In this post I’m sharing the recipe for Julia’s Southern Hot Dog Chili Sauce. It’s my signature hot do chili recipe and folks sure do love it!
I’ve loved hot dogs as long as I can remember. Hot dogs topped with good ole’ fashioned chili sauce! Some even go so far as to top that chili with a helping of coleslaw too.
How do you prefer topping your hot dog? Typically for myself it is chili, mustard and onions. Sometimes slaw on top. If I’m just having a chili bun though, which is a thing, it’s the bun with mayonnaise and chili.
Regardless of how you top them, hot dogs are a favorite for many.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
- 1/8 c Ketchup
- 1 tsp Hot Sauce
- ½ Medium Onion Minced (Keep the other half as a condiment for the Hot Dogs)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ c Beer (optional)
- 3-4 c Water
- ½ tsp Paprika
- Pinch Sugar
- 1 tbs Chili Powder
- 2 tbs Tomato Paste
Old Fashioned Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Cover the ground beef with water and break up the meat completely. Next, add the beer (if using), diced onion, Worcestershire, ketchup, hot sauce sauce and spices and start on Medium High to bring to a rapid boil.
Reduce and simmer. You can cook it down faster if needed on a higher temperature, just until most water is reduced. Stir occasionally.
When water is reduced, add tomato paste to thicken. Stir to incorporate.
Serve as a hot dog topping.
Leftover chili sauce freezes well.
Get the Recipe for Carolina Slaw Dogs
Carolina Style Southern Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Best Hot Dog Chili
Julia's Southern Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Delicious Southern style hot dog chili sauce is the perfect topping for hot dogs. Everyone enjoys my signature recipe for hot dog chili and I know you will too.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
- 1/8 c Ketchup
- 1 tsp Hot Sauce
- ½ Medium Onion Minced (Keep the other half as a condiment for the Hot Dogs)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ c Beer (optional)
- 3-4 c Water
- ½ tsp Paprika
- Pinch Sugar
- 1 tbs Chili Powder
- 2 tbs Tomato Paste
Instructions
Cover the ground beef with water and break up the meat completely. Next, add the beer (if using), diced onion, Worcestershire, ketchup, hot sauce sauce and spices and start on Medium High to bring to a rapid boil.
Reduce and simmer. You can cook it down faster if needed on a higher temperature, just until most water is reduced. Stir occasionally.
When water is reduced, add tomato paste to thicken. Stir to incorporate.
Serve as a hot dog topping.
Leftover chili sauce freezes well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Amount Per Serving: Calories: 81Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g
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Author of Julia's Simply Southern
About Julia
Hey Y'all! I'm Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia's Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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44 Comments
Mary N
June 5, 2017 at 4:16 pmThanks for sharing your recipe with us at Weekend Potluck, Julia 🙂 I love chili dogs…one of my favorite foods! Hoping you can link back to the party for a possible feature. Thanks for all your awesome shares! Hope you have a great week!
Julia
June 5, 2017 at 7:25 pmYes, I sure will. I was leaving to go out of town Friday morning and in a rush. I am linking back now 🙂
Mary N
June 6, 2017 at 4:13 pmYou're such a great supporter of WPL – Thanks for all your shares!!
Mary Lotempio
June 10, 2017 at 11:26 pmThis recipe is right on time, I just bought hot dogs, and now i'm going to make this sauce. I love hot dog sauce and never knew how to make it.
Thanks for sharing!
Julia
June 12, 2017 at 6:18 pmI hope you enjoy the recipe Mary!
Jennifer Galer
June 26, 2017 at 5:35 pmWhen do the onions go in? Are they considered a "spice"?
Julia
June 26, 2017 at 7:44 pmJennifer,
Thank you for pointing that out. I have updated the post 🙂
Maribeth
June 28, 2017 at 1:24 pmLooks yummy! We will probably grill hot dogs on the 4th.
Julia
June 28, 2017 at 3:47 pmThank you 🙂
Anonymous
September 2, 2017 at 5:54 pmI really wish you'd remove the beer, it's been Proven that ALCOHOL DOESN'T COOK OUT IT'S DOESN'T COOK OUT you really don't need it in there
Julia
September 4, 2017 at 9:01 pmThat ingredient is optional.
Larry J. Webb
February 8, 2019 at 8:39 amIt doesn’t necessarily need to be removed, if you don’t like it, don’t use it, its like your TV if you don’t like what your looking at, turn the channel
Daina
December 26, 2019 at 2:34 pmCompletely agree, Larry Webb! I don’t drink beer, but I’ll be adding it to the recipe for sure!
MARGARET JOHNSON
June 11, 2018 at 7:11 pmDo any of you have any pressure cooker recipes??
Julia Jordan
June 11, 2018 at 7:17 pmI’m afraid I don’t at this time. I’ve never used a pressure cooker for preparing meals. I do have a few slow cooker recipes. I’m considering adding some pressure cooker recipes in the future.
Debb White
November 30, 2018 at 3:35 pmLoved your chili for not dogs!!! Have you added any instant pot recipes yet?
Julia Jordan
November 30, 2018 at 4:40 pmDebb,
Thank you! That’s one of our most popular recipes. I don’t have any instant pot recipes yet of my own but if you check out the Meal Plan Monday posts each week on my website, you’ll find some there 🙂
Julia
Diane Sexton
February 1, 2019 at 1:08 pmLove so many recipes.. Thank you. The logos on the right side of screen, P for pin, F for facebook,Twitter,and the Gmail/Email makes it very difficult in seeing recipes.
