Today, I'm going to share with you my Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe that I've been making for over 20 years. It's an American Classic, with only 6 Ingredients. Hearty and delicious.

What You'll Learn:

How to Make Hot Dog Chili, with a how-to video
Why the less expensive ground beef is better for hot dogs
Special tip about choosing a chili seasoning
Additional Hot Dog topping ideas

This recipe can be kept warm and served in a crock-pot or slow cooker for a hot dog bar at your next BBQ.

What You Need To Know

This is a saucy hot dog chili. A lot of recipes for hot dog chili make two significant mistakes. Here they are:

Use the Higher Fat less expensive Ground Beef

First, Using Lean Ground Beef is NOT the best for hot dog chili sauce. We need a high fat ground beef such as 73% Lean with 27% Fat so that the meat is tender and gives you that sauce-like texture.

If you use an ultra lean ground beef, you might end up with rubbery, chopped up pencil erasers laying on top of your hot dog.

What I'm saying is, YES, buy the inexpensive ground beef in the tube for 4.99. (Sometimes I can get a better deal than that.) 73% is great or 80% Lean with 20% Fat is the highest you should go. The cheap ground beef is the delicacy here.

Only 6 Ingredients Are Needed (plus water)

The second mistake, is a hot dog chili with an elaborate amount of ingredients. This is chili sauce for a hot dog. It's not the same thing as the type of regular chili that is considered a main meal in a soup chili bowl with beans or the kind you put on nachos.

The taste and texture is similar to that of a sloppy joes.

Ingredients for Hot Dog Chili Sauce

How to make hot dog chili ingredients. Ground beef, ketchup, tomato sauce, chili seasoning, onion. Water and sugar not in the picture.

Watch Me Make It! See the How-To Video below to hear the purrrr of my vintage Oster Electric Can Opener!

Chili Powder vs Chili Seasoning

Chili powder, by definition is just ground up chili peppers. On the other hand, "Chili Seasoning" is a combination of ingredients such as the ground chili pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt or other spices.

For this simple and easy recipe, I use the blend, a Chili Seasoning Packet. However, it's important to choose your blend wisely. Sometimes there are fluff ingredients in the packet that shouldn't be there.

Look at the ingredients on the back of the packet and make sure the first ingredient isn't salt. You can always add your own salt. The two that I most commonly use are Williams or McCormick. As you can see it says right on the packages things like:

No artificial flavors
No artificial colors
Simple and Clean Ingredient Statement

Years ago, I won a recipe contest for Williams and they sent me a huge box of their various fine products.

Hot Dog Toppings Ideas

Around different parts of America, we have regional combinations for hot dog toppings and variations on the Chili Dog. Growing up in North Carolina, my mom used to take me to the PX. The PX was the shopping area for military families. I will never forget the hot dog truck that was parked in front of that place. The SMELLS.

I remember Mom buying a foot long hot dog bun covered in chili, mustard, onions, and yes, coleslaw! I'm sure the hot dog was in there somewhere under there. That combination of chili and coleslaw is also popular in South Carolina, Georgia, and West Virginia.

Fresh Onions - Yellow, Red, or White Raw Onions Chopped
Different styles of Mustards
Chili Cheese Dogs with Cheddar Cheese
Pickle Relish, Banana Peppers, or Sauerkraut

Food Fact

Coney Dogs - A Coney Dog is a hot dog topped with a meaty, beanless chili sauce (called "Coney sauce"), diced onions, and yellow mustard. You'd think that was from New York but it's actually from Detroit, Michigan.

What other toppings do you like or remember growing up? Please share your hot dog memories in the COMMENTS.

Lanie's 🔅Recipe Reflections

Say good-bye to canned chili and share this recipe with your friends.

Use inexpensive ground beef, not ultra lean. 73/27 or 80/20.
Hot Dog Chili is Saucy, a topping to the hot dog.
Check your ingredients on the chili seasoning, make sure it's not just a bag of salt.
Chili for Hot Dogs should be simple, like the hot dog itself, less is more. The best hot dog chili is made with only 6 ingredients. (plus water)

Subscribe to the vintage cook click here.

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe - Chili Sauce

Homemade hot dog chili is simple and only 6 ingredients. Made in 20 minutes. Perfect for your Chili dogs!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Love

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 13

Servings: hot dogs

Author: Lanie Smith

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef 73/27 or 80/20
1 cup water
1 small yellow onion, (about ¾ cup finely diced)
½ cup ketchup
1 -15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 -1 oz. Chili Seasoning Mix
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Add ground beef and water to a large non-stick skillet, and cook on Medium-high heat. Use a fork, or spoon to break down the meat as it cooks.
Once meat is no longer pink, remove from heat and drain in a strainer or colander. Set aside.
Reduce to Medium heat and add the diced onion to the large skillet pan. Sauté until translucent.
Add the drained cooked meat back to the skillet with the onions.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the rest of the ingredients. The ketchup, tomato sauce, chili powder, and sugar.
Cook, stir until bubbly. About 5 minutes. Reduce to Low heat and simmer until ready to serve. Add some of the reserved broth (or a little water) back in to achieve desired consistency.

Video

Notes

Can be made in advance the day before and refrigerated. Can be frozen in an airtight container. Re-heat in microwave on defrost, stirring regularly. Add water to desired consistency.

If you love quick and easy classic recipes, try my VanCamp's Baked Beans Recipe that's loaded with chunks of smoked pork.