This post was last updated on March 28, 2015 to include new images and a recipe video.
For Father's Day every year, to show my appreciation for Dustin and how awesome of a dad he is, I asked him if there was something special he would like me to make for dinner. Anything's on the table: rack of lamb, lobster, steak... Nothing's too good or expensive for the wonderful father of our kiddos.
And, every year, without even blinking, his eyes light up, he grins, and he immediately requests my homemade chili cheese dog recipe.
And, every year, my heart smiles a little when he does. Because I know it's what he's going to request.
This homemade chili cheese dog recipe is easily at the top of Dustin's "last meal" list, next to a Texas brisket sandwich with a side of barbecued ham and fried okra, a cold Dr. Pepper, and a breakfast burrito from this hole-in-the-wall liquor store in Carpinteria, CA we used to go to all the time.
My "last meal" would have to be a good BLT with perfectly toasted sourdough bread, crisp lettuce, crunchy, yet chewy bacon, heavy on the mayo and perfectly ripe tomatoes. Oh, and an iced sweet tea. And maybe a thick slice of New York cheesecake with fresh strawberries. And...
But I digress as usual.
These chili cheese dogs are quite flavorful. The chili is sweet, tangy, and bold with a little kick to it.
Plain and simple. Not pretty. Not fancy. Just some good ol' chili.
And Dustin loves it. Every year 🙂
Homemade Chili Cheese Dog Recipe
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Large Deep Skillet
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHILI:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
FOR THE DOGS
- 6 hot dog buns
- 6 hot dog franks I use Ball Park all-beef franks, preferably grilled
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in deep pot.
- Add the onion and cook until sweating, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook over medium-high heat until well-browned, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, ginger, and cayenne, and stir together, making sure all the meat is broken up into small pieces.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Stirring occasionally, simmer over low heat until chili thickens, about 10-12 minutes.
- Serve over grilled hot dogs and garnish with shredded cheese.
Bernardina Ager
Chili powder is one of the traditional spices that you will use when you are cooking a dog. Most people enjoy this type of chili because of the taste, but it should never be cooked in large amounts. This is because too much of the chili powder can make a hot dog taste bitter and it can cause a dog to have a burning sensation when it is cooked.
Jeff stefanec
Delicious, perfect chili recipe for chili cheese dogs. THANK YOU!!!
Jeff
Delicious, perfect chili recipe for chili cheese dogs. THANK YOU!!!
dandydogs
Thank you for sharing this chili cheese dogs recipe. I would love to share this to my fb page.
dandydogs
Yummy recipe. kids love it so much. Perfect for summer.
Dustin
Was just thinking about these again. Sound so good!
Kelly Thomas
I worked at the Dairy Queen for several summers in my youth. This chili taste exactly like the chili we would use to make our chili dogs. Absolutely fantastic!
Dave
Kids loved these at our sons birthday party ! 🙂 Thanks for sharing
Lacey Baier
Yay! That's an awesome thing to have at a party! So glad the kiddos enjoyed them 🙂
Annelise
Great chili dog recipe! I kind of tweaked it here and there, doubled the cumin, added some chili powder, used beef broth vs water. I just wish I had some chili beans on hand. But it tastes great, not salty, and it's a lot better than the stuff at restaurants.
I'm looking forward to trying your other recipes as well.
Lacey Baier
Thanks for the feedback, Annelise! I hope you enjoy my other recipes, too!
Katie
Hello! I know this post is old, but I've just stumbled across it and was wondering if you could tell me how many servings this makes? I want to make it for quite a few people and want to make sure I have enough for everyone. It looks delicious, I can't wait to try it!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
It makes about 6 servings 🙂
Cyndie
My son wants chili cheese dogs tonight. Your recipe looks good. So you really just put meat in water? No browning of meat? Just asking before I give it a whirl. Thanks cyndie
lacey - a sweet pea chef
I know, Cyndie, it looks a little unorthodox -- especially since I usually say the secret to great food is browning the meat well. But this recipe is just so good -- try it out and see what you think. 😉
Cyndie
Sorry it took so long to give you feedback, but FYI it was a huge success! Oh and I just saw your X-roads, good luck but keep on cookin'. Be happy. Cyndie
Liz
Hi
Just stumbled across your website whilst looking for an authentic chilli dog recipie here in the London England. Such a grea recipie-big success with my hubby and little 1 yr old girl too!
Thanks!
Liz
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay! You're very welcome, Liz!
Dawn
OMGoodness!!! We are having a family get together this weekend and I so wanted a good chili dog...my family is from Rhode Island and they have "hot weiners" so I knew that the chili would have to be more than the bland stuff from the stores...YIPPEE I think I found it :O) Thank you so much...and I am smitten with your site - I bookmarked it! Have a blessed day
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay! I hope your get together was a hit, Dawn. Thanks for the bookmark 🙂
Sidney
Hi Lacey,
Found your recipe several weeks ago for the chili cheese dogs, and wanted to try it, so today I did.
I must say it is great, and all who had them said the same, BUT: I must say that I, (i alone) like a more tart than sweet taste, and was wondering what I could add to make it a little more tart for me, can not think of what to add.
Great recipe My Friend,
Yours,
Sidney
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Sidney! I totally understand -- I used to prefer my sauce on the tarter side as well. Just add a little more vinegar -- maybe even some lemon juice -- to reach your desired level of tartness. Good luck!
Dave sides from England
I have been looking for a good chilli dog recipie and yours looks great. Im going to cook these tonight, cant wait!!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Good luck, Dave! I hope you enjoy them!
Dave Sides from England
WOW they were fantastic,just how I always wanted them to taste!! Thanks for the recipie!!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay!!! SO glad they turned out the way you wanted, Dave! Thanks for sharing!
Thomas
I made this recipe for my friends, and it was a hit.
Thanks for sharing!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Raquel de Meneses
Incredible. I just drooled all over my keyboard. I'll provide that ingredient's list on the next trip to the market and make this chilli dog as soon as possible.
Sweet Pea Chef
Hey Raquel! Yay, I'm so glad you're gonna make this! It's so tasty. Thanks for stopping by!
Emi
Gotta love a good chili dog! I marked your chili recipe, so I can make it when I get settled and the weather turns chili-er (sorry, I had to!)
Sweet Pea Chef
Hi Emi! I hope you enjoy the chili. Anytime is good chili time for my husband 🙂