1 cup grated cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack
½ cup diced onion
WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
prepared mustard other condiments to your liking
For the EASY CHILI RECIPE:
1 pound medium ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ cup WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 18oz. can kidney beans, strained
Takes ,
serves 6.
Instructions
Prepare the EASY CHILI RECIPE: Place saucepan on stovetop set to medium heat. Add ground beef, stirring to crumble and cook thoroughly. Add spices and seasoning, stirring them in with the cooked meat. Stir in onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add BBQ sauce, tomatoes, peppers and beans, stirring to combine. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Warm hot dog buns and chili: Place hot dog buns in a sheet of foil, wrapping tightly. Transfer to an oven set to 175°F, warming them while the hot dogs cook. Warm chili in a small pot on stovetop.
Cook the hot dogs: Preheat left side of grill to high heat, about 500°F. Leave the right side of the grill off. Place hot dogs down on indirect heat. Close lid and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn the hot dogs slightly, close the lid and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn or roll hot dogs one final time, then close lid and cook for 4 minutes more. Hot dogs should be reddish brown and plump after 10 minutes. Remove from grill. To boil hot dogs, place into shallow pan with about 1 cup of water brought to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Place lid onto pot, cooking hot dogs in simmering water for 10 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Assemble chili dogs: Place hot dog into a warmed bun. Add a few spoonfuls of chili, spreading it out the length of the hot dog. Add a sprinkle of diced onion plus a drizzle of prepared mustard and BBQ sauce. Sprinkle chili dog with grated cheese.
Serve with fries, chips or a favourite side dish.
Chili Dog Recipe
Ingredients
6 all-beef hot dogs
6 hot dog buns
2 cups of our EASY CHILI RECIPE
1 cup grated cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack
½ cup diced onion
WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
prepared mustard other condiments to your liking
For the EASY CHILI RECIPE:
1 pound medium ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ cup WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 18oz. can kidney beans, strained
Directions
Prepare the EASY CHILI RECIPE: Place saucepan on stovetop set to medium heat. Add ground beef, stirring to crumble and cook thoroughly. Add spices and seasoning, stirring them in with the cooked meat. Stir in onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add BBQ sauce, tomatoes, peppers and beans, stirring to combine. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Warm hot dog buns and chili: Place hot dog buns in a sheet of foil, wrapping tightly. Transfer to an oven set to 175°F, warming them while the hot dogs cook. Warm chili in a small pot on stovetop.
Cook the hot dogs: Preheat left side of grill to high heat, about 500°F. Leave the right side of the grill off. Place hot dogs down on indirect heat. Close lid and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn the hot dogs slightly, close the lid and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn or roll hot dogs one final time, then close lid and cook for 4 minutes more. Hot dogs should be reddish brown and plump after 10 minutes. Remove from grill. To boil hot dogs, place into shallow pan with about 1 cup of water brought to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Place lid onto pot, cooking hot dogs in simmering water for 10 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Assemble chili dogs: Place hot dog into a warmed bun. Add a few spoonfuls of chili, spreading it out the length of the hot dog. Add a sprinkle of diced onion plus a drizzle of prepared mustard and BBQ sauce. Sprinkle chili dog with grated cheese.
Serve with fries, chips or a favourite side dish.
Chili Dog Recipe
5 / 5. 2
Plump, all-beef hot dogs nestled in buns, topped with a quick homemade chili, diced onions and shredded cheddar…
Ready for a quick and delicious meal idea? Make this EASY CHILI DOG recipe!
Let me set the scene. It’s a beautiful summer day, a bunch of friends have dropped by, and you need a quick meal idea that’s easy to make but tasty too. Guaranteed, one of our famous SALADS or a favourite sandwich—like this GREEK CHICKEN SAMMIE or these LAMB KOFTA BURGERS—would certainly do this trick. But, we’re thinking quick, easy and casual is the way to go. In our experience, nothing checks those boxes for a hungry crowd quite like hot dogs. Upgrading the presentation of the humble hot dog with a few choice condiments takes this EASY CHILI DOG RECIPE from simple to amazing.
Some of you might be asking, “So what is a chili dog, anyway?” Well, when done right, a chili dog is a treat that both kids and adults love. Imagine a warmed, sesame-studded hot dog bun, filled with a plump, juicy, grilled all-beef hot dog. So far, so good. But then, that perfectly cooked hot dog gets covered with a spicy homemade beef chili. Then, we add finely diced onions, prepared yellow mustard, our famous BBQ SAUCE and a handful of grated cheese. Seriously? Seriously! This is the best hot dog ever.
