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Home / All Recipes / Course / Main Dishes / Beef

Coney Island Hot Dogs

Total Time: 45 minutes
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People may disagree on what makes an authentic Coney Island Hot Dog, but you will agree that this Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe is delicious! Perfectly spiced and full of flavor, this is one hot dog recipe you’ll want to keep on file!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Top it with chili! Try some other chili topped recipes, like these Chili Dog Nachos or this Cincinnati Chili Recipe.

2 Coney Island Hot Dogs topped with mustard, cheese and onions

If you’ve been following Taste and Tell for awhile, you know that I kinda love hot dogs. In fact, I have posted full weeks filled with hot dog recipes. Well, it’s been way too long since I’ve even talked about a hot dog, so I decided to repost this Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe.

Would you believe I made this Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe 4 times to get it how I wanted it? Let’s just say my family has had their fill of coney dogs for the next little while. (Me, on the other hand? I don’t think I could ever get sick of them!!)

What is a Coney Island Hot Dog?

I have read article after article online about traditional coney dogs, and I am convinced that no one will ever agree on what a “true” coney island hot dog recipe is. And that’s ok by me. I’ve never been to Coney Island, and I’ve never had an authentic coney island hot dog. And I find it funny that it doesn’t seem like they even originated on Coney Island – but from Greek and Macedonian immigrants in Michigan.

One thing that everyone will agree on, though, is something that sets this hot dog apart from a chili dog – the sauce is an all meat sauce. No beans.

I do love a good chili dog (with beans!) but you won’t find that same sauce on a coney dog.

Another thing that distinguishes a coney dog is serving it topped with onions and mustard.

Ingredients for Coney Island Hot Dogs.

Ingredients

  • Ground Beef: If you use a fattier ground beef, make sure to drain off the fat. I usually like to use a 90% lean ground beef.
  • Onion: Diced yellow or white onion will work.
  • Spices: The spice mixture is super important! You’ll use a mixture of chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and celery salt.
  • Tomato Sauce: You’ll want a plain tomato sauce, not a marinara or ketchup.
  • Mustard: You’ll need yellow mustard for the sauce, and it will also be used as a topping.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: This will bring in some great depth of flavor.
  • Hot Dogs, Buns, and Toppings: I like to use a good all beef hot dog, and soft buns. For toppings, you’ll just need mustard and onions. I also do like to add a little bit of grated cheese.
Making coney sauce for Coney Island hot dogs.

How to Make the Coney Sauce

PHOTO 1: Start by browning the ground beef and onion. Add the spices.

PHOTO 2: Once the spices are added, stir everything together. You then want to cook it for about 3 minutes, to make sure the spices get nice and toasted.

Adding tomato sauce, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to make Coney Island Hot Dogs.

PHOTO 3: Add in the tomato sauce, water, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

PHOTO 4: Stir this all together, bringing it to a boil. The turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the flavors are nice and combined.

chili sauce for hot dogs in a pan

Tips and Tricks

If your sauce gets too thick while it is simmering, you can add more water to loosen it up.

Instead of boiling the hot dogs, try using Air Fryer Hot Dogs instead!

This sauce can easily be frozen, and then thawed and reheated later.

Serving Suggestions

overhead view of coney dogs on parchment paper

More Hot Dog Recipes:

Bread it and fry it – this Corn Dog Recipe is perfection!

These Hawaiian Hot Dogs are the perfect sweet and savory recipe.

Can’t decide between pizza or hot dogs? Have them both with these Pizza Dogs!

I always love a bit of Tex-Mex, and these Mexican Hot Dogs are the perfect way to get my fix.

Skip Taco Tuesday and make these Taco Dogs instead.

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Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe

Coney Island Hot Dogs

4.64 from 11 votes
Author: Deborah Harroun
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 hot dogs
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
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People may disagree on what makes an authentic Coney Island Hot Dog, but you will agree that this Coney Island Hot Dog Recipe is delicious! Perfectly spiced, full of flavor, this is one hot dog recipe you’ll want to keep on file!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 hot dog buns
  • 8 hot dogs
  • Shredded cheese, finely diced onion, and yellow mustard for serving

Instructions

  • Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and the onion.  Cook, breaking up the beef as it cooks, until the beef is browned and the onion is soft.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and celery salt and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened.  (If the chili becomes too thick, add more water to loosen it up.)
  • While the sauce is simmering, heat the oven to 300ºF. Wrap the buns in foil and place in the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.
  • Put the hot dogs in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook the hot dogs until they are heated through, 5-8 minutes.
  • To serve, place the hot dogs in the buns and top with the chili. If desired, top the chili with shredded cheese, finely diced onion and yellow mustard.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray April 2010
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition information does not include toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1hot dog, Calories: 490kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 35g (12%), Protein: 25g (50%), Fat: 28g (43%), Saturated Fat: 12g (75%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 81mg (27%), Sodium: 1261mg (55%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 8g (9%)
Keywords: chili dogs, coney island hot dog, coney sauce, hot dogs

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Comments

  3. Bob says

    Okay folks, I suggest you try this some time. To this Coney sauce recipe, which is not chili BTW, add 1 tbs turmeric and 1 or 2 tsp balsamic vinegar. Chop up a hot dog and put it in a blender with about 1/3 of the meat sauce. Whiz it up until smooth, adding some water if needed and stir the blended mixture back into the remaining meat sauce. This will give your Coney sauce a much more interesting flavor and texture. Lastly, assembly of a Coney Island is usually bun, mustard, hot dog, Coney sauce, cheese, onions.

    Reply

    • Donna May says

      5 stars
      I grew up in upstate NY and now live in the Midwest. I sure do miss the cuisine. This sounds like it could take me home.

      Reply

  5. Ukulele Kris says

    See, I love watching American food programmes like Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, and Man V Food.

    And it makes me crave classic American foods like this, so much.

    I want to try kettle corn, and corn dogs, and chilli dogs.

    …One day I will have my own bar, doing awesome food like this in the UK

    Reply

  8. Chels R. says

    Ya know, this past Sunday, our church has a snack bar that my sister runs and they serve hot dogs, drinks, nachos, and pretzels, etc. During the middle of our church service, all of a sudden the waft of hot dogs overwhelmed me and I was drooling. I couldn’t stop sniffing the air. So Josh leaned over to my sister whom I was sitting next to and told her to save me one, in case I didn’t make it to the snack bar in time (because those hot dogs go fast) let me tell you- IT WAS THE BEST HOT DOG EVER!!! I love chili dogs too though. My dad used to make chili dogs with a side of Kraft Mac and Cheese when I was little and it was my turn to be with him. I loved those lunches! Okay, now I’m hungry 🙂

    Reply

    • r young says

      5 stars
      I like mustard , chilli , onions , and slaw on hot dogs . Thats the way they are served back at home, this is an excellent chilli recipe though .

      Reply

  11. Cassie says

    I’m not pregnant, yet I sometimes crave a chili dog. There is just something about that chilli and cheese combo piled on top of a hot dog. Love this!

    Reply

  14. Karly says

    I’m the weiro that eats a fully loaded hot dog minus the actual hot dog. Those things creep me out, man.

    This looks like it would be a fabulous hot dog minus the hot dog recipe. Yum!

    Reply

  16. Aggie says

    Ok seriously, I can’t resist a chili dog. I sometimes wish I was pregnant again just so I can enjoy the cravings to their fullest 🙂

    Looks delicious and you can always count on RR!

    Reply