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    You are here: Home » Food » Grilling

    Chili Dog – With Sweet Onions and Mustard

    June 1, 2020 By Sean Martin 1 Comment

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    Jump to Recipe

    Do not underestimate a good chili dog. Grilled hot dogs over flame, and then topped with a savory hot dog chili, sweet onions, and yellow mustard, this chili dog recipe will make you go “Wow”!

    4 Chili Dogs on a platter with a side of yellow mustard and chopped onions
    Chili Dog Awesomeness

    There are so many variations of chili dogs. Ours is rooted in a savory chili that on its own is quite delicious, and then using a high quality hot dog for full optimal flavor. We place the dog and chili on a brioche hot dog bun and then add our toppings like yellow mustard and cheese. All the savory and sweet elements explode when you bite into this. And warning – have extra napkins.

    This is a summertime classic for a good reason!

    Jump to:
    • Hot Dog Chili
    • Making The Chili
    • Grilling
    • Make the Dog
    • Chili Dog Recipe

    Hot Dog Chili

    When scanning recipes you will see variations of chili with ketchup as the base. Instead of an overly sweet chili we wanted to focus on savory and beef flavor for our version. To do this we used tomato sauce and tomato paste, which are the base to ketchup anyway (without all the added corn syrup or sugar) and we use high quality ground beef, specifically we’re using Snake River Farms ground beef. Regardless of what beef you use, 80/20 ground beef is the perfect lean to fat ratio.

    Making The Chili

    The biggest flavor factor in any hot dog chili is the chili itself. We aren’t adding a ton of veggies and bacon to the chili like our popular brisket chili post. Instead we focus on creating a rich yet simple chili, then you can add any additional chopped veggies or toppings when you’re loading up your dog. So our ingredient focus is meaty beef flavor with the slight sweet from the sauce.

    A few highlights to the recipe:

    1. Finely dice the onions and garlic. Large chunks of onion for a chili dog can be an unpleasant texture. So really use a great sharp chef knife to finely dice the onions and garlic.
    2. Brown the beef. Use high heat to try and brown the beef for added flavor. This earthiness is great flavor.
    3. Let it simmer to reduce. Keeping the simmer going will help reduce the liquid to give that nice richness to the chili.

    These steps are important so you can be sure to get the most flavor and the right texture.

    A large cast iron pot filled with ground beef chili
    After the simmer, the chili texture should be thick.

    Grilling

    Hot dogs are precooked. You can confirm that right on the package. So when grilling hot dogs, the key is direct grilling and targeting the temperature around 450 degrees Fahrenheit over the direct heat just to warm them up. They will cook in 2 – 3 minutes per side, so be sure to stay out there and monitor to avoid burning the grilled hot dogs.

    If you really want to cook to temperature, then try to get the internal temperature of the hot dog over 150 degrees Fahrenheit using a good instant read thermometer like the Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen.

    Remove them and place onto the brioche bun. You can toast the bun if you want, but we like the fresh flavor and texture of a soft brioche.

    Make the Dog

    At this point the hot dogs have grilled and is sitting in the bun, the chili has been simmering and is nice and thick. Now it’s time to carefully spoon the chili over the hot dog. The chili should be very warm.

    Then add the cheese over the top of the hot chili to let it melt should you so desire. Finally add the diced sweet white onions. This added flavor is not as strong as red onions. White onions work well too.

    A side angle of chili dogs on a sheet pan topped with shredded cheese and chopped onions.
    Snake River Farms hot dogs covered in chili.

    And if you are like me, feel free to top with a little yellow mustard. This is optional but the added acidity is perfect.

    If you are making these chili dogs for a crowd and want to melt the cheese, then add the dogs in a bun to a sheet tray. Top them with the chili and the cheese and then place under the broiler. It won’t take more than 2 minutes to melt the cheese and reheat the food. You can put 12 hot dogs on a large sheet tray. Then remove and add the toppings and serve. Great way to put them all out at once.

    4 Chili Dogs on a sheet pan

    Chili Dog Recipe

    Savory ground beef chili with an American Wagyu hot dog topped with diced sweet onions and sharp cheddar cheese.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Grill Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 652kcal
    Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge
    Cost: $20.00

    Ingredients

    For the Hot Dogs

    • 4 Hot Dogs (We use Snake River Farms)
    • 4 Brioche hot dog buns
    • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
    • ¼ cup diced sweet onion (white onion works also)
    • ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

    For the Hot Dog Chili

    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ⅔ cup finely diced sweet onion (white onion works also)
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
    • 1 pound ground beef
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
    • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • ⅓ cup pilsner or lager beer
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to taste at finish
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Prepare grill for direct cooking with targeted temperature of 450 degrees F.
    • Over medium heat in a 3 quart dutch oven, add olive oil and diced onions. Saute over medium heat for 6 – 8 minutes or until soft. Adjust heat as needed to soften, but not caramelize the onions.
    • Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
    • Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Turn up heat until you hear the beef searing and stir. Stir and cook until the meat browns, approximately 6 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid from the fat rendering, drain it out of the pan without loosing the mixture.
    • Add the tomato sauce, paste, beer, Worcestershire, chili powder and mustard. Stir to incorporate and bring to a simmer. Continue at a simmer for 20 minutes to let the chili mixture thicken. Adjust heat as needed to keep a low simmer.
    • As the chili simmers, place the hot dogs on the grill over direct heat. Because hot dogs are precooked, they will cook quickly. Cook the hot dogs 2-3 minutes and flip once. Continue grilling for 2 more minutes and remove from the grill.

    Making the Chili Dogs

    • Place the grilled hot dogs into the brioche hot dog bun.
    • Spoon warm chili onto the hot dog.
    • Add shredded cheese and diced sweet onions and optional toppings like yellow mustard and chives.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 652kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1536mg | Potassium: 672mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 873IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 6mg
    Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge

    This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link, we may receive a small commission if you purchase through the link. We partner with brands we know and love and use and it helps keep the blog going!

    « Ground Beef Chili Recipe with Chipotle Peppers
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. April says

      February 06, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      We really loved these! Ate the chili tonight and are having it on hotdogs tomorrow for the super bowl. My ONLY suggestion for anyone grazing past the comments is that if you are sensitive to salt taste, a tablespoon of Worcestershire ended up being way to much for us. Will definitely make again and again tho!

      Reply

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    Mary-Cressler-Sept-2015-smI'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, and founder of Vindulge and author of Fire + Wine cookbook.  Thanks for stopping by!

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