This simple recipe for hot dog chili from The Pioneer Woman is the ideal dish to bring to your next football tailgate, barbecue with friends, or family movie night! The straightforward chili sauce is a savory condiment that takes an American staple to a new level of deliciousness.

It is prepared by combining sweet ketchup, robust ground beef, and fiery spice. To make the finest chili dog ever, top it with cheddar, onions, and pickle relish in addition to the traditional toppings.

What Is A Hot Dog Chili?

The “Chili Dog” is a simple hot dog that is topped with beef sauce and served on a bun. It is a traditional dish in the United States. Other toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sliced onion, pickle relish, or mustard may be added, but the sweet and spicy hot dog chili is the real star of the show. It tastes exactly the same as the traditional chili sauce used on hot dogs that you used to get from your favorite local diner when you were a kid.

This recipe for hot dog chili uses ketchup and tomato sauce as its foundation, so the condiment has a robust taste profile that is reminiscent of tomatoes. It is important to note that this particular chili is a sauce designed to be used as a condiment (like ketchup) on hot dogs. As a result, it is sweeter and thinner than a pot of traditional ground beef chili that you would eat on its own with a spoon because it is intended to be used as a condiment on hot dogs.

Pioneer Woman Hot Dog Chili Recipe Ingredients

A crockpot of hot dog chili requires a number of different ingredients, all of which are briefly described below. As is customary, the printable recipe box located at the bottom of the post provides comprehensive metric conversions as well as detailed directions for the preparation and cooking of the dish.

• Lean Ground Beef. The fundamental component of the beef sauce.
• Onion And Garlic. Infuse a savory taste into the sauce.
• Water. in order to dilute the sauce.
• Tomato Sauce. Contributes a robust tomato flavor to the chili sauce.
• Ketchup. It imparts a sweet flavor to the hot dog chili sauce, which is appropriate given that this sauce is generally used in place of sweet ketchup by itself.
• Sweet Paprika With Chili Powder. Spicy and tangy flavors.
• Worcestershire Sauce. For savory, salty, umami taste.
• Yellow Mustard. The use of this ingredient gives the sauce a hint of tang and an acidic taste.
• Salt And Pepper. to improve the taste of the other tastes while keeping the sweetness in check.

How To Make Pioneer Woman Hot Dog Chili

• In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is mushy (about 7-10 minutes). As the meat cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it up into very little pieces. Continue heating and stirring for 1 minute after adding the minced garlic.
• Combine the water, tomato sauce, ketchup, paprika, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
• Bring to a boil; lower to low heat and cook for 25-30 minutes (or until chili thickens slightly).

What Goes With Hot Dog Chili?

Remember that this chili is meant to be used as a condiment on top of hot dogs, and serve it as such. Not your grandma’s bowl-and-spoon beef chili, this. Instead, the meat-based condiments you’d get in a classic restaurant would go well with this chili sauce’s sweeter flavor (like ketchup). Sprinkle it over hot dogs and top with relish, cheese, and onion.

Here are a few ideas to complement the chili dogs at your tailgate or picnic:

• Grilled Hamburgers
• Classic Pasta Salad, Easy Pasta Salad, and Southern Macaroni Salad
• Easy Baked Beans, Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon, Ranch Style Beans, or Crock Pot Pork and Beans
• Hush Puppies
• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Hoe Cakes

Recipe Variations

• Beans are not often included in a conventional version of hot dog chili; however, if you would like to include them, you are welcome to add one can each of pinto beans, kidney beans, or pink beans that have been drained and washed.
• You may substitute the ground beef with ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, or ground pork in conjunction with ground chorizo or ground pork sausage. You can also just use ground pork alone.
• To the pan in which the ground beef, onion, and garlic are cooking, add some diced bell peppers.
• You may substitute beef broth for the water if you want the flavor to be heartier and savory.
• Cayenne pepper, when added, makes hot dog chili nice and spicy.
• In place of the fresh garlic cloves, use three-quarters of a teaspoon of garlic powder.

How To Store Hot Dog Chili?

• In The Fridge. When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days, hot dog chili sauce won’t go bad. The leftovers, on the other hand, should be thrown away if they have been left out at room temperature for more than two hours.
• In The Freezer. Because it can be frozen without losing its flavor, this chili sauce for hot dogs is an excellent choice for gatherings that you will be hosting and preparing in advance. Before freezing the chili, make sure it has totally cooled down. It may be kept in the freezer for up to three months if it is packaged in airtight containers and divided into smaller servings (if preferred).
• To Reheat. In the refrigerator overnight, defrost the hot dog chili sauce that has been frozen. Put the chili sauce for the hot dogs in a pot on the stove or in a dutch oven. Cover and cook over low heat for approximately ten to fifteen minutes, just until heated. Alternately, you may put the chili sauce in a crock pot, place it on the “warm” setting of your slow cooker, and keep it there for the length of your party.

Recipe Tips

• Because this chili sauce is meant to be a condiment that you pour on top of hot dogs, it has a sweet flavor that is comparable to that of ketchup. You can get it at most grocery stores. It is not a traditional bowl of chili that can be consumed on its own. Try this or this crock pot version of the beef chili if you’re searching for a dish that’s more traditional and doesn’t have a lot of added sweetness.
• While the beef is cooking, use something like a wooden spoon or a potato masher to break it up into very little bits. Traditional hot dog sauce does not include any huge bits of meat in its ingredients.
• Is hot dog chili gluten-free? Yes! It is important to always read the labels on specific items, but it is possible to make this chili without using gluten.
• How many pounds of hot dog chili is required to serve fifty people? Or one hundred of them? If you are making a large quantity of this chili for a group of people, you should probably plan on serving about two hot dogs to each individual. Because there is approximately 2 teaspoons of chili on top of each hot dog, you will need one-quarter cup of chili for each person. That’s around 12 and a half cups of chili for a group of fifty people (or this recipe multiplied by 3). I would estimate that you would need around 24 to 25 cups of hot dog chili sauce to feed 100 people (so multiply this recipe by 6).

Pioneer Woman Hot Dog Chili Recipe Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 266
• Total Fat 14g
• Saturated Fat 5.2g
• Trans Fat 0.6g
• Cholesterol 69mg
• Sodium 976mg
• Potassium 563mg
• Total Carbohydrate 14g
• Dietary Fiber 1.5g
• Sugars 9.6g
• Protein 22g
• Vitamin A 19%
• Vitamin C 7%
• Calcium 4%