Ben's Chili Dog

SERVES: 6

COOK TIME: 30 Min

Ben's Chili Bowl has been a landmark restaurant in Washington D.C. since 1958. The restaurant first became famous for its homemade chili dogs. After getting tasting one, we knew we had to recreate this chili in our Test Kitchen. Our recipe for Ben's Chili Dog is the next best thing to the real version, and your family is going to devour it.

What You'll Need

1 pound ground chuck beef
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
6 hot dogs
6 hot dog rolls

What to Do

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, chili powder, mustard, cumin, garlic powder, and salt 8 minutes, or until beef is browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste, flour, and vinegar; mix well. Add broth and cook 20 minutes, or until mixture has thickened.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or griddle pan over medium heat, melt butter; cook hot dogs 5 to 8 minutes, or until heated through. Place hot dogs on rolls, top with chili sauce, and serve.

Notes

Garnish with mustard and chopped onion for that authentic Ben's Chili Dog taste.

Up Next:

Chili Dog Puffs

Nutritional InformationShow More

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Calories 502
Calories from Fat 297
Total Fat 33g 51 %
Saturated Fat 13g 66 %
Trans Fat 1.0g 0 %
Protein 23g 47 %

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Cholesterol 84mg 28 %
Sodium 1,256mg 52 %
Total Carbohydrates 28g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10 %
Sugars 5.0g 0 %

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nanaerm

Oct 23, 2020

I am not seeing where does the butter come into the recipe?

keypay17

Oct 25, 2020

It is in #2 instructions above.

cyndykeyes

Oct 22, 2020

Am I reading correctly 3 Tablespoons of chili powder? Seems like a lot to me.

Test Kitchen Team

Oct 23, 2020

Hello! The recipe is correct 3 TBLs chili powder. This is our version of Bens chili dog, and the great thing about our recipes is that you can add 2 TBLs of chili powder to start with and always add the 3rd TBL or leave it out, depending on how much flavor you want. Hope this helps!

fredhomer 9960735

Jul 27, 2018

Bens does not fry the burger in the sauce.They mix their ingredient add some water and simmer on low heat!!

bratzy1 2847375

May 06, 2018

We love chili dogs, too and this recipe looks great. Is there a specific brand of hot dog used to make the recipe really authentic? Not critizing, just asking.

Test Kitchen Team

May 07, 2018

Hi there! Ben's actually has their own hot dogs, but the Test Kitchen used an all beef kosher hot dog made by Hebrew National that's delicious!

J Keith

Oct 12, 2017

Love Chili Dogs and have not tired Ben's or this recipe, but have made others. I have question about the grease that the beef will produce. I will remove the cooked beef and grill the onions in the grease. After the onions are golden I remove the grease and add the cooked beef and other ingredients. My question is, Did I miss something or did you leave the grease in the chili?

edmcdowell 9274415

Oct 12, 2017

Test Kitchen Team

Oct 13, 2017

Hello! We left the grease in the chili to keep the recipe as authentic to Ben's as possible. However, you can definitely drain the grease after cooking the ground beef, if you prefer.