Before we share this hugely popular recipe, we want to remind you to check out our other HOT DOG RECIPES. Try our unique flavour combinations to break away from the every day. You will love our TEX-MEX HOT DOGS, PIZZA DOGS and our incredible BACON MAC N’ CHEESE DOGS. Each one’s a winner!
Here are some things to consider when making this EASY CHILI DOG RECIPE!
EASY CHILI RECIPE
The ingredients needed to make this simple chili con carne recipe are easy to find. You might already have an onion and some garlic kicking around. Then, how about spices like chili powder, ground cumin, kosher salt and black pepper? Adding the red and green bell peppers to your shopping list, along with a can each of diced tomatoes and kidney beans, is no hardship. How about the meat? We’re using a pound of medium ground beef for this recipe. For best results, we suggest purchasing organic veggies and organically raised, hormone-free beef from your butcher. We find that organic veggies and meat always taste better.
HOMEMADE CHILI FLAVOURING
The accompanying photo gives you an overview of all the good stuff we stirred in with the beef to create our tasty, easy beef chili recipe. The onions, peppers, garlic and kidney beans are often added to a chili recipe. Then, we upped the flavour ante by adding a few additional choice ingredients. Now, some chili recipes recommend using tomato sauce, others swear by tomato paste. We opted for an in-between option with canned, diced tomatoes. Of course, you can use fresh tomatoes if you’re so inclined. The other two flavour boosters are the kidney beans. Cannellini (AKA white kidney beans), pinto and black beans all work too. We also used our signature BBQ SAUCE, and as you’ll see in the VIDEO attached to this story. I used our ORIGINAL BBQ SAUCE, but SPICY BBQ SAUCE also tastes amazing.
COOKING GROUND BEEF
Years ago, when we made our hugely popular MEATY MEAT SAUCE, we learned an important lesson about cooking ground beef: stir a lot. This might seem like a basic direction, but doing so will yield ground beef that’s completely crumbled, no clumping. To achieve this, don’t get distracted. Stay close to the pot, stirring the beef vigorously as it cooks. You’ll end up with crumbled ground beef that then blends perfectly with the remaining ingredients.
STIR THE POT
So, after cooking the ground beef, add the seasoning: two tablespoons of chili powder, a teaspoon of cumin, plus salt and pepper. Then, add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. The finished chili should be evenly speckled with diced red and green bell peppers, plus the vibrant red of the tomatoes and BBQ sauce, plus those plump kidney beans. Reducing the heat and leaving the chili to simmer for 20 minutes is also a key step. Allowing the flavours to meld and intensify leaves you with a finished dish that’s rich and very flavourful. This hot dog chili recipe is almost done!
BOWLS OF CHILI
After making the chili portion of this EASY CHILI DOG RECIPE, you may be tempted to simply transfer some into a bowl to enjoy straight away. Go ahead! We love serving this chili topped with some grated cheese and a sprinkle of parsley. Feel free to also dress up this simple dish by adding jalapeño, sour cream, diced avocado, red onion, or diced green onions and chopped cilantro. I often serve it with warmed pita bread or crunchy tortilla chips.
FREEZE A PORTION
Speaking from experience, having that chili recipe at the ready is a meal saver. I often double the recipe so I can freeze some soon after making it. Having a portion in the freezer, stored in an airtight container, allows you to easily defrost and warm the chili to prepare this hot dog recipe. Our easy chili also has many uses, so keep it in the freezer and top of mind to get an easy meal to the table with little effort.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHILI DOGS
Hopefully, everyone’s getting super excited—and mighty hungry—especially after glancing at the photo of the ingredients needed to make this EASY CHILI DOG RECIPE. Hot dogs, buns, chili, onion, mustard, cheese and BBQ sauce? That’s all that stands between you and a delicious meal. One thing we should point out: make a few more than planned. These chili dogs are so delicious that people often find themselves unexpectedly craving another. Sure, you can do a tally of the number needed before you make them, but we still say, there will always be more requests. BTW, leftover chili dogs make for a satiating late-night snack too.
HOW TO COOK HOT DOGS
During the research for this story, we canvassed a whole heap of hot dog lovers, asking them the best way to cook hot dogs. Answers ranged from oven-roasting and boiling to microwaving, slow cooking, pan-frying, stovetop searing and grilling. During the testing, we zeroed in on two favourite ways: grilling and boiling.
