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THE BEST HOMEMADE HOT DOG CHILI (+Video)

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5 from 8 votes

THE BEST HOMEMADE HOT DOG CHILI

Southern Style Homemade Hot Dog Chili is made with ground beef, garlic, beef broth, tomato sauce and seasonings (no beans!) Thick, rich and so much flavor! For me, the key is to have a chili that won’t overtake the taste of the hot dog (cause I wanna taste that too). Also, it can be kept in a slow cooker to keep warm for serving!The Best Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce

VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:

SOUTHERN STYLE HOT DOG SAUCE

Now, hot dogs work a bit differently here in Southwest Virginia. When you order a hot dog, it automatically comes with chili. If you want it without chili, you gotta be specific. They usually refer to a plain hot dog as a weiner dog. But if you just order a hot dog with ketchup and mustard, they are gonna throw chili on there too. There are lots of ways to make it. But for a true southern experience, add some SOUTHERN COLE SLAW on the hot dog with the chili.The Best Homemade Southern Style Hot Dog Chili recipe from The Country Cook

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
lean ground beef
onion
garlic
chili powder
sugar
cumin
Worcestershire sauce
tomato paste
beef broth (or water)
corn meal
kosher salt
vegetable oillean ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef broth (or water), corn meal, kosher salt, vegetable oil

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE HOT DOG CHILI:

Put a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in medium sauce pan. On medium-high heat, saute onion until translucent, then add garlic. onion and garlic in oil in a sauce pan
Stir for about a minute, then add ground beef. As beef begins to brown, use a potato masher to grind up the beef into small bits.browning ground beef in a sauce pan
Once brown, add in the rest of the ingredients (if your beef produced a lot of grease, you may want to strain some of that out first before adding the rest of the ingredients.)chili sauce in gradients added to ground beef

Give it all a good stir to combine then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Do a taste test at this point to see if it has enough salt. If you want, you can transfer the chili over to a Crock Pot and put it on the keep warm setting.finished, Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Cook’s Note: This chili is super-duper wonderful on tater tots and french fries. You gotta try it if you have some leftover chili. Throw some cheddar cheese on top and you gotta whole new meal! And you could definitely try this with leaner meats like ground turkey or chicken.Hot Dog Chili served on hoods on bun with shredded cheddar cheese on top
Enjoy!

Originally published: March 2011
Updated & Republished: April 2019

Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Southern Style Homemade Hot Dog Chili

Southern Style Homemade Hot Dog Chili is made with ground beef, garlic, beef broth, tomato sauce and seasonings (no beans!). Thick, rich and so much flavor!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hot Dog Chili
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 tbsp corn meal
  • 1/2 tbsp kosher salt to taste
  • vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Put a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in medium sauce pan.
  • On medium-high heat, saute onion until translucent, then add garlic.
  • Stir for about a minute, then add ground beef.
  • As beef begins to brown, use a potato masher to grind up the beef into small bits.
  • Once brown, add in the rest of the ingredients (if your beef produced a lot of grease, you may want to strain some of that out first before adding the rest of the ingredients).
  • Give it all a good stir to combine then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  • Do a taste test at this point to see if it has enough salt.

Video

Notes

If want, you can transfer the chili over to a Crock Pot and put it on the keep warm setting. This chili is super-duper wonderful on tater tots and french fries. You gotta try it if you have some leftover chili. Throw some cheddar cheese on top and you gotta whole new meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 681mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 16.7% | Vitamin C: 2.4% | Calcium: 1.9% | Iron: 12.5%
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 14, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    I live in NW Indiana about 3 miles from Lake Michigan. Sounds like your M-I-L worked at an A&W drive in. Quite a few responders live in NW Indiana. I've been looking for a recipe for chili dog sauce when I realized how much$$$ that little can cost. I'll have to give your recipe a try. Hello to your husband from the "Region".

    Vicky

    Reply

  2. Anonymous says

    September 15, 2013 at 5:16 pm

    Hi There: I was raised in Mi. Battle Creek to be exact, now living in Ca. In Mi. we had a couple little places that sold chile dogs, I believe they were Greek. The hot dogs were to die for. I sure miss them.

    Reply

  3. Anonymous says

    October 13, 2013 at 8:45 am

    I've been wanting a good chili recipe and tried several online that ended up not tasting the best. I was tired of throwing money away on ingredients trying to find a good recipe. I decided to give it another try with this recipe and I'm so glad I did! It's delicious! Thank you.

    Reply

  4. Crystal D says

    March 5, 2017 at 1:06 am


    My 11-year old wasn’t sure about eating chili without beans 🙂 This is easily her favorite thing now. She eats it on hot dogs, tater tots or even by itself with Fritos. Needless to say she doesn’t dread hot dog days.

    Reply

  5. Robert says

    October 16, 2017 at 5:47 pm


    There’s an out-of-this-world hot dog place right in the cTheir dogs are so good you don’t even have to chew them Andthe chili is scrujmptuous the name ofr the place is — yeah, you guessed it — You-Yum’s. They serve up fantastic ice cream for your after-meal treat. If you’re everSpring Garden Street and just ride east until you come yo it. It will be the greatest treat of your life!

    Reply

  6. Beth says

    November 23, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    Never heard of cornmeal in chili ???
    This sounds good though.
    Love a good hotdog,like mine
    with chili , onions and coleslaw.
    From : Tennessee

    Reply

  7. Bridgett says

    July 26, 2018 at 11:18 am

    I am excited to try this, but was wondering what the purpose of the cornmeal is and it is corn meal, similar to grits, not the finer corn flour or corn starch, correct? Want to make sure before I attempt it. Thank you!

    Reply

  8. Dean says

    July 27, 2018 at 2:11 pm


    In the summer, my Dad took us to the A&W once a week for a root beer and hot dog with chili or a breaded temderloin on a bun. We had to share one order of french fries. I can still taste it all. The nights were warm. What a great reward for mowing the yard..

    Goshen, In

    Reply

  10. JANA D BAGWILL says

    August 14, 2018 at 10:50 pm


    This was amazing !! Thankyou .. the recipe i was using took 2 hours our more the flavor here is better and doesn’t take long

    Reply

  12. Chris Stapleton says

    December 27, 2018 at 6:08 pm

    For even more authentic taste, hit your ground meat with a stick blender before adding the other ingredients. It give the meat that fine ground texture.

    Reply

  13. Frances L Hager says

    March 19, 2019 at 1:34 pm


    My hubby’s all time favorite hot dog chili is definitely ‘Custard Stand’ … but its expensive. I made your recipe & added a 12 oz container of Custard Stand hot dog chili to tweak the flavor he loves. I freeze in individual containers (enough for 3-4 hot dogs) which keeps fresh & it also offsets the cost! TY appreciatively for this recipe. 🙂

    Reply

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