How to Make Chili Dogs (Homemade Hot Dog Chili)

Get about a third of a pound of finely chopped bacon going in a skillet over medium heat. You want it cooked to that in-between stage - past raw, but not crispy yet. It keeps rendering as the beef cooks, so don't push it too far now.

The bacon is a small touch, but it gives the chili a little smoke and richness that you'll miss if you skip it. Let the fat render out and use it to cook the beef in the next step.

Add a pound of 80/20 ground beef right into the bacon. Break it apart and keep working it with the back of a spoon as it cooks. The goal here is fine - you do not want big chunks in a hot dog chili, you want it almost crumbly.

Take your time over the next three or four minutes and keep breaking it up. Once the beef is browned and finely broken down, you're ready to season. Not into beef? Ground turkey, chicken, lamb, or Italian sausage all work here.

With the beef browned, sprinkle in the dry spices: about a teaspoon of onion powder, a teaspoon of garlic powder, half a tablespoon of chili powder, and a big pinch of kosher salt. Stir it all through so every bit of meat picks up the seasoning.

Adding the dry spices now, before the liquid, lets them toast in the fat for a second and bloom. That deepens the flavor in a way you won't get if you dump everything in at once.

Now the wet stuff. Pour in 8 ounces of tomato sauce, a couple of big tablespoons of ketchup, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, about a tablespoon of minced chipotle peppers, and a good splash of Worcestershire. Stir it together and let it bubble for a couple of minutes.

This is where the chili goes from seasoned meat to actual sauce. The chipotle brings smoke and a little heat, the ketchup adds sweetness, and the Worcestershire pulls it all together with that savory backbone.

The last ingredient is beer. Add about a quarter cup - Sam used a Modelo - and stir it in. It looks loose and soupy right now, and that's exactly right. You're going to cook it down.

Let the chili simmer for around 20 minutes until most of the moisture evaporates and it thickens up. You want it scoopable, not runny, so it sits on the hot dog instead of soaking the bun. Stir now and then so the bottom doesn't catch.

Grab good beef hot dogs and cut a few shallow slits along each one. Don't slice all the way through - just little cuts that open up as the dog heats. They look great and they catch the chili, so you get a bite of sauce in every mouthful.

Put a tiny bit of oil on a hot flat top or skillet and lay the dogs down, cut side first. Within a minute the slits start to open and the edges char. Roll them around until they're browned all over and heated through.

Use a top-split brioche bun - the kind a lobster roll comes on. Open it up and spread a thin layer of mayo on the flat cut sides instead of butter. Mayo browns just like any fat and gives you a crisp, golden crust.

Lay the buns mayo-side down on the flat top next to the chili and let them toast until they're golden and crisp. The brioche is a little sweet, which plays perfectly against the savory chili going inside.

Time to build. Set a grilled dog into each toasted bun, then spoon the chili right over the top. Add a small handful of shredded cheese and let it melt for a few seconds against the warm chili. Finish with a scatter of finely diced red onion.

That's it - a proper chili dog. Crisp brioche, a snappy beef dog, rich hot dog chili, a little melted cheese, and the sharp bite of raw onion. Keep the cheese light so it stays a chili dog with cheese, not a chili cheese dog buried under a pile.