Chili Dog

The American chili dog is a hot dog in a soft bun topped with a ladle of meaty chili con carne (no beans, in the classic version), a stripe of yellow mustard, and finely chopped white onion. The hot dog is usually an all-beef frankfurter, either natural-casing (for snap) or skinless, grilled or steamed and tucked into a soft white bun that compresses but never cracks.

The chili topping is closer to Cincinnati or Texas-style chili than to a bowl of Tex-Mex — a fine-ground beef sauce cooked with tomato, chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion, reduced until thick enough to sit on the dog without running. Yellow mustard and raw white onion are the canonical garnishes; in some regions you will also see a dusting of mild shredded cheddar.

The form was popularised in southern California by the Der Weinerschnitzel chain and on the East Coast by New York carts and Coney Island stands. It is now a hot dog-cart staple from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York, and remains a defining menu item at sporting-event concessions and ballpark counters across the United States.