Tastee Freez Chili Dogs were immortalized the summer that Jack and Diane were outside the Tastee Freez. They were just two American kids growing up in the heartland. This week on Throwdown Kitchen we show you how to make the Tastee Freeze Chili Dogs topped with Coney sauce, mustard and onions.
Oh yeah life goes on. This recipe is just in time for the summer grilling season. We hope you enjoy these easy chili dogs while relaxing at the pool, the patio or down the ocean.
Table of contents
Watch How To Make Chili Dogs
John Cougar had it right. Oh yeah life goes on and we can’t go on with out chili dogs and our Tastee Freez Chili dogs starts with an old fashioned Coney sauce topped with mustard and onions. Here is our little recipe ditty for Tastee Freez chili dogs.
Old Fashioned Coney Sauce
We are making our own hot dog chili. There is a big difference. Hot dog chili is finely ground beef, cooked with chili sauce. Traditional chili is typically a chunky stew that may or may not contain beans and have larger pieces of onions, peppers and tomatoes. There will be no canned chili today for our Tastee Freez chili dogs. We’re making our own Coney style hot dog sauce
Coney sauce is meant to be a topping, not the meal. It’s not an afterthought and plenty of history goes into the making of this sauce.
In other words, Coney sauce is a condiment to the dog, and an important one at that. Just like the mustard and onions. This chili is really easy to prepare and is ready in an hour. As usual, with any sauce or chili, it will taste better after a day or two as all the flavors intensify and get happy.
First of all, for this Coney recipe, you’ll need ground beef that has been finely chopped. You do not want big chunks in you chili sauce. Second, you will need finely chopped onions and minced garlic. Third, tomato sauce is added to the simmering beef along with chili powder, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. To balance the sauce we added sugar, celery salt, cumin, mustard flour and a bit of cayenne pepper for heat.
After you have added all the ingredients, cover the Coney chili sauce and then simmer it on low heat for at least an hour.
Choosing The Right Hot Dog
Tastee Freez is really known for their soft serve ice cream, but they also serve a selection of hot dogs and burgers. The original hot dog is a blended all meat dog with pork and beef. Out back the Tastee Freez you do have a choice between an original dog or an all beef hot dog. Typically, hot dogs are made from meat trimmings and are seasoned with fat and spices like salt, paprika and garlic. The truth is that Hot dogs usually have sodium nitrate added to help preserve the coloring.
However, when you’ve topped your hot dog with chili, mustard and onions it may be hard to tell the difference.
Ball Park Hot Dogs are the best selling dog in the United States. They are available in all beef and all meat.
Applegate Farms uncured Hot Dog is considered a healthier dog.
The best know hot dog brands are Sabrett and Hebrew National.
The best known Hot Dog stand is Nathan’s and their packaged hot dogs are available in supermarkets across the country.
For this chili dog recipe we encourage you to cook the hot dog brand that you enjoy. For our Tastee Freez chili dog copycat we chose the all beef Ballpark hot dog.
When it comes to cooking hot dogs for this Tastee Freez copycat recipe, there is only one way. On the griddle. Boiled hot dogs in our opinion end up too rubbery and bland, while a grilled hot dog seems to have more snap and flavor. A hot pan or cast iron pan will do the trick.
Mustard and Onions Matter
There are several different types of onions that can be used to top our chili dogs. The most common types of onions found in the supermarket are:
- White Onion
- Yellow Onion
- Sweet Onion
- Red Onion
White Onions are large and are very crunchy. They are the perfect diced onion for a hot dog topping! They have a sharp, crisp onion taste without being sweet.
Yellow Onions are good for recipes that call for the onion to be cooked, like caramelized onions. They are difficult to eat raw because they have a very strong almost pungent flavor.
Sweet Onions are, well, sweet. They are found in the grocery store under the names: Vidalia, Maui or Sweet. I often combine sweet onions with other kinds of onions in my French Onion soup recipe.
Red Onions are mild onion that add color and a crunch to the dish. Consequently, red onions are usually added raw to the top of a sandwich, salad, burger or sub. Finely diced or minced red onions are also key ingredients in guacamole and salsas.
Mustard
I love mustard and at last count there were 6 different kinds of mustard in my pantry and fridge. I’ve got Brown Spicy Gulden’s mustard. Grey Poupon, Coleman’s, Plochman’s, Stone Ground and Saval’s Deli mustard. However, the only mustard that I am really picky about for my chili dog is yellow mustard. It has to be Plochman’s. Plochman’s is mild but tastes like Americana.
How To Make The Tastee Freez Chili Dog Copycat Recipe
Start making your Tastee Freez chili dog by adding a pound of ground beef to a large pan. As it starts cooking, take a spoon and break up the beef so that it is chopped up. Once the beef is lightly browned, but not caramelized, add in the wet ingredients. Tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. After these ingredients are mixed in, add all the spices and continue to stir until well incorporated. If the the beef seems too dry, add in water or beef stock to compensate. Finally, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for at least an hour.
While your chili sauce is simmering on the stove, dice a white onion.
This is an easy recipe and my favorite part of the recipe is grilling the dogs. Heat a cast iron pan or griddle to medium high heat. Remove as many dogs as you think you and your guests can eat and begin grilling the dogs. I would definitely think 2 dogs per person if you are cooking 8 to 1 hot dogs. There is really no need to score the dogs as we are seeking a copycat version of the Tastee Freez chili dog. When the dogs have plumped and have a nice bronze color, they are done.
Ready To Eat
The dogs are cooking and the chili is done and ready. We have the buns to get ready and then we are ready to eat. The buns are nothing special. All American white hot dog buns. Nothing too fancy here. No brioche or split top buns for our chili dogs. Split top rolls are great for lobster rolls but not for chili dogs. Just open up the white buns and get ready to plate.
The Summer is about to get really delicious. The dogs come off the griddle and are placed into the buns. Now it is time for chili! Sauce the dogs with chili, top with onions and mustard. Delicious. This is a chili dog with mustard and onions. If you want to add cheese, go for it.
Tastee Freeze Chili Dog Copycat Recipe
Equipment
- Griddle or cast iron pan
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 medium white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp sugar white
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp mustard flour
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Hot Dogs
- 8 all beef hot dogs 8 to 1
- 1 cup yellow mustard prepared
- 1 cup white onions diced
- 8 hot dog buns white
Instructions
- Heat a deep pan to medium and brown the ground beef. Add in the onions, the wet ingredients and all the spices. Stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking on low heat for 1 hour.
- Dice the white onion.
- Grill the hot dogs until brown and slightly crispy.
- Open the hot dog rolls and place the hot dogs inside the buns.
- Top each hot dog with chili, then the mustard and diced onion.
Notes
Nutrition
There you have it. The warm bun and the snap of the dog, the savory chili with mustard and sharp onion. Life is good.
Nobody, I mean nobody puts ketchup on a hot dog!
Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry.
Frequently Asked Questions
We like the cooling taste of potato salad, cole slaw or macaroni salad with our chili dogs. If you happen to whip up a batch of waffle fries or tater tots, we wouldn’t say no.
If it’s not possible to make your own, then Hormel Chili with out beans is a good choice. It’s mild. If you want it spicier you can add a little hot sauce to liven it up.
Not much. Since the Coney island dog originated on Coney island, the Coney sauce may rely on Greek spices and flavor profiles. There are no beans in Coney sauce.
Throwdown Kitchen
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