Hot Dog Chili Recipe
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Transform a regular hot dog into a scrumptious with this easy, flavorful, and low-carb hot dog chili recipe.
I love hot dogs. I really do. But I know, they can be boring sometimes. So to freshen them up a bit, I add my Daddy’s homemade hot dog chili recipe. This is one of those recipes you get told over the phone whenever you need it and no one actually bothers to write it down.
So I called Mama: “Can you tell me how to make the hot dog chili recipe again?”. She told me the instructions and I was off to the races. Only this time, I’m gonna write it down. For y’all. Because I love y’all.
When I say this is an easy hot dog chili recipe, I’m not lying. First, the only ingredients you need are ground beef, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Then it’s just a matter of cooking them up quickly and adding them as a topping to your chili dog. I also added shredded cheddar cheese, but you can add whatever you like, including chopped onion, yellow mustard, the works!
Trust me, once you have a hot dog topped with this tender homemade chili, you won’t be able to have a normal hot dog again. Hey, it’s double meat on a bun. How can you go wrong?
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Chili powder
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Water
How To Make A Hot Dog Chili Recipe
Fill a pot with about enough water to cover up your ground beef.
Take the ground beef and submerge it in the water.
Moosh it up in there with your hands or a masher.
Add chili powder. We add 3 teaspoons for every pound of meat, so for this recipe, I am adding 9 teaspoons.
Add salt to taste.
You’ll need a good bit though. I am adding a heaping tablespoon. You might even want to add more.
Add a tablespoon of pepper as well (more if you like).
Stir that up and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for about an hour. It’ll look like this.
Now get a ladle and skim the majority of the grease off the top of the pot and into a separate bowl.
This is what we have left.
Yummmmmmm!
Now get out what you need with a slotted spoon but to make the hot dogs really good, you need to put a bit of that juice on them, too!
Alright, now this looks good but it needs a little something… It looks naked to me.
Aww yeah, that’s the stuff! Enjoy your !
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- This chili also freezes really well. I make a big batch and freeze smaller portions, so my family and I can enjoy hot dog chili all summer long.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any ground meat you like in this chili recipe, including , ground pork, and ground turkey.
- To give your chili a tomato flavor, add 8 ounces of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of ketchup.
- If you can’t resist adding more chili seasoning, I recommend 1 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin.
- For more spice, add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Traditional homemade hot dog chili doesn’t include beans, but you can add a can of black beans if you prefer.
- Here are some suggestions to add to the top of your hot dog and chili sauce:
- Diced or fried onions
- Jalapenos
- Cheese of your liking: shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese.
- Pickles
- Sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce.
- Crispy bacon bits
- Black olives
Recipe FAQs
What kind of chili powder is the best?
My Mama insists on Mexene chili powder. She swears by it. I insist on Morton Salt for reasons I’ve mentioned a few times on Southern Plate.
What can I serve with hot dog chili besides a hot dog?
This hot dog chili sauce is not only delicious, but it’s also a very versatile main dish. Add it to a serving of French fries, an omelet, a , hamburgers, nachos, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Here are some more serving suggestions:
- Best Coleslaw by Miss Millie
- The BEST German Potato Salad Recipe
- Cornbread Salad Recipe
- Tomato Chips!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 4-6 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon salt more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon pepper more or less to taste
- water enough to cover your ground beef
Instructions
- Place enough water in a pot to cover your beef. Take handfuls of the beef and submerge in the water, smooshing it up with your hands. Add seasonings and stir.3 pounds ground beef, 4-6 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, water
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for about an hour. Ladle off grease from the top. Remove chili with a slotted spoon to put on hot dogs.
- Freeze leftovers for your next cookout!
Notes
Nutrition
Never grow a wishbone where your backbone ought to be.
-Clementine Padford
Being from the great state of WV.we all eat hot dogs with mustard, onions & hot dog chili.
I know we could eat them 3 times a week.
I never knew some people ate them any other way until we moved to NC. for 5 years and learned some people put slaw or relish on theirs that may be ok but I never wanted to try one.
I make my hot dog chili this way except I’ve never heard of this brand of chili powder,I will look for it at Wal-Mart & Kroger’s I use Tones brand chili powder from Sam’s Club and add a little cayenne powder.
I really like your yellow kitchen it looks so clean & bright.
Thank You for your wonderful web site I dearly love it and I’m realy looking forward to your cookbook I ordered.
I’ve never thought of making homemade hotdog chili! We love hotdogs at our house! Thanks for the recipe!
Christy you are a creature after my own heart…I would like you to see this since you brought up the apron. It’s kinda long but well worth the read…
In memory of my grandmothers, Lou Newton, and Ora Prince
I don’t think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the
dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to
wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but
along with that, it served as a potholder for
removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on
occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying
eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be
finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places
for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around
her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent
over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in
that apron
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After
the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had
fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was
surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a
matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch,
waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in
from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something
that will replace that ‘ old-time apron’ that served
so many purposes.
Send this to those who would know (and love) the story
about Grandma’s aprons.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window
sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs
were on that apron.
I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron.
Throw some beans in there and you could eat it straight – without the hotdog.
I want one of those “I raise my own kids” t-shirts!!! What a great idea! I’m not the commenter type, but that t-shirt got me.
I have to say that my six kids (and husband) all LOVE Southern Plate. Your name has become part of their normal daily vocabulary. Your recipes and stories make my day. We love getting some southern cooking in our MI. diets!
I love it….that is such a perfect description of a man barbequing! 😀 The apron is darling and you look so happy in your happy kitchen!!!!
girl i love your southern plate and i love to try your new dishes. never had one i didnt like yet so keep cooking up good things for me to feed all my men and i aint gonna lie i want that apron real bad.