Coney Island Sauce

Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce

What's Summer without a genuine Slider?

Growing up in Jackson, Michigan I took many things for granted. Each Fourth of July we would pack up our vehicles to meet family and friends at the Cascades. In those days the Cascades were free to all, you could walk around the falls and get soaking wet for free. It was one of the highlights of our summers. Of course today they charge for this luxury.

Since my move to California I've had plenty of time to reflect on other things I never gave much thought to, until now. As a cook, food is certainly of concern. It took me almost five-years to locate a source to obtain Lake Perch, which is available everywhere in Michigan but difficult to obtain in California.

Believe it or not you can't buy a Coney Island Hot Dog here either. This seems so odd to me since we have one corner in Jackson (on Michigan Avenue) with three Coney Island Restaurants. There is an A&W Root Beer stand in Oakdale that sells Chili Dogs but anyone who's ever had a Coney Island Hot Dog can attest, it's like comparing apples and oranges. I tried my best to convince the owner of the Mountain House Café here in Twain Harte to serve Coney Dogs but he was unable to find a supplier for the sauce and I guess he didn't want to bother with making it.

Which leads me to my solution. If you can't find it to buy, making it is the only other alternative. I spent one afternoon browsing the web, searching for the perfect Coney Island Sauce and found several to try out but the flavor was just a little off. So, I combined several recipes and added a few additional ingredients and created my own recipe that I'm pleased to share with you today. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I will note that I seem to recall a cook at one of the Coney Island's in Jackson telling me they used beef heart for the sauce. I wasn't that adventurous. I used Ground Round as a base in this recipe. If anyone tries it with beef heart, please let me know how it turns out for you.

[Click on images for larger view]

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 cup water

1 onion, finely chopped (I used a Sweet Maui Onion)

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon celery seed

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

¼ cup tomato sauce

¼ cup ketchup

Directions

In a large 4-quart pot over medium high heat, combine water, ground beef and onion; cook 10-15 minutes, or until meat is well browned. Be sure to crumble meat to a fine texture with a fork or spatula, drain excess fat and water (if necessary).

Stir in the mustard, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, hot pepper sauce, garlic salt, tomato sauce and ketchup. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes.

Grill hot dogs. (My personal favorite hot dog is Hebrew National All Beef Franks.) Serve on a bun with lots of juice. The traditional Coney Island Hot Dog is served with chopped onions and mustard on the top but you can top it with your choice of toppings.

Recipe yields: 6 servings

Notes:

I like to double or triple this recipe and freeze the left-overs. This coney sauce freezes well (be sure to use a quart size freezer bag and press flat, remove excess air) and will last for several months. Coney Dogs are a perfect treat on a hot summer night after a day at the beach. This recipe has lots of flavor but isn't spicy like chili sauce, the kids will love it.

P.S. If you are ever in Battle Creek, Michigan stop in to D'Nicio's Koney Island at 5420 Beckley Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015 (Phone (269) 979-1016). Be sure to tell them Annette sent you. The owners, Art and Temo Perez will hook you up with the best sliders in town or try their famous gyro.

Reader Responses

Bison vs. Beef

Dear Annette,

Thanks for the recipe I can't wait to try it. I lived in Jackson, MI until I was 32 then we moved to Colorado where they also do not know about Coney Island hot dogs even though we do have a giant Coney dog shaped restaurant on a highway leading into the mountains.

I too had been told by the guy that ran the Coney Island out by Paka Plaza (where I used to work) that they also used beef heart. Not me.

Anyway. Here in Colorado, I eat bison instead of beef because it is much lower in fat and better for you. I can't wait to try this recipe. It sounds right based on what I remember.

I really love your web site and the other Jackson pictures etc.

Best wishes
~Kathi H.

Hi Kathi,

I'll bet bison is a terrific alternative to beef, please let me know how it turns out. I think I'd like to try it. Health conscious cooks can also try using ground turkey.

We drove to Modesto the other day, and stopped in Oakdale on the way home at the A&W Root Beer Stand, where they had "Coney Dogs" on the menu. I of course had to ask if those were "coney dogs" or "chili dogs," naturally they were chili dogs.

I am always surprised to find that people don't know the difference, the young lady behind the counter was no exception. My husband decided to try one and immediately said they were "okay" but couldn't hold a candle to my coney dogs. He was even surprised to find a taste difference in the hot dog. (He prefers chicken/turkey hot dogs, while I, on the other hand, prefer beef.

Thanks for writing Kathi, I look forward to hearing how your bison coney sauce turns out.

Regards,
~Annette