Julia Jordan
February 1, 2019 at 5:14 pmDiane,
Thank you. I so glad you enjoy the recipes. Thank you for the feedback on the mobile share buttons. They will be updated to hopefully provide a better experience while you’re visiting.
Dave Graue
February 8, 2019 at 11:26 amThanks for all your great recipes. I really only have one issue and that is…you don’t list the ingredients in order of use. For someone like me who is new to cooking, I kind of need a little more structure. lol But they still turned out great. Will be looking for more great eats in the future.
Julia Jordan
February 8, 2019 at 3:23 pmDave,
Back when I was new to blogging I was just learning the ropes 🙁 Please forgive me. You’ll find that the recipes eventually list ingredients in order when I caught on to how things work. Thank you so much for stopping by.
Julia
Kathy
February 8, 2019 at 1:17 pmThis looks good but I’m confused about the hamburger meat. So you don’t cook it first? Is it greasy?
Julia Jordan
February 8, 2019 at 3:24 pmKathy,
No, you don’t cook it first. It cooks as it simmers.
shawn
February 8, 2019 at 5:48 pmDo you drain the ground beef? Or do you leave in the excess grease?
Julia Jordan
February 8, 2019 at 9:28 pmYou can leave it because typically you would use a slotted spoon to drain each serving before topping a hot dog or burger. If you wanted to remove the excess fat after it cools, or after it has been refrigerated overnight, down it is easier because it solidifies on top.
Angelina
February 9, 2019 at 10:16 amA nice recipe, which has the ingredients of most good hot dog chilies, …. so what makes this a ‘southern’ recipe? Is it the way the gr. beef is cooked? That’s an interesting method, so I’ll give it a try. What is the advantage of cooking the meat this way, if any.
Julia Jordan
February 9, 2019 at 4:12 pmThis is the traditional Southern hot dog chili sauce. You’ll find that the chili sauces vary by regions of the US.
Vicky
February 12, 2019 at 8:10 amIf you look at the photo, you’ll notice how the ground beef has a fine texture, like crumbles, which is the result of cooking it in water. Much better texture than larger chunks.
sharon sutton
July 20, 2019 at 1:58 pmI think what Vicky said is correct. I’ve been looking for a recipe with the finely textured chili as the end result rather than the chunky stuff you might eat as a meal. I remember seeing one years ago where the ground beef was boiled in water, which I’d never heard of up to that point. Also read a recipe today where the guy put his chili in a food processor for a great end product…but way too much trouble, IMO. I’m going to try this, for sure. I’m from the south and I love a good hot dog with chili and slaw…and you just can’t buy good hot dog chili!
Collier Austin
March 11, 2019 at 5:48 pmI LOVE a good chili dog with mustard and onions. When I was pregnant with my daughter, (34 years ago! Yikes!), I worked for the advertising department of a large department store. They had a Hot Dog Restaurant in the basement. I must have eaten there twice a week for my entire pregnancy! Still trying to find a hot dog chili to top Angelos. I will definitely give your recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!
Julia Jordan
March 11, 2019 at 6:23 pmLet me know what you think when you try it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Thank you so much for stopping by.
Miranda
March 25, 2019 at 3:10 amCould you use leaner beef to reduce the grease and make this in a slow cooker?
Julia Jordan
March 25, 2019 at 7:18 amMiranda,
You sure can, suit it for your tastes. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Pat
May 30, 2019 at 2:07 pmHi Julia, Your recipe says it makes 25 servings. How much is a serving? 1 Tbs, 1/4 cup, 2 oz. I need to calculate WW points. Thank you
Julia Jordan
May 30, 2019 at 3:37 pmPat,
Each serving would be about an ounce or around 2 tablespoons
Janet
June 7, 2019 at 4:41 pmHi Julia, I would like to know if this chili sauce is spicy hot? Can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Janet
Julia Jordan
June 7, 2019 at 4:44 pmHi Janet 🙂 Chili sauce is only mildly spicy. the chili powder itself is not overly spicy. If you want it to be spicier you can add a few red pepper flakes or more hot sauce. I hope this helps.
Lucy Blankenship
August 7, 2019 at 3:13 pmWhat can I do to tone it down? Mine turned out way too spicy. Thanks!
Julia Jordan
August 7, 2019 at 3:37 pmLucy,
You can strain out some of the liquid and try diluting it with water or you can add a “sweet” type of acidity like a can of tomato paste or more ketchup.
Kate Pietro
August 22, 2019 at 2:14 pmHi Julia, I’m thinking about doubling the hot dog chili sauce recipe for a larger gathering. Would you suggest doubling all the ingredients? I’m concerned about the amount of water though…the recipe already calls for 3-4 cups.
Maybe just keep the water as is?
Thanks!
Julia Jordan
August 22, 2019 at 4:25 pmYou really just need enough water to cover it and make sure the meat is broken up well within it. You can judge, it doesn’t have to be doubled though. You may want to cut back a bit on the salt and taste near the end of cooking and add more if needed. Once the water cooks out it may be overly salty even with it being a double batch.
Kate Pietro
August 22, 2019 at 6:35 pmThat sounds good. Thanks for you help!
Kelly
April 11, 2020 at 6:23 amCan you make this in a crock pot ?
Julia Jordan
April 11, 2020 at 10:25 amKelly,
I’ve never tried making it in a Crock Pot myself. I suppose that you could. Since you want liquid to evaporate it could take quite a long time however. Keeping it warm for serving in a slow cooker I have done and that works well.