West Virginia Hot Dog Chili

I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Growing up in Southern West Virginia, we ate a lot of hot dogs in the summer. Hot dogs in West Virginia are served with mustard, onion, West Virginia hot dog chili and topped with slaw. Depending on where you lived in the state, some people called it hot dog sauce, we always called it hot dog chili. It’s the same thing and it really didn’t matter what you called it, I just called it delicious.

The Story Behind This WV Hot Dog Chili

My Mom and Dad were heavily involved with the local Little League program for over 30 years. My Mom made this Chili recipe weekly throughout the summers over those 30 years. She made gallons and gallons of this hot dog chili every Sunday to sell in the concession stand for the next week.

It was really appealing to adults and children alike. More than once I heard people not order a hot dog because we had run out of chili. I did make one slight change to her recipe, but everything else is real deal and authentic. I also had to scale the ingredients back, because what would I do with a gallon of chili.

Making the Chili

Into a large cast iron enameled Dutch oven , like this one. I love this Dutch oven, I have two of them and bought them over 20 years ago, still going strong. Add in the ground beef, onions, Better Than Bullion Beef, and water.

The Better Than Bullion line of products is a real game changer. I use the chicken, beef, mushroom and turkey flavors and they add a so much deeper flavor to recipes than regular bullion or stock. Be sure if you are using them salt your recipe at the end so that you don’t over salt it.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the ground beef is cooked through and no longer pink. This usually takes about 30 minutes on medium low heat.

Add the remaining ingredients, ketchup, chili powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. The longer you simmer the better it will get, but it’s good to go at an hour.

How long Will It Last?

This chili will be good in the refrigerator for up to a week and last in the freezer for up to 3 months. I never have that much left and you can use it for other recipes.

What To Serve With WV Hot Dog Chili

• West Virginia Hot Dogs
• WV Hot Dog Slaw
• Pasta
• Beef and Bean Burritos

Be Sure To Pin This Recipe For Later

Print

WV Hot Dog Chili

Growing up in the Southern West Virginia Coal Fields, We ate a lot of hot dogs in the summer. West Virginia's love their hot dogs, but they also have a distinct style. This Chili is my Mom's recipe one the favorite summer recipes, soon to be yours as well.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Appalachian, Southern

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 10 Hot Dogs

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Tablespoon Better than Bullion Beef This is my little addition to Mom's Recipe
• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 1/2 Sweet Onion Fine Dice
• 1/2 Cup Ketchup Heinz
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Into a dutch oven or large stock pot add the water, ground beef, onion and the Better Than Beef Bullion over medium heat.Let is cook for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, until the ground beef is no longer pink.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients, ketchup, chili powder, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.