This midwestern favorite is the perfect recipe for your ground venison
Venison Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce
Medium
Difficulty
If you live, work or travel anywhere in the Northeast, then you’ve seen and probably had a Coney Dog, which is traditionally an all beef hotdog topped with a bean-less, chili-like mixture. Opinions on toppings from that point vary, and are the root of many a tense conversation, even among family members, but everyone agrees that you have to have the sauce to make the dog. Like a lot of classic dishes, the origins for this one are murky. Of course it likely hails from the New York area around the famed Coney Island Amusement Park, but Detroit, Michigan and Sandusky, Ohio also lay claim. The one thing all these areas have in common is an influx of Greek immigrants around the early 1900’s, and the recipe likely dates back to dishes they introduced into the area.
Grill up some good hot dogs, top them with plenty of the Coney Island sauce, then add whatever toppings you like. All images by Michael Pendley
This recipe is a blend of several I’ve tried and worked on through the years until it hit right for my crew. You can make it milder or hotter according to your preferences by adjusting the amount of hot sauce in the recipe.
While most Coney Dog sauce recipes use fresh onion, I like to use dehydrated onion in this one. You get a bit of extra flavor and it helps to thicken the sauce. And, while other recipes use ketchup as the base, I like a simple pureed tomato for mine to keep from getting as much added sweetness.
Brown the ground venison and crumble it up well..
Ground venison is the perfect base for this one. The lean crumbles blend well into the sauce.
Add the pureed tomatoes, dehydrated onions, and other ingredients, then simmer.
Once your sauce is made, simply add a grilled, all-beef hot dog to a toasted bun and spoon over the Coney sauce. From there, the choice is yours. I like shredded cheese, sometimes some diced onion, and occasionally a bit of relish or chopped pickles. Others add yellow mustard or even slaw.
Start by browning the ground venison in a large skillet. Once the meat has browned, add the tomato and the dried onions. Reduce to a simmer. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer the sauce 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are rehydrated and the sauce has thickened a bit.
Traditional Coney Dogs use all-beef hot dogs.
Prep is simple. Add a grilled, all-beef hot dog (or, even better, a wild game hot dog or brat) to a toasted bun and top with the sauce and your pick of other toppings. I like to set out a variety of topping choices and let everyone customize their dog.
Ingredients
1 pound ground venison
2 cups pureed tomatoes
½ cup dried onions
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
Grilled hot dogs
Toasted buns
Toppings: shredded cheese, diced onion, relish, mustard