July 4, 2015

Grandpa's hot dog sauce

Finished hot dogs on a plate topped with hot dog sauce.

A meaty and hearty chili sauce is a delicious way to top your summer hot dogs. This recipe is a family favorite and one we look forward to each year.

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Summer means an increase in hot dog consumption, right? Ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, pickle spears, and relish are all terrific toppings for those summertime hot dogs, but sometimes we want something a little heartier and special.

This recipe comes from a piece scrap paper we found in an old cookbook that belonged to my husband's grandparents. We found this "hot dog sauce" recipe with incomplete directions and almost zero ingredient quantities, but I told my husband I'd try to recreate it. We remembered eating it, so we knew what it should taste like and look like when it was finished.

After some playing around, we came up with a pretty solid recreation and everyone who has tried it agrees that it is like Grandpa's recipe. 

Now, this isn't really a "sauce" as you can see from the photos; it's definitely more like a chili. But, sauce is what it has always been called so that's what we will continue to call it.

Pot of hot dog sauce cooking.

There are loads of regional sauces and chilis for topping hot dogs, each with their own characteristics and flavors. This chili sauce is not meant to be a restaurant copycat recipe of any kind. It is simply a recipe handed down through our family from the Buffalo, NY area of the U.S. 

This is also why we have Sahlen's hot dogs in the photos. These are the most famous and well-loved hot dog of our region. Hot dog types can be very regional.

The sauce is sweet, tangy, and slightly spiced. We ate ours with an extra addition of chopped onion and extra mustard as well. A bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese is also a tasty addition as well as some dill pickle spears. It's very customizable.

Serve it on top of your favorite hot dogs and hot dog rolls this summer. You can freeze and reheat leftovers to enjoy another day as well as this makes enough for several hot dogs.

Close-up of a finished hot dog topped with the finished hot dog sauce.

Yield: about 10 servings

Grandpa's Hot Dog Sauce

ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
  • salt and pepper, to taste

instructions:

How to cook Grandpa's Hot Dog Sauce

  1. In a pot or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the ground beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Stir in the onion and a good pinch of salt. Let the beef brown and the onion sweat out, stirring occasionally. When the beef is cooked though, drain the fat, and return the mixture to your pot.
  2. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture come to a bubble, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and all the flavors have had time to come together, about 15-20 minutes. If it starts to stick, add a touch more water.
  3. Serve hot on top of you favorite hots dogs and rolls. Feel free to top the sauce with extra mustard, chopped onion, shredded cheddar cheese, dill pickles, and/or a bit of your favorite hot sauce.
Created using The Recipes Generator


I hope your family enjoys this hot dog topping as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below.

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Close-up of finished hot dog topped with the hot dog sauce and pickles on the side.

This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated with a recipe card, new text and more most recently in 2022 to improve reader experience.

Check out these other favorite cookout recipes:

Easy Creamy Grape Salad

Dill Pickle Potato Salad

Picnic Macaroni Salad

Green Bean & Red Potato Salad

Cowboy Beans

32 comments:

  1. Oh how I love old recipes .. specially when it comes from grand parents :)

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    1. I'm a great grandpa and i agree!

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  2. I think Grandpa and I would get along just fine! :)

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  3. Not really a fan of hot dog, but that sauce sounds really great to me.

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    1. Make chilli and fries with cheese... or use with hamburgers, I dont eat Hot Dogs either

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  4. I have some old church cookbooks with recipes that my husband's grandmother contributed. I love those old cookbooks and when you see something handwritten from a relative, even better! This is a fully loaded dog :) Sounds delicious.

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    1. Don't forget to ad a slice of Dill Pickle ! That is needed to "Complete" the Dog!

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  5. My boyfriend HATES hot dogs! Which sucks, because I like to eat them now and again. But I guess it would be more for me :)

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  6. that is really upsizing a hot dog! The recipe book must have some amazing treasures in it :)

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  7. How fun to discover a recipe like that! Definitely a great way to dress up a hot dog.

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  8. This hot dog is definitely greater than the sum of its parts! Perfect summer eating.

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  9. Sounds like you hit a treasure trove of recipes, looks delicious. Have a great time cooking through them. What a clever name for this meal too!

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  10. Would you believe I haven't had one single hotdog yet this summer?? I can NOT wait to try this!

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  11. Those hand-written recipes are gems! What a wonderful sauce - makes me want a hot dog really, really BAD!! Definitely with cheese.

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  12. Looks like a terrific chili dog sauce! Don't you love old hand-written recipes like that? They're treasures!

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  13. Hi Amy, your hot dog sauce look extremely good. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe.

    Have a nice week ahead,regards.
    Amelia

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  14. Hand-written recipes like that are just the absolute best. They always make me so happy!

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  15. I love old recipes too. :) This is a perfect recipe for July with all the cookouts and barbecues!

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  16. For years I have been looking for the chili sauce that is served on the hot dogs at the local A and W, where I grew up. You can bet that I will give this a try!

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  17. This seems like something my dad would have liked! My teen and tween will LOVE It : )

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  18. These dogs sound divine!! Thanks for sharing on Friday Frenzy Link Party!!! Xoxo

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  19. My Dad would absolutely love this...he is crazy about hot dogs!

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  20. Looks yummy! I was just craving hotdogs lol. PINNED! XOXO

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  21. I love finding old, unique recipes especially once that are in the family and are big-time favourites. I've never heard of hot dog sauce (besides ketchup and mustard, of course! haha) but this sounds awesome. I just had hot dogs for dinner tonight, actually (along with a greek salad) and they didn't look nearly as delicious as these. It's funny because my partner suggested that we make chili cheese dogs sometime but I think this would be so much better. I'd better not show to this Billy or he'll be drooling something fierce on my laptop! lol :D Will be trying this for next hot dog night, can't wait!!

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  22. This sounds like the perfect topping for hot dogs.

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  23. I've peeped this recipe of yours before - glad you shared it again! I love these old time bare-bone recipes that need a bit of time & attention to recreate! Trying this for our next cabin weekend!

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  24. There's a small restaurant in Cumberland, Md. called Coney Island, that has been making a similar hot sauce since the boys came back from
    World War One. This sauce has not changed at all.I've been eating it on hot dogs with mustard and onion and a side order of fries and a cherry coke, since junior high school and I'm 78 yrs. old now. I hope it's as good as my dogs are to me.

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  25. I am so glad that I found your site. I have tried to find a recipe for chili like this for so long. My kids and I will be thrilled if this is close (and it looks just like it). Thank you!

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  26. This looks Delicious!! Trying it the weekend with my 4 year old granddaughter.

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