The Hirshon NYC Coney Island Hot Dog

Coney Island Hot Dog Image Used Under Creative Commons License From thehotdogblog.wordpress.com

Citizens, today is Super Bowl Sunday, meaning it is once again time to post a recipe worthy of the Big Game and tailgating outside the stadium in Santa Clara beforehand!

Since TFD is from the center of the Universe, aka Brooklyn, NYC – this recipe originating not far from my birthplace is overdue for your consideration!

A Coney Island Hot Dog (or Coney Dog or Coney) is a natural casing hot dog in a bun topped with a Balkan spice-influenced savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings.

It is often offered as part of a menu of dishes of Greek origin and classic American ‘diner’ dishes and often at Coney Island restaurants. It is largely a phenomenon related to immigration from Greece and the Macedonian region to the United States in the early 20th century.

Virtually all Coney Island variations were developed, apparently independently, by Greek or Macedonian immigrants in the early 1900s, many fleeing the Balkan wars, who entered the US through Ellis Island in New York City. Family stories of the development of the dishes often included anecdotes about visits to Coney Island.

In 1913 the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce in New York had banned the use of the term “hot dog” on restaurant signs on Coney Island, an action prompted by concerns about visitors taking the term literally and assuming there was dog meat in the sausage.

Because of this action by the Chamber of Commerce, immigrants passing through the area didn’t know the sausage in a bun by the American moniker “hot dog.” Instead, the handheld food would have been known to immigrants as a “coney island.”

While still very popular in NYC, the Coney has become supremely popular in Michigan, as well as Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas and Oklahoma. The key difference between Midwest Coneys and NYC is that NYC coneys use ground beef and Midwestern Coneys also add ground beef heart (!).

My version is NYC-based to the core, plus it also includes the TFD Magic touches that distinguish all my recipes!

Enjoy the Big Game, Citizens! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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3 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon onion salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
9 ounces ketchup
2-3 tablespoons genuine Root Beer (I like Maine Root brand) – this is the TFD secret ingredient!

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Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown; drain.

Mix the chili powder, dry mustard, allspice, nutmeg, onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt, ginger root, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, root beer and ketchup into the skillet.

Simmer at least 1 hour, until a desirable consistency has been attained. Serve hot.

For cooking the dogs – grill for the best flavor, or for a real New York-style experience, boil them as follows:

Add 1 package of Hot Dogs with natural casings in ½ cup beer and 3 cups of water, add ¼ teaspoon Caraway Seeds and 2 smashed cloves of fresh garlic.

Bring to a boil and immediately set to lowest heat and simmer for 20 minutes or longer.

Use fresh soft buns (TFD’s preference) or lightly toast the buns under a broiler or face-down in a fry pan.

Toppings to include:

Meat Sauce
Grated Mild Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Sweet Onion
Mustard