West Virginia Hot Dog Sauce

Where I grew up, hot dogs were always served with hot dog sauce - a mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce and spices. I'd never heard that kind of sauce called anything else until I moved to the Deep South. Down here hot dog sauce is called chili. But to my mind, chili is supposed to have beans. Hot dog sauce does not. Aren't regional names for the same thing fun?

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 onion, chopped (or you can sub minced onion)
1 can(15 oz) tomato sauce
1 1/2 teas chili powder
1 teas salt
1 teas pepper
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas sugar
dash of cayenne pepper (more if you like a little heat)

Place the ground beef and onions in a sauce pan and cover with water.


Bring to a boil, breaking up the meat into small bits. The water helps break down the meat, too, so you end up with a finely ground meat. No big chunks allowed! Cook until the meat is no longer pink.


Drain the water from the pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about an hour until thickened. It will cook down, so add a little water if it gets too thick. You don't want burned hot dog sauce!


It's best to make this sauce a day or so ahead. Just pop in the fridge. The spices have a chance to blend nicely and give a wonderful flavor to the sauce. You can easily freeze into smaller portions, too. Simply thaw in the fridge and heat up in a sauce pan.