Slow Cooked Hot Dog Chili Sauce Recipe

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 08/11/19
Hot dog with chili sauce
Brian Leatart / Getty Images
  • Total: 6 hrs 25 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 6 hrs 10 mins
  • Yield: 12 hot dogs (12 servings)

The hot dog is a quintessential American food, and there are endless ways to dress it up. You might like your hot dogs grilled and served in buns, battered in cornmeal and fried, or blanketed in crescent roll dough. Alternatively, you might like them smothered in a beefy chili sauce.

This hot dog sauce is a spicy mixture of ground beef and tomato sauce. Serve it over hot dogs in split toasted buns and top them with shredded cheese and chopped onions.

Ingredients

  • For the Chili:
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • Dash ground cloves (or put 2 or 3 whole cloves in a cheesecloth bag)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • For the Hot Dog Sandwiches:
  • 12 hot dogs (cooked)
  • 12 split buns (steamed or toasted)
  • Optional: shredded cheese, chopped onions, chopped pepperoncini, chopped bell pepper, diced tomatoes, pickles, relish, mustard

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, and onion. Drain.

  2. Transfer beef and onions to a slow cooker and add the tomato sauce, salt, black pepper, ginger, cloves, cumin, and chili powder. Stir to blend.

  3. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings.

  4. Serve over hot dogs with shredded cheese, chopped onions, and other condiments.

Tips

  • Pack the covered crockpot in a container surrounded by newspapers or other insulating material, or wrap it in a blanket to insulate. Make sure it's placed on a flat surface and the cover is well secured so there's no danger of tipping or spills. Take it to the party, plug it in, and turn it to low. Serve the sauce hot from the slow cooker along with hot dogs, split buns, and toppings.

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