Dad’s Secret Hot Dog Sauce (Hot Dog Chili)

Dad’s Hot Dog Sauce

5 pounds hamburger
2 - 46 ounce cans tomato juice
5 teaspoons salt
3 large onions, diced
salt for the onions
1/2 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1 can tomato paste

Place hamburger meat, one can of tomato juice, and salt in a large kettle.  Mix together with your hands, as if making a meatloaf. The meat should be mushy. Cook over medium heat to gently bubbling. Simmer until the meat is no longer pink. Stir often so it doesn’t stick.

While the hamburger is cooking, place onions, salt, and 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan and cook until almost tender. Do not overcook or the onions will be mushy. Set aside, but do not drain the liquid off of the onions.

Once the hamburger is done, drain the grease off of the hamburger.  Return the hamburger meat to your kettle. Add in the chili powder, black pepper, and sugar. Stir and mix these in really well. Add the onions with the water and about half of the other can of tomato juice and the tomato paste. Stir until all of this is well incorporated.

Cook gently until thickened enough for your hot dog sauce. It will continue to thicken a little as it cools. 

This pairs well with

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#hotdog #hotdog #chilidogs #cookout

[theresaclayton]

Just made this recipe. I halved it, beginning with 2 1/2 LBS of hamburger. I made this sauce exactly like Tom did, and I'll never use another recipe. Easy and absolutely delicious. I had one hotdog on a bun with the sauce, then later another hotdog and sauce without the bun. I liked both very much. Thanks Tom for sharing with us😊

[elizabethbaldwin]

Melissa...you really are a very good videographer. You zoom in at natural times and do it smoothly. You wideshot appropriately. Editing is great. Very good work to make these videos pleasing to watch and learn from. Bravo woman!

[sarahvanvalkenburg]

I live in NJ, but am originally from upstate NY near the VT and Canada border and this sauce is referred to as Michigan sauce in that area and is a regional favorite. If you want to get the meat fine without touching it, the secret is to use a potato masher and it works great for anyone who may be interested in knowing that tidbit. My grandmother’s recipe was well known locally and even used by local amusement parks. She was always busy making another batch. There are alot of different recipes with different spice combinations for it in the area, but my Grandma Sadie’s was always the sauce everyone asked for and wanted. Thanks for sharing your Dad’s recipe with all of us Tom. Super special when the recipe is a family treasure. Makes it feel like we received a gift. 🙂

[teridoster]

I’m so bummed y’all hadn’t uploaded this about a year ago when my hotdog & chili sauce loving late husband was still with us, I just know from look of it & the recipe & technique, he would’ve been absolutely in love with this sauce. He was only 53, but we’d been together 35 yrs & over all that time I’d tried countless recipes searching for the perfect one, and although he loved my cooking, I never did find a perfect sauce recipe (until now, I suspect). I’m not the biggest fan of chili sauce myself, but I’ve saved this video & I will def be making some for our next summertime family get together, and I will for sure be eating one in his honor & enjoying every bite. Thank you so much for sharing your dad’s recipe with us! I just checked out some more of your videos and you’ve just earned a new subscriber 💜

[michaeldonald]

Wow, this recipe looks wonderful.

For your benefit I have included you recipe with edits for clarification. Continued success & blessings.
Homemade Thick Hot Dog Sauce

Ingredients

5 pounds hamburger
2 - 46 ounce cans tomato juice
5 teaspoons salt
3 large onions, chopped
5 Tsp Salt for the onions
1/2 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sugar to reduce acidity
1 6oz can tomato paste

Prepare

Place hamburger meat, one can of tomato juice in a large kettle.
Mix together with your hands until fine. The meat should be mushy. Add salt & stir
Cook over medium-high heat to gently bubbling.
Simmer until the meat is no longer pink. Stir often so it doesn’t stick.

While the hamburger is cooking, place onions, salt, and ½ (light) cup of water in a saucepan and partially cook (not translucent). Do not overcook or the onions will be mushy.
Set aside, but do not drain the liquid off the onions.

Once the hamburger is done, drain all the grease off the hamburger.
Return the hamburger meat to your kettle.

Add in the chili powder, black pepper, and sugar. Stir and mix really well.
Add the onions with the water and about half of the other can of tomato juice and the tomato paste. Stir until all of this is well incorporated.
Cook gently on Med-low until thickened enough for your hot dog sauce. If needed add more Tomato sauce.
It will continue to thicken a little as it cools.
Freeze excess in freezer bags by portions.

[rixxroxxk]

HOLY COW! I just made this today while it’s sleeting and snowing outside. This is without a doubt the best sauce I’ve ever tasted! Halved the recipe and followed the instructions. I will never have another can of hot dog sauce in my house. This is THE ONE!

Thank you for sharing. Your father was a great cook!

