This bean-free Hot Dog Chili is thick, hearty, and full of flavor from a perfect blend of spices and a little chipotle pepper. Use it to make homemade chili dogs and customize them to suit your taste.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Ground beef: Use ground beef with a little fat. Fat gives the beef flavor. I use 85/15 for this recipe.
- Chili powder: If you can find ancho chili powder, I highly recommend it. It is more earthy, sweeter, and milder than regular chili powder.
- Beef broth: Preferably low-sodium.
- Chipotle peppers: Are aged, dried, and smoked jalapeño peppers. You can find them canned with adobo sauce in the Hispanic food section of your local grocery store. Adobo sauce is a spicy, slightly sweet, tangy, rich sauce made with ground ancho and guajillo chiles.
How To Make Hot Dog Chili
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Brown the ground beef in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
- About halfway through the browning process, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and ketchup.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with more salt and black pepper to taste.
This chili is mildly hot. If you want more heat, add jalapeño, more adobo pepper, more adobo sauce, or cayenne pepper. If the chili becomes too thick, add a little more beef broth. Add a few tablespoons at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Customize Your Chili Dogs
Everyone likes their chili dogs a little different. Think mustard, ketchup, onions, coleslaw, pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, cheddar cheese, pickle relish, crispy cooked bacon, and Fritos. I like mine with mustard, onions, cheddar cheese, and pickled jalapeños.
What To Serve With Chili Dogs
- Potatoes: air fryer potato wedges, pan-fried potatoes, and roasted red potatoes.
- Salad: creamy coleslaw, red potato salad, and deviled egg potato salad
- Chips: potato chips, corn chips, and seasoned tortilla chips
Hot Dog Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 chipotle pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
- About halfway through the browning process, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and ketchup.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with more salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
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