Slow Cooker Hot Dog Chili Sauce
This Hot Dog Chili Sauce is rich, meaty, and perfect for topping dogs, fries, or on top of baked potatoes. The best part is that it's made so easily in the slow cooker for easy serving!
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Step aside Chili Cheese Dog Dip, this Hot Dog Chili Sauce is the new thing to hit the picnic table this upcoming game day. It's has so much flavor and is such a fun addition to your normal cookout sides and main dishes. Every hot dog needs the best hot dog chili to top it off. You can elevate any upcoming backyard cookouts by jazzing up your burgers and hot dogs with this chili sauce.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Olive oil: Or use whatever oil you have on hand.
- Diced onion: White or yellow onions.
- Garlic cloves: Freshly minced is always recommended.
- Ground beef: I use lean ground beef, but 80/20 will work just fine.
- Tomato paste: Concentrated tomato flavor that thickens the sauce.
- Ketchup: Adds a touch of sweetness, tang, and tomato flavor
- Beef broth: Or beef stock.
- Condiments: mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce
- Herbs and spices: chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and sugar
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, more diced onions, jalapeños
How To Make Hot Dog Chili Sauce
- Step 1: Add olive oil with diced onions. Sauté onions until slightly softened, then add minced garlic.
- Step 2: Add ground beef and water to the pan. Use a spoon to break up the meat as it cooks.
- Step 3: Once the meat sauce has browned, drain off any excess liquid.
- Step 4: Transfer the cooked beef mixture to your slow cooker. Add in the tomato paste, ketchup, beef broth, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar (if using). Stir everything until fully combined.
Recipe Tips
- Use lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7) to avoid a greasy sauce. Otherwise you need to drain the cooked ground meat really well.
- Double the recipe to use as a make ahead meal. Use half now and freeze the other half for later use.
- Add a dash of hot sauce for a spicy kick or stir in a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce for a sweet and smoky twist.
- You can substitute ground beef with ground turkey or chicken. Just keep in mind that the flavor will be milder. You may want to consider adding a touch more Worcestershire or chili powder to amplify the flavor.
- The best way to enjoy a good hot dog this delicious way is to set up a little hot dog bar and serve a variety of hot dogs with different bun options and all the toppings you can think of. Try relish, ketchup, mustard, different shredded cheeses, Cheez-Whiz, diced red onion, peppers, jalapenos, banana peppers, bacon pieces, onion straws, potato chips, guacamole, and any of your other favorite toppings.
Recipe Faq's
Yes, just use the stovetop method. After browning the beef, combine everything in the skillet and let it simmer low and slow for 1 hour.
Other than the usual hot dogs and hot dog buns, there are plenty of ways to serve it. Try serving it on tater tots or french fries to make some chili cheese fries. It's a great topping for baked potatoes, on a pile of your favorite nachos with other toppings like queso or melted cheddar cheese, or even on some burgers or sliders. They may get messy to eat, but they'll be sooo delicious!
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Slow Cooker Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional
- Shredded cheese diced onions, jalapenos, for toppings!
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil and diced onions, Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add in the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the ground beef and water using a spoon break up the meat as it cooks. You want it as fine as possible.
- Once the meat is browned drain off any extra liquid.
- Add the ground beef to a slow cooker along with the tomato paste, ketchup, beef broth, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and sugar if you adding it. Stir until combined and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
- Serve over hot dogs, baked potatoes, or French fries!
