Good Ol’ Hotdog Chili
Easy, hot dog chili made from scratch! No more canned chili! Create this quick, southern homemade hot dog chili simmered with spices and broth and full of flavor.
Labor Day is tomorrow and as far as I’m concerned summer can kick rocks!! So long, buh-bye, peace out!! This summer has been nothing but a blur with all this moving and unpacking. We didn’t even take any family vacations and I’ve neglected you all so much! I’m sorry, tastier days are coming for Divas Can Cook as well as a super long fall beach vacation. I’ve already lined up my new posts and videos to keep you all company while I’m away. See I’m learning!
I’ve been getting a lot of requests for a good recipe for homemade hot dog chili lately and thought what better time to post this recipe. Growing up my grandmother always did hot dogs on Labor Day. Maybe it was because she was exhausted from all of those summer cookouts.
Bring On the Hot Dog Bar!!!
A hot dog bar is the perfect easy & quick way to wrap up the summer. Loaded Hot Dogs + Potato Chips +Baked Beans/Potato Salad= The Best Labor Day Cook Out. Oh and don’t forget a super easy dessert like this Snickers Ice Cream Cake or this Oreo Ice Box Cake.
And for Christ sake don’t forget the homemade cole slaw!!!
Here is the menu I grew up with every Labor Day! Writing this out brought back so many memories!
[box type=”note” ]Grandma Barbs Hot Dog Bar Menu:
Toppings: chili, cole slaw, diced red & white onions, relishes (chow chow, sour kraut, sweet relish, dill relish), shredded cheddar cheese, dice tomatoes, various peppers, chopped bacon, (ketchup, mustard, BBq sauce, mayo, chili sauce)
Various Buns: potato buns, poppy seed buns, whole wheat buns, Hawaiian buns
Hot dogs: various flavors and hot links
Side Dishes: baked beans, potato salad, chips
Drinks: Ol School Party Fruit Punch
Desserts: Vanilla Ice cream w/sugar cones and various toppings (m & m’s, hot caramel, hot fudge, sprinkles, crushed cookies, crushed peanuts) [/box]
Easy enough right? I mean it’s labor day, don’t spend your day off in the kitchen!!
Ok… what was this post suppose to be about? Oh yes hot dog chili!! This is my go-to recipe for some good ol’ crowd pleasing hot dog chili that kids and adults enjoy. It’s perfectly seasoned with herbs and spices (no packets folks) and doesn’t require any lengthy simmering. And best of all it’s EASY!!! If you’re one of those people who enjoy the “pourable” kind of chili instead of the chunky kind, no problem! Just break the meat up really fine and increase the broth and tomato sauce slightly.
My grandmother lets her hot dog chili simmer all day and throws in fresh onions, garlic, celery, BBQ sauce, chili sauce and everything! Yes, it’s delicious but AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT on labor day!! (although I’ll post that recipe in the future for folks that like to show off). Even though this hot dog chili recipe is quick, easy and basic it never fails to get rave reviews.
There is really no need to ever by the canned chili stuff. It simply doesn’t compare. I better not ever hear about you buying the canned chili stuff. Ever! (And I’m looking at you with the fed-up mama look. I bet you know exactly the face I’m talking about lol)
Oven Chili Cheese Dogs
In the video I also show you how to make oven chili cheese hot dogs. It’s simple. Here’s a recap. Place some buns in a pan, squirt in some ketchup and mustard, add the dog, top with chili, cheese and onions, cover, bake at 350 for 15-20, take ’em out the oven and ravish them like a beast!!! The buns get really toasty so if toasted buns aren’t your thing then just stick to making them the normal way and pop them in the microwave to melt the cheese.
Watch me make this homemade hot dog chili from start to finish!
![](https://divascancook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7864-260x260.jpg)
Get the Recipe: Good Ol' Hotdog Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, I used turkey
- 1 cup beef broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce, unsalted
Instructions
- Add ground turkey or beef to a pan, with a little oil and cook until almost done.
- Drain.
- Add in 1/3 cup of broth.
- Mix together the spices and sprinkle evenly over the meat.
- Mix together until spices are well distributed and broth is absorbed.
- Mix in ketchup & tomato sauce
- Add in the rest of the broth (may not need all of broth but you will need enough to simmer the chili)
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and let chili simmer for about 15-30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has simmered away. (I sometimes let it simmer uncovered to speed up the simmering time)
- Taste & season to your liking (I always add in more chili powder, black pepper , onion powder & garlic powder)
Video
Making this chili in Jan 2022. Happy New Year!
I’m planning on making this chili today but I have a question. I don’t have any brown sugar, can I use a shredded carrot instead? I’d rather not use white sugar and I have a bag of carrots I need to use up before I freeze most of it.
Carrots may work to help sweeten it up a bit, however, I’ve never tried that. Do you have any honey?
Not, no honey.
*Nope, no honey.
Time to go to the store.