If you are looking for the Perfect Chili Recipe for the Perfect Hot Dog, you have come to the right place! If I am in the mood for a chili dog or burger, my thoughts first wander to past memories like my first chili dog at the Original Tommy’s off of Rampart and Beverly in Los Angeles or the chili dogs at Pinks in Hollywood. The stand itself at Tommy’s was certainly nothing to talk about. You had to stand up to eat your dog, but the experience was special. Especially at night if you had to work late and nothing would satisfy you quite like a Tommy’s chili dog.

Ever since I wrote about my recipe for making smash burgers, I started thinking I needed to work on a recipe that would remind me of those chili dogs of the past. Burgers need chili too! Check out my recipe here for my smash burger experience!

Some Chili Hints!

So after researching what ingredients and techniques to use in making the best Hot Dog chili sauce, I found a couple of new hints that would add to the flavor of your ultimate chili dog.

If you are using 80/20 chuck, which is my go-to, you will have some leftover beef drippings after you brown your meat. Save those drippings and make a roux out of it to thicken your chili sauce.
A lot of the recipes I saw used grated carrots to add a little sweetness to the chili. Make sure you use a fine grate and then chop them to get a much finer result.
For two lbs of ground beef add 3/4 tsp of baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 Tbl of water to your meat and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Incorporate it well. This will help develop the browning of your meat to a greater degree without losing moisture.

So now your stomach is growling and I have you dreaming about how nice it would be to have a couple of chili dogs. However, I’m telling you this chili recipe will be great with anything, not only burgers and hot dogs. If you are still having memories about eating at Tommy’s, you know they have on their menu a tamale topped with chili and cheese. It just so happens that in my Town of Temecula we have Nana’s Tamales and More. Their tamales are excellent. They have a whole other menu of tacos, burritos, and much more that are definitely worth checking out. Anyway, I used some of my extra chili and their tamales to make a very tasty version of Tommy’s menu item.

**My Version of Tommy’s Tamale and Chili**

Too many carbs? Do an open-face chili dog and use half or no bun and just go for a chili bowl. Do what makes you happy!

Sometimes all we want is a little comfort food from the past. I hope you enjoy my version of chili for your burger, hot dog, or tamale when cooking for the family. Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think! And as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

The Perfect Chili Recipe for the Perfect Hot Dog!

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

Beef Mixture
1 lb 1 Ground beef chuck, 80/20
1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt
1/3 tsp 1/3 Baking Soda
1 Tbl 1 Water
Roux Ingredients
1/2 Cup 1/2 Drippings from the browned beef
1/4 Cup 1/4 All-Purpose Flour, for roux
12 oz 12 Beef broth, low sodium
Other Chili Ingredients
4 Cups 4 Water
1/2 Cup 1/2 Chili powder
2 Tbl 2 Carrots, minced fine
1 Tbl 1 Dried onions, minced
2 tsp 2 Paprika
1/2 tsp 1/2 Garlic powder
1 tsp 1 Sugar
1 Tbl 1 Vinegar, white
2 Slices 2 American cheese per hot dog. (Shredded optional)

Directions

Take your 1 lb of ground beef; place into a bowl, and add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/3 tsp of baking soda, and 1 Tbl of water and mix well. Let ground beef sit for 15 – 20 minutes.
Add meat to a large saute pan and set heat to medium. Cook meat until it is nicely browned. Use something like a potato masher to break up the meat into a crumble as it is cooking. If the texture you desire is that of a chili sauce, you need to use the potato masher. If you want a larger texture, just break up your meat with a wooden spoon while it’s cooking.
When ground meat is nicely browned, pull the pan from the fire and drain the fat from the meat into a small saute pan. We are going to use the fat from the beef to make a roux. (Leave the meat in the large saute pan). The roux will help to thicken your chili sauce.
Take your large saute pan with the meat and add the water per the recipe. Set aside.
You should have about 1/2 cup of fat if you used the 80 /20 chuck per the recipe. Heat the fat over a medium heat and add 1/4 cup of flour. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir well. Continue to cook and stir the roux until it turns caramel color. It should take about 15 minutes.
Add the broth to the roux and stir well. Take off the heat and pour the mixture into the large pan with the beef. Stir well. Add the remaining chili ingredients to the large saute pan. Make sure you grate and then chop the carrots very fine. Stir well. Set the heat to medium-high until the chili starts to bubble. Then reduce to a low simmer.
Stir the chili occasionally to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add additional chili powder or salt to taste. Cook and reduce the sauce in the chili until you reach the desired consistency. If the chili gets too thick, just add a little broth.
Place 2 slices of American Cheese on your roll; then your hot dog. Chili on top plus add whatever toppings you enjoy from chopped purple onions, jalapenos, to chopped bacon. Enjoy your perfect chili dog!! However, sometimes simple is still the best! For me, add a little mustard and I am good to go!

Notes

You can vary the taste of your chili by the type of chili powder you use. Try different varieties such as Ancho, New Mexico, Chipotle, Guajillo, Pasilla, and more. Different varieties have different tastes, colors, and heat levels. Some are smokey; some are more fruity. The different chili powders you see at the store may have a combination of some or all of the following ingredients; salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder. Make sure you check the ingredient list of the chili powder you use. I prefer a low or no salt variety so I can adjust the salt level to my preference.