Copycat A&W Coney Island Sauce Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

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Nothing more tragic than a naked hot dog. To really do it right, a healthy ladle of sweet, savory Coney sauce with beef and tomatoes is what you need.

Copycat A&W Coney Island Sauce Recipe | CDKitchen.com (1)


serves/makes:

ready in:

2-5 hrs

9 reviews
4 comments


ingredients

5 pounds ground beef
2 small onions, finely chopped
64 ounces tomato paste
64 ounces canned tomato puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon celery seed
3 tablespoons salt PLUS"PLUS" means this ingredient in addition to the one on the next line, often with divided uses
1 teaspoon salt

directions

Brown hamburger and onions in very large skillet; drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 3 1/2 hours. Stir frequently, as it will tend to stick. This freezes well.

cook's notes

To get that authentic taste, use only Kogel franks and rehydrate dry minced onions in boiling water.

added by

Meg, San Francisco

nutrition data

104 calories, 3 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein per 1/4 cup.



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reviews & comments

  1. Feather July 22, 2020

    Been looking for this recipie for years used to make when I worked there I am so excited to try this

  2. Don May 7, 2016

    I grew up in Flint Michigan during the late 50's and early 60's. It Flint, they had Coney Island dogs and those from the A&W root beer drive-in. The sauce on the Coney's was a ground beef/ground hot dog chili-based topping... Not so with A&W.The Flint A&W drive-in Flint was located across from the county jailhouse. At that time, they used a delicious tomato based sauce... more like a freshly made thick Mexican salsa with chopped tomato. It was then topped with chopped sweet onions. I don't remember any beef being in it at all (but could have). I do remember it was slightly sweet. This could be the recipe, but I think that one or more of the measurements are wrong.Only Koegel's hog dogs were ever used at any hot dog joints in Flint (best in the world). I've been searching for the recipe for this sauce for many years. No luck. However, I may try a scaled down version of this with som modifications, because it might be close.

  3. A&W Fan REVIEW:
    October 26, 2013

    I obviously had to scale this down considerably size wise for home use. Made as directed then let simmer in my crock pot. Very good! I have never seen Kogel franks but I used organic all beef franks and they were delicious with the sauce.

  4. Canadian cook REVIEW:
    August 15, 2011

    This recipe has a very strong tomato base while other coney recipes do not. I question whether the person who submitted this recipe meant that we should add 1 1/2 cups of sugar. I made the recipe as printed and the sauce was quite sweet for a meat sauce - I had to tone down the sweetness by adding more vinegar. I also added more beef to make my end product look like the photo - without the addition of the beef the sauce was more tomato sauce than a beef sauce.

  5. mbron REVIEW:
    May 13, 2010

    i have cooked enough that I should have known by looking at the ingredients that something was wrong with the recipe @ cups sugar waaayyyy too much and too much celery seed maybe even too much chili powder and not enough tomato find another recipe I agree with another post its like candy hamburger with celery seed

  6. Guest Foodie April 3, 2010

    Well being a cook and also an avid internet researcher, I would venture to say there is a major type-o in the recipe. Most recipes only call for 1-2 tbsp of sugar so I would say it was supposed to be 2 tbsp of sugar, not 2 cups. and the celery seed was more than likely was supposed to be 1/4 tsp. I have not seen another recipe that used more than 1 tsp of celery seed. Adjust the salt as well, you want to stay alive long enough to make it again if it's good. I actually wouldn't even want to taste this recipe the way it is written. A&W has been a frequent of mine since childhood and I am making it a tradition with my kids, unfortunately they are disappearing as fast as our liberties are in this country. I hope to find a recipe or master my own that tastes like it soon. Good eatin' and God Bless

  7. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    January 15, 2010

    Ok, definately way, way too much sugar and celery seed. And I honestly believe the poster meant tomato PASTE, not puree. (Never seen a six oz can of puree) Anywy, definately not enough puree. I put in 2 -29 oz cans, extra vinegar and ketchup to help counter the sweetness, it's better but its still not very good. I have eaten at A&W's across the country and never had a dog that tasted like that. I will not make this sauce again.

  8. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    December 22, 2009

    Way too much sugar even when cut in half.

