Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (2024)

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Summer is here and for us, that means we use the grill a lot. There’s just something about hamburgers and hot dogs in the middle of summer that is oh so perfect. While Carrigan loves her hot dog with ketchup and nothing more, I’m a fan of just a little extra something. Thishot dog chili recipe is so perfect for making your favorite chili dogs!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Wonder.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (1)

Hot Dog Chili Recipe

Hot dogs are one of Carrigan’s favorite food and her love for them means we’ve started eating them more often. Summer is the perfect time for hot dogs!

Justin mans the grill and weall enjoy the time we spend together in our backyard on warm summer evenings. But when it comes to hot dogs, I want chili cheese dogs every single time. Every single time.

We love to use Wonder Hot Dog and Hamburger buns for our summer meals. There’s just something about them that feels like summer. They’re just summer essentials and have to be part of our summer memories.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (2)

This summer Wonder has partnered with the United Services Organization (USO) to honor military men and women.The hot dog and hamburger packages feature stars, stripes, and camo in honor of our heroes!

Wonder is celebrating our nation’s heroes with the “Camo for the Cause” initiative. Wonder will be making a donation of $250,000 by its parent company (Flowers Bakeries, LLC) to support the USO and its efforts!

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (3)

The “Camo for a Cause” packaging is only available through the end of July, so be sure to pick up some Wonder Classic hot dog and hamburger buns for your next cookout, picnic and other get-togethers!

Then think about trying your hand at making your own hot dog chili!

For the longest time, I just bought hot dog chili at the store and used that to make chili dogs. But most things are better when you make it yourself and homemade hot dog chili is no different! It’s so versatile!

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (4)

If you didn’t know we’re huge fans of chili in our house! Carrigan also loves Instant Pot Chili Mac so I whip that up pretty often too! But there’s a difference between the chili I make for meals and for chili mac and the type of chili I make for our chili dog recipe.

The main difference is in the beans. In this hot dog chili recipe, there are no beans. Instead, you get a super simple ingredients list that turns into a tasty hot dog sauce you can actually use on hot dogs, hamburgers, frenchfries, and tater tots (it’s delicious over tatertots with some cheese)!

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (5)

Hot Dog Chili Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

You’ll also need:

  • 8 hot dogs
  • 1 package Wonder Hot Dog Buns
  • Toppings as desired
    • Minced onions
    • Mustard
    • Corn chips
    • French friend onions

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (6)

How to Make Hot Dog Chili

The key to making really great hot dog sauce is getting your meat really smooth. You don’t want big chunks of ground beef in your chili dog sauce. By putting your meat in some water and then breaking it up until it’s smooth, it will brown up with the consistency that makes for great hot dog chili.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (7)

1. Place ground beef in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then use a spatula to break up the meat.

2. Add ground beef, water, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are soft.
3. Add in ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and stir well.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (8)

4. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer over low heat.

5. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the hot dog chili sauce is your desired consistency.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (9)

6. Cook or grill hot dogs and place each hot dog in a Wonder Hot Dog bun.

7. Serve the homemade hot dog chili over hot dogs and top with your favorite toppings.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (10)

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (11)

Printable Hot Dog Chili Sauce Recipe

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Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Ingredients

For Hot Dog Chili Sauce

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Instructions

  • Place ground beef in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then use a spatula to break up the meat.

  • Add ground beef, water, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are soft.

  • Add in ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and stir well.

  • Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer over low heat.

  • Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the hot dog chili sauce is your desired consistency.

  • Cook or grill hot dogs and place each hot dog in a Wonder Hot Dog bun.

  • Serve the homemade hot dog chili over hot dogs and top with your favorite toppings.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (13)

Remember to look for the exclusive Wonder and USO “Camo for a Cause” packaging through the end of July at your local grocery store. They’re great for making chili dogs! Actually, I think they might be some of the best hot dog buns for making chili dogs! My family agrees!

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (14)

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Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe That's So Versatile! • The Simple Parent (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to amazing chili? ›

Elevate your chili recipe by adding an extra layer of flavor. Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight.

