏈🏈🏈
- Hot Dog Topping Bar: Set up lots of yummy favorites, people will love building their own best hot dogs and have fun trying different flavor combinations loaded with scrumptious toppings like cheeses, onions, and condiments.
- Homemade Pickle Relish: The best chili dogs recipe is even better with a homemade pickle to relish you can make ahead of time. The bright color comes from the special ingredients.
- Game Day Menu Ideas: Great things that go with good chili dogs are cheddar cheese soup, a hot side of french fries, crunchy potato chips, cole slaw, macaroni salad, bacon potato salad, or a bbq potato salad!
Hot Dog Chili - Slow Cooker Instructions
Chop the minced onion into a fine texture. Add the minced onion, butter, salt, pepper, ground beef, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, cumin, 12 ounces of beer, salsa, and refried beans. Cook on for low 3-4 hours, give it a good stir every hour.
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Note: If your slow cooker has a saute function, saute the onion, butter, salt, pepper, and brown the ground beef together. The sauteing of meat and spices adds great flavor, then add all the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Serve & Assemble Chili Dogs
The perfect way to serve the ground beef chili is warm in a slow cooker, crock pot, or very low heat on the stove for 2-3 hours, and scoop it onto the loaded dogs.
In each bun (toasting optional), place a grilled hot dog, chili, pickle relish, grated cheese, and green onions.
Add any other toppings you like and enjoy! Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge and eat in 3 days. Use the extra for sloppy joes or to top chili burgers.
Hot Dog Pickle Relish Recipe
The homemade pickle relish is full of delicious fresh ingredients, and no added sugar or preservatives. It takes minutes to make and is amazing.
- bell pepper (yellow & orange bell pepper give a bright beautiful color!)
- dill pickles
- green cabbage
- onion
- apple cider vinegar
- yellow mustard
- sea salt
- ground pepper
Step 1: Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until finely mixed (or finely mince veggies on a cutting board and mix with wet ingredients and spices in a bowl).
Step 2: Let sit for a day if possible, store in a mason jar, and use within a week.
There are two versions of pickle relish in the U.S.:
Hamburger relish: pickle relish in a ketchup base
Hot dog relish: pickle relish in a mustard base
There are a wide variety of relishes all over the world, and the general definition of relish is "pieces of vegetables and/or fruits in a sauce."
Names for relish include Boston Gurka (Sweden), chakalaka (South Africa), chutney (India), and kuchela (Trinidad and Tobago). In the U.S., "relish" often refers to pickle relish, the most popular variety.
A Coney Island hot dog, Coney dog, or "Coney" is a beef frankfurter in a steamed soft bun topped with a beanless chili savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings like diced white onions and yellow mustard.
The original creation of the coney dog came about around the same time in New York, Michigan, Ohio, and elsewhere in the United States.
More Game Day Football Food
Delicious Table has dozens of Game Day and Party Food recipes, also try my Turkey Chili, it is a traditional chili and an easy recipe!
Bake warm Soft Pretzels and scoop them into an easy cheese sauce, beer cheese dip. Every bite has a chewy, golden crust with soft, fluffy centers. This Spiral Hot Dog Recipe get nice nooks and crannies to hold more toppings like relish, ketchup, and mustard.
Get my full Cookout Menu loaded with over 60 recipes and ideas for the ultimate outdoor party. Cheesy Meatball Subs are loaded with gooey melted cheese and homemade marinara sauce. Use frozen or homemade ground beef, turkey, or pork meatballs.
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Hot Dog Chili Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Hot Dog Chili Sauce
- 1 brown onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried cumin
- 1 ½ pound ground beef
- 12 oz good beer pub ale
- 16 oz salsa
- 32 oz can refried beans makes thick chili!
- 8 grilled hot dogs
- 8 hot dog buns toasted optional
- optional toppings: grated cheese, relish, mustard, ketchup, pickled jalapenos, green onions, crumbled bacon, or sauerkraut
Homemade Relish
- 1 whole bell pepper green, yellow or orange
- 1-2 whole dill pickles
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
Hot Dog Chili - Stove Top Instructions
- Chop the fresh onion into a minced fine texture. Over medium-high heat use a heavy Dutch oven, pot, or large skillet. Add the butter and saute onions with sea salt, ground pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, and cumin. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the ground beef, cook the beef, saute until completely brown and crumbly, about 10 more minutes.
- Once the onion and ground meat are browned, turn the heat down to medium-low simmer, and skim any excess grease and fat off. The easiest way is to dip a large spoon across the surface and discard it.
- Add the remaining ingredients of 12 ounces of beer, salsa, and refried beans. Cook on low, and give it a good stir every few minutes. Serve warm.
Hot Dog Chili - Slow Cooker Instructions
- Chop the minced onion into a fine texture. Add the minced onion, butter, salt, pepper, ground beef, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, and cumin, 12 ounces of beer, salsa, and refried beans. Cook on for low 3-4 hours, give it a good stir every hour.Note: If your slow cooker has a saute function, saute the onion, butter, salt, pepper, and brown the ground beef together. The sauteing of meat and spices adds great flavor, then add all the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Serve & Assemble Chili Dogs
- The perfect way to serve the ground beef chili is warm from a slow cooker, crock pot or very low heat on the stove for 2-3 hours, and scoop onto the loaded hot dogs.
- In each bun (toasting optional), place a grilled hot dog, hot dog chili, pickle relish, grated cheese, and green onions.
- Add any other toppings you like and enjoy! Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge and eat in 3 days. Use the extra for sloppy joes or to top chili burgers.
Pickle Relish
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor until finely mixed (or finely mince veggies on a cutting board and mix with wet ingredients and spices in a bowl).
- Let sit for a day if possible, and the great way is to store in mason jar, and use within a week.
Notes
hot dogs
You can use any kind of beef or pork hot dog, even sausages are great! Take a look at my recipe on how to make Spiral Hot Dogs. They look pretty and get lots of nooks and crannies for the toppings.What are the best toppings?
- crispy crumbled bacon
- condiments of relish, mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise
- sauerkraut
- fresh diced or pickled jalapenos
- diced tomatoes
- sour cream
- salsa
- shredded lettuce
- coleslaw
- green onions, chives, diced red or white onion, or Mexican pickled onions
- diced dill pickles or sweet pickles
- crunchy Fritos corn chips
- A homemade hot dog meat sauce is a bit healthier than a canned brand from the grocery store. This recipe is made with fresh ingredients and no preservatives as long as you ensure the salsa and refried beans used in the chili don't contain any preservatives or chemicals.
- Make Ahead: The best way to relax and have fun at parties and on game days is to make food ahead of time and have different ways to serve and reheat dishes. This recipe can be made up to two days for the party.
- Football Theme: On game days, add a special touch and plate your chili cheese dogs on football plates with football food picks! 🏈🏈🏈
- Hot Dog Topping Bar: Full of yummy favorites, people will love building their own best hot dogs and have fun trying different flavor combinations! It is a lot of fun to put out scrumptious toppings like cheeses, onions, and condiments.
- Game Day Menu Ideas: Great things that go with good chili dogs are cheddar cheese soup, a hot side of french fries, crunchy potato chips, cole slaw, macaroni salad, bacon potato salad, or a bbq potato salad!
We love this hot dog chili, so good. It has become a go to recipe in our family.