[brandonjuber]

This is exactly what I love about YouTube! I can sit here in Idaho and see a gentleman from Kentucky make a West Virginia sauce for his Hot Dog. Very cool

[bjohnson]

I watched your video for the second time. Making this to go on our hotdogs for supper tonight. Thank you for always including the written recipe. So many YouTube channels/cooks do not. It's really a huge help. If you're ever in Thomson, Georgia, y'all can come sit at my table.

[sharonalexander]

Hey Tom and Melissa from NW SC😊 I’m a fairly new subscriber and enjoy you both so much. Tom you always explain your recipes in detail so anyone can learn to follow a good recipe and have good results. I’m almost 70 and am not a good baker except my cream cheese pound cake and pineapple upside down cake. I’m glad my family loves it because if I’m asked to bring dessert it will be one or the other!
Today I’m watching you make your father’s hotdog sauce. I can tell it is well loved and it was so nice of you to share it. In South Carolina we do call it hotdog chili, there are definitely no beans and no cumin as in what we call chili beans served in a bowl with crackers or cornbread. I can’t imagine eating a Chicago Dog covered with vegetables, but I’d certainly try it😊Mom loved Sauerkraut on her hotdog.
In the U.S. our food varies so much in different regions due to different influences. Just for instance mayonnaises. Here the mayo of choice is most always Dukes, but my Midwestern mom always used Helmans. In SE Ohio my family uses Miracle Whip. In Ohio hotdog chili is also called sauce. Isn’t life grand having so many great food ways, so many choices to explore. We are truly blessed . God bless and keep you both

[gloriacotten]

My husband made this recipe several months ago and we froze it in small batches as you suggested. We just ate hot dogs for supper with this sauce, thawed and warmed from the freezer. They were the BEST hot dogs ever!! Thanks, Tom and Melissa!!

[sadeyes]

I just wanted to say, thank you for sharing your dad's secret sauce!! I have tried for many years to make the perfect hot dog sauce and I think I have found it with this recipe. I was skeptical about beginning with tomato juice instead of water or beef broth and it truly made a world of difference in the flavors. I was also skeptical about adding so many onions but thought to myself, just go with that amount and see how it turns out. Well, I'm here to tell you, the onion's cooked down and it was the perfect amount. I have no interest in perfecting the "Perfect" sauce now because your dad has gave the world the greatest hot dog sauce ever made, and you don't mess with perfection!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! Please keep sharing those secret recipes!! YUM!

[micerron]

As a northern I'm so glad to see people outside of the north making hotdogs sauce or Michigan sauce as we call it. Loved the video, God bless you and yours and I'm looking forward to more delicious recipes.

[miltonwilliams]

Mr Tom, Milton here from Southeastern North Carolina. A play on words (hotdog chili) you are very correct here. I would guess everyone that cooks knows that chili and hotdog chili is two different animals just never thought about it. I have watched other videos using water as you said, I see no use for water except for drinking and coffee! I have always brown the meat and onion together, the way I was thought. This makes all the sense in the world. A new subscriber just yesterday - did a great job with this presentation. 👍

[BrendaJChamberlin]

WOW!!! I can't believe you actually took the time to responded to my comment!!! Not only are your recipes amazing, you two are as well. God's continued blessings on you both.

[jrcallen]

Great video, I can’t wait to try this sauce. Myself and a buddy of mine founded a hotdog shop in Pa. I made all the sauces, we had three. I’m big and my buddy was skinny so we called it the BigSkinny Hot Dog Shop. I made a sauce similar to yours and called it Big Sauce, another was like a Greek Sauce and we called it Skinny Sauce. The third sauce was inspired by my mother’s baked beans and hamburger mixture. I called it BeanDog Sauce. This was our crown jewel sauce. People came from miles and miles just to get a BeanDog. It was a bit sweet, the Big Sauce was spicy hot(cayenne pepper), and the Skinny Sauce was just not spicy hot for those with mild taste buds. The BigSkinny has been shut down for about 8 years now but folks still seek out my recipes. I’m always glad to share. Blessings my friend!

[cathyhodge]

From upstate SC and I just made this recipe. Added a little more black pepper and chili powder. It is so good. This will be my go to chili from now on. Thank you so much for sharing.❤

[lovemypuppy]

❤Love that the recipe is under the video. It makes it so much easier for us. Love watching you folks. Your wife is a hoot. Smart woman to have the man cooking.🤣😂❤

[LoisRay-lqks]

Your (dad's) sauce looks fabulous ! Much better than what you get out of a can.. Thank you for sharing this recipe.. God bless you both !!

[sharyndj]

Just made this for my hotdog-lovin’ friends and they raved about it! Kudos to both you and your dad, Tom. Nothing more American than a great hog either a great topper!

[chrishoesing]

Thanks for putting this up. Just made some, and man is that tasty. I adjusted the amount a bit and reduced the salt percentage, but man is it good.
2lbs. Hamburger
18oz tomato juice for cooking, and 10oz. After the drain
1 1/4 tsp. Salt
1 big onion
1/4 cup chili powder
A bit of pepper
2 tbsp sugar