Coney Island Hotdogs

This is definitely a Minnesota recipe, even though the name sounds like New York. There are a couple of fantastic Coney Island restaurants in Duluth, both started generations ago by Greek immigrants. My mom just buys Coney sauce in the from one of those restaurants to serve at the cabin, but this is a copycat recipe that tastes pretty good to me.

There’s no mustard in the picture because we were all out.  Why do kids put the empty mustard back in the fridge?

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
¼ teaspoon red pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 can, not ideal)
1-2 cups of water

8 hotdogs
8 hotdog buns
Mustard
½ medium onion, chopped

Brown and drain the ground beef. Add onions and cook until onions have started to soften. Add spices, tomato paste and water and cover. Cook for at least an hour.
To cook the hotdogs, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add hotdogs, cover, and remove from heat. Hotdogs will be heated thru in about 8 minutes.
To serve, place a hotdog in a bun, top with coney sauce and and chopped onions. Add a line of mustard down the center.
This recipe should make enough sauce for about 2 meals of 8 hotdogs each, so you can freeze the leftovers for another meal.  Or let the kids eat Coney dogs for days.
I haven’t tried this in a crockpot yet, but I will. I may try a single batch in my small crockpot, or a double batch in my regular crock pot.