What kind of chili is best for hot dogs? ›

A smoother chili sauce with fine “grains” of ground beef / beef mince, rather than chunks like bolognese or chili con carne, works best for chili dogs. It's the Ben's Chili Bowl way! I've always wanted to replicate the Ben's chili sauce.

What's the difference between hot dog chili and regular chili? ›

There's a bit of a discrepancy as to what makes chili for a hotdog different from the regular chili you eat from a bowl. According to cooking blog, The Country Cook, hotdog chili is thicker than regular chili and uses tomato paste. The blogger also defines hot dog sauce as just a little thinner than hot dog chili.

How to make a simple hot dog? ›

Cooking Instructions
  1. Add water to a skillet or frying pan. Cover the surface with half an inch of water.
  2. Turn the heat on medium-high. Heat the pan until the water starts to boil off.
  3. Gently add the hot dogs. You'll only want to cook a few at a time with this method.
  4. Steam them. ...
  5. Serve.

What not to put in chili? ›

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

What is the most important spice in chili? ›

Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

What is hot dog chili sauce made of? ›

Hot Dog Chili Ingredients

Tomato products: You'll need tomato sauce and ketchup for the best flavor. Seasonings: The hot dog chili is seasoned with chili powder, salt, black pepper, and onion powder. Worcestershire sauce: A dash of Worcestershire sauce takes the flavor up a notch.

What is the best hot chili in the world? ›

The Carolina Reaper is officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper as ranked by Guinness Book of World Records. It's hot, and by hot, we mean HOT! The Carolina Reaper can top-out at 2.2 Million SHU!

What brand of chili does Coney Island use? ›

Detroit Chili is the original Coney Chili used by American Coney Island and some of the better Coney Islands throughout the city. The chili is concentrated. Heat it over the stove and add a cup of water and stir adding more or less water to your own taste. Don't freeze the onions.

What is an A&W coney dog? ›

An all-beef* hot dog, served with your choice of toppings. Try it with our signature meaty chili sauce, onions… any way you like it.

What is on a coney island hot dog? ›

The Coney Island developed in Michigan is a natural-casing beef or beef and pork European-style Wiener Würstchen (Vienna sausage) of German origin, topped with a beef heart-based sauce, one or two stripes of yellow mustard and diced or chopped onions.

What is coney dog sauce made of? ›

Make the Beef Sauce

Add the beef, stirring frequently, until well browned. Drain liquids and juices from the skillet, but keep beef in pan. Add onion, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, allspice, ground mustard, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and water. Stir to mix thoroughly.

How to cook hot dogs like the ballpark? ›

Directions
  1. Chop the onions and soak in water for about 15 minutes. Drain well.
  2. Split the buns lengthwise and spread butter inside.
  3. Place a hot dog in each bun. Place in toaster and cook for 6 minutes on Pastry mode.
  4. Once out of the toaster, top with onions, ketchup, and mustard.

How do Nathan's cook their hotdogs? ›

Nathan's method is to slow-cook them, starting on low heat and upping the temperature until they're cooked through, about 40 minutes later.

What brings out the flavor in chili? ›

If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.

What ingredient will change your chili forever? ›

According to The Kitchn, that ingredient is cocoa powder. You may associate chocolate with dessert, but rest assured, adding cocoa powder won't make your chili sickeningly sweet. Instead, it'll contribute a layer of richness and balance out the spiciness.

Why do you put brown sugar in chili? ›

The brown sugar gave it a sweet/tangy flavor that reminded me of BBQ-sauce! Th chili was so good - it was hard to stop eating it! I did had some extra veggies (1 cl. garlic, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 1 bell pepper, 1 hot pepper) and used a can of diced tomatoes rather than tomato juice.

Why add vinegar to chili? ›

With only about 1 tablespoon per pot added toward the end of the cooking process, the vinegar will make the flavors more vibrant without overwhelming the dish with its biting tang. Through just a splash, everything becomes a little brighter, and the chili's flavors are more balanced.

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