Although formerly an island, Coney Island is a peninsula located in the south of Brooklyn, New York. Famous for its Atlantic beach, Coney Island was once the site of a major tourist hub. It was also well known for its amusement parks, and the area reached its height of popularity in the early 20th century.

In 1916, Nathan’s famous original hot dog stand opened in Coney Island. The annual hot dog eating contest associated with Nathan’s has been held there since its opening, but has only become widely known in recent years.

A “Coney Island hot dog” is widely understood to be a hot dog with “Coney sauce”, usually some kind of chili without beans. Coney sauce did not actually originate on Coney Island, but is instead believed to have been invented in Michigan. Here is a recipe I developed by taking what I found to be the best of the ingredients from various Coney sauce recipes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 minced garlic clove

2 tbsp. butter

1 pound. ground beef

2 tbsp. yellow mustard

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoons paprika (preferably Hungarian paprika)

2 teaspoons chili powder

Instructions:

Sauté onions and garlic, add ground beef, cook until browned, drain excess fat. Combine all other ingredients and mix well. Add the mixture to the ground beef mixture. Stir well and heat through. Let simmer for at least an hour. Spoon the mixture over your favorite hot dog on a bun. This tastes great with added yellow mustard and a kosher spear on the side.

Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.