Michigan Coney Island Dogs

Coney dogs are delicious and for me reminiscent of growing up in Port Huron, Michigan, a lovely small city on the shores of Lake Huron across from Sarnia, Canada and about an hour north of Detroit. There was a Coney Island restaurant downtown and I remember going there as a teenager with my friends. We loved the Coney dogs and we had crushes on the Greek guys who worked there. I'm sure we were sweet, cute and very annoying. 

I found these pics online- that's the old Coney Island in Port huron, it's still there today, but it is now called  Mama Vicki's Coney Island and those handsome young men are Bill and Evans; their family bought this Coney Island in 1976 and Bill and Evans are still carrying on the family business today. 

  

Evidently, Coney dogs (which actually have little to do with Coney Island, NY) came about in the early 1900's in Michigan, and were invented/created by Greek restauranteurs who immigrated to the USA, along with 340,000 fellow Greeks,  between 1900 and 1919. Today, there are over 500 diners in the metro Detroit area that serve Greek food and Coney dogs, and more scattered all over Michigan and other areas of the midwest. 

Coney dogs are hot dogs served in a steamed bun, topped with Coney (chili) sauce, onion and mustard. The onion and mustard is optional, but you can't have a Coney dog without the Coney sauce. The Coney sauce is said to be based on Greek saltsa kima, a spicy tomato based meat sauce, and there are different variations, but I think I found a really good recipe about 12 years ago and have been making it ever since. 

Coney Dog with Traditional Mustard and Onion

I've made Coney dogs here in Michigan. I've made them in Canada and across the pond in England, and I have to say they are always a favorite. So here is the recipe that I found on the web a dozen years ago, with a few adjustments.  If I could credit someone I would, but I seem to remember that I found it in a thread somewhere and it was posted anonymously. Hope you like is as much I do! 

Ingredients: 

2 lbs ground beef 

2 8oz cans tomato paste 

2 cups water 

2 tsp ginger 

2 tbsp cumin 

3 tbsp chili powder 

1 1/2 tbsp paprika 

1 1/2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp garlic salt 

1 tsp celery seed 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp salt 

2 tsp ground pepper 

6 oz Heinz ketchup 

3 tbsp spicy brown mustard 

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 cup finely chopped onion and another cup to top the individual Coney dogs. 

  

The process is just as important as the ingredients, so please do not try to rush this. 

1) Put all measured dry ingredients above into a small bowl, mix well and set aside. 

2) Brown the ground beef while breaking it into the smallest pieces possible, and I mean really brown it. That's where all the flavor comes from. Drain some of the grease, but leave a little, remember- fat carries flavor.  

3) Add tomato paste and water directly to the pan with the beef, over medium heat, combine well. 

4) Sprinkle all dry ingredients evenly into beef/tomato paste mixture while keeping a medium to low heat. 

5) Add all other remaining ingredients to pan and stir/mix well. Remember, only 1 cup onion goes in. 

6) Slow simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours, adding water as necessary so as not to dry out or burn the mixture. Don't be afraid to keep adding water as it cooks down; the flavor will concentrate and the consistency will only get better.

  

Your final sauce should be thick enough so that it does not drip or get too runny, yet thin enough not to clump into a ball. It should be easily ladled over the hotdog, yet not so liquid that it slides off.

Now, put it all together- a boiled or grilled hotdog goes inside a steamed or grilled bun, coney sauce is ladled over the top. Next sprinkle with onions and add a line of yellow American mustard.