For grilled hot dogs, we suggest you follow our lead, cooking the hot dogs over indirect heat for about 10 minutes total. We turn the dogs occasionally until they’re heated through and have plumped up a browned a rich reddish hue.
Our second favourite way to cook hot dogs is boiling, and to do that we start with a cup of water boiling in a large skillet. The hot dogs get added to the pan, the pot is covered, the heat is reduced to a simmer, and the hot dogs cook for 10 minutes. Similar finish, where the cooked hot dogs are heated all the way through, plump up and have a browned, reddish hue. The boiled dog method also works whenever inclement weather prevents you from grilling or barbecuing.
WARM YOUR BUNS
Please promise us you won’t miss this important step in this chili dog recipe: warm your hot dog buns. Although we considered rigging up a pot of boiling water and a steam basket for steamed buns, in the end it seemed like way too much work. Instead, we opted to wrap fresh hot dog buns in foil before placing them in a 175°F oven for about 10 minutes. This warms the buns inside and out and makes them ideal for serving.
HOT DOG CONDIMENTS
So what’s with this impressive array of add-ons and condiments? The goal was to maximize the taste sensation. As you look at the above photo you might be thinking; where’s the ketchup, relish, mayonnaise, Dijon, corn relish and sauerkraut? Of course, you can add all of them to this recipe, but we think our particular flavour combination exceeds all expectations. The simplicity of a tangy prepared yellow mustard pairs with the zippy flavour of our BBQ sauce. Adding the chopped onions gives the chili a pleasing pop of freshness, while the cheese adds a hint of rich creaminess in every bite. A final thing about the cheese: we did a combination of cheddar cheese with Monterey Jack, and mozzarella cheese to turn this treat into a chili-cheese dog. Swiss cheese, feta, blue cheese and havarti will all work too.
ASSEMBLING CHILI DOGS
Try to work quickly while you add the toppings to the hot dogs and warmed buns. In a perfect world, dressing your chili dogs quickly will give the cheese a chance to melt into the other ingredients. Once dressed, you can enjoy this EASY CHILI DOG RECIPE with your favourite type of chips or French fries. We also like serving them with a helping of CREAMY COLESLAW, this WARM BEAN SALAD or our OLD-FASHIONED POTATO SALAD. Having a jar of our GARLIC-DILL PICKLES at the ready is also a good idea.
PIN IT!
This ever-popular easy meal idea is so amazing, we’d love if you’d share it with all your friends and the world. Post it on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #weekendatthecottage. Also, remember to PIN it to a favourite lunch, dinner or casual meal board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make it too. Thanks!
Cook Mode Use cook mode to keep your screen on while cooking.
Ingredients
6 all-beef hot dogs
6 hot dog buns
2 cups of our EASY CHILI RECIPE
1 cup grated cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack
½ cup diced onion
WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
prepared mustard other condiments to your liking
For the EASY CHILI RECIPE:
1 pound medium ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ cup WATC BBQ Sauce, original or spicy
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 18oz. can kidney beans, strained
Directions
Prepare the EASY CHILI RECIPE: Place saucepan on stovetop set to medium heat. Add ground beef, stirring to crumble and cook thoroughly. Add spices and seasoning, stirring them in with the cooked meat. Stir in onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add BBQ sauce, tomatoes, peppers and beans, stirring to combine. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Warm hot dog buns and chili: Place hot dog buns in a sheet of foil, wrapping tightly. Transfer to an oven set to 175°F, warming them while the hot dogs cook. Warm chili in a small pot on stovetop.
Cook the hot dogs: Preheat left side of grill to high heat, about 500°F. Leave the right side of the grill off. Place hot dogs down on indirect heat. Close lid and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn the hot dogs slightly, close the lid and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn or roll hot dogs one final time, then close lid and cook for 4 minutes more. Hot dogs should be reddish brown and plump after 10 minutes. Remove from grill. To boil hot dogs, place into shallow pan with about 1 cup of water brought to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Place lid onto pot, cooking hot dogs in simmering water for 10 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Assemble chili dogs: Place hot dog into a warmed bun. Add a few spoonfuls of chili, spreading it out the length of the hot dog. Add a sprinkle of diced onion plus a drizzle of prepared mustard and BBQ sauce. Sprinkle chili dog with grated cheese.
Until Cottage Season
