Michigan Sauce (aka Coney Dog Sauce/Chili Dog Sauce/Hot Dog Sauce)
Makes enough for 8-10 michigans (my estimate)
Note: I’ll get into the lore of michigans later, as it’s got some history around it, but for now, the recipe:
Ingredients
2 lbs ground round (85/15)
16 oz canned tomato sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp minced dry onion
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 TB chili powder
3 TB hot sauce
Directions
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker, give it a good mix, and cook on low for 8 hours. Don’t brown the beef first, don’t toast the cumin, don’t overthink it and don’t gussy it up. Chuck it all in, give it a good stir, then set it on low. That’s it.
Every couple of hours, give it another stir. At about 3 hours, you’re going to say, “This has to be done,” and you’ll be tempted to stop. Don’t. You need the full 8 hours to get it to the right consistency, sort of soft and thick and almost paste-like, not unlike wet sand or we cement. That’s what you want, and that’s what keeps it from dripping off the dog when you eat it, so don’t rush it.
This benefits from an overnight stay in the fridge. Be warned, if you do that, it will indeed set up like cement. Don’t worry, it’s fine. Chisel it out, into a saucepan over medium-low heat, it’ll loosen right back up to where it should be. No need to add water. Just don’t let it stick, so stir it every few minutes.
Recipe courtesy of my wife, who got it from her sister, her got it from her friend Cindy, who got it from her brother Tommy, who used to work at Clare & Carl’s back in the 1970’s and it’s their original recipe, dontcha know…
To serve:
Top-split coney dog-style buns
Cooked hot dogs of your choice - Glazier hot dogs from Malone, NY if possible, but at least get natural casing dogs…they need to snap! when you bite them
Finely diced onion
Plain yellow prepared mustard - no Dijon, no Colman’s, no stoneground, no wholegrain, just plain yellow squirty mustard
Open the bun, down with some onion, then a dog, then trowel on some warmed sauce, and top with a good squirt of mustard. Enjoy!
That’s a michigan, native to Plattsburgh, NY!
Makes enough for 8-10 michigans (my estimate)
Note: I’ll get into the lore of michigans later, as it’s got some history around it, but for now, the recipe:
Ingredients
2 lbs ground round (85/15)
16 oz canned tomato sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp minced dry onion
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 TB chili powder
3 TB hot sauce
Directions
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker, give it a good mix, and cook on low for 8 hours. Don’t brown the beef first, don’t toast the cumin, don’t overthink it and don’t gussy it up. Chuck it all in, give it a good stir, then set it on low. That’s it.
Every couple of hours, give it another stir. At about 3 hours, you’re going to say, “This has to be done,” and you’ll be tempted to stop. Don’t. You need the full 8 hours to get it to the right consistency, sort of soft and thick and almost paste-like, not unlike wet sand or we cement. That’s what you want, and that’s what keeps it from dripping off the dog when you eat it, so don’t rush it.
This benefits from an overnight stay in the fridge. Be warned, if you do that, it will indeed set up like cement. Don’t worry, it’s fine. Chisel it out, into a saucepan over medium-low heat, it’ll loosen right back up to where it should be. No need to add water. Just don’t let it stick, so stir it every few minutes.
Recipe courtesy of my wife, who got it from her sister, her got it from her friend Cindy, who got it from her brother Tommy, who used to work at Clare & Carl’s back in the 1970’s and it’s their original recipe, dontcha know…
To serve:
Top-split coney dog-style buns
Cooked hot dogs of your choice - Glazier hot dogs from Malone, NY if possible, but at least get natural casing dogs…they need to snap! when you bite them
Finely diced onion
Plain yellow prepared mustard - no Dijon, no Colman’s, no stoneground, no wholegrain, just plain yellow squirty mustard
Open the bun, down with some onion, then a dog, then trowel on some warmed sauce, and top with a good squirt of mustard. Enjoy!
That’s a michigan, native to Plattsburgh, NY!
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