  9. Guest Foodie November 3, 2009

    I agree a waste of and ingredients time. 1 6oz can of tomato puree not even close to enough. 4 tablesoons of celery seed way way to much

  10. Rachael REVIEW:
    September 12, 2009

    Just drain the grease and cut back on the sugar, I did half the sugar and the recipe turned out great. WE LOVE IT

  11. She McP REVIEW:
    February 24, 2009

    Instead of the tomato puree I used Campbells tomato soup and only made enough for dinner and had left overs.Taste just like the real thing. Sooo good!

  12. score REVIEW:
    September 30, 2006

    I disagree with the previous review that only gave this 1 star.I use lean ground beef and drain it before adding the other ingredients. You definitely need to drain off the grease.I have never had A&W Chili Sauce, so I can't say if it compares as a copycat recipe or not. Regardless, this makes some darn good dog sauce.I make this for all of our large cookouts during the summer and people have come to expect that it will be there when we grill dogs. It is a bit sweet, but it's very tasty and I get lots of compliments on this recipe.

  13. seiermom REVIEW:
    December 1, 2005

    I had a coney dog at A&W yesterday and it was nothing like this recipe. This recipe is a waste of ingredents. It taste like candied meat. Way to much sugar.Also it does not say to or not to drain the meat. Will not make again.UCK!

Please note:
This is a copy cat recipe submitted to CDKitchen by a third-party. This recipe is not an original recipe unless specifically stated and is considered only to be an acceptable "clone" to the original for the home cook to attempt to duplicate. Please also note that many nationwide restaurant chains vary their menus and ingredients by region so the version provided may not be similar to what you may have tried before. All trademarks referenced are property of their respective owners.

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Copycat A&W Coney Island Sauce Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

What is Coney Island sauce made of? ›

Make the Beef Sauce

Add the beef, stirring frequently, until well browned. Drain liquids and juices from the skillet, but keep beef in pan. Add onion, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, allspice, ground mustard, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and water. Stir to mix thoroughly.

What is aw sauce made of? ›

A&W Papa Sauce is made with a blend of high-quality ingredients, including tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and a special blend of spices. These ingredients come together to create a rich and tangy sauce that pairs perfectly with A&W's signature menu items.

What brand of hot dogs does A&W use? ›

Koegel's hot dogs are considered by the authors of "Coney Detroit" as the best hot dog for a Flint-Style Coney Dog along with Abbott's Meat's coney sauce. Koegel is also a supplier of A&W, about 200 Coney restaurants, Walmart, Dairy Queen and Kroger.

What brand of chili does Coney Island use? ›

Detroit Chili is the original Coney Chili used by American Coney Island and some of the better Coney Islands throughout the city. The chili is concentrated. Heat it over the stove and add a cup of water and stir adding more or less water to your own taste. Don't freeze the onions.

What's the difference between chili sauce and Coney sauce? ›

Coney sauce has many seasonings related to the same traditional seasonings of chili, but is usually made with ground beef, and is much looser that “chili.” The Coney sauce was invented specifically to put on hot dogs as a flavor enhancement.

Is Coney sauce the same as chili sauce? ›

They might seem like different names for the same style of hot dog, but Coney Island dogs are smothered with a meat sauce that's not exactly chili—plus onions and yellow mustard. Chili dogs can be topped with meat and bean chili as well as cheese or cheese sauce.

What is the signature sauce of A&W? ›

Papa Sauce is a signature condiment offered exclusively at A&W restaurants. It is a rich and tangy sauce that adds a burst of flavor to a wide range of menu items.

What mayonnaise does A&W use? ›

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.

Are A&W and Dr Pepper owned by the same company? ›

The rights to the A&W brand (except in Canada) are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which in turn licenses the brand to the U.S.-based A&W Restaurant chain. A&W Root Beer products are distributed via various U.S. bottlers.

What is an A&W Coney dog? ›

An all-beef* hot dog, served with your choice of toppings. Try it with our signature meaty chili sauce, onions… any way you like it.

When did A&W stop selling hot dogs? ›

The ketchup and mustard served at A&W location are processed by French's at their Ontario facility and use only Canadian ingredients. The Whistle Dog, a hot dog dressed with cheese, bacon and relish, was available in Canada, but was discontinued at the end of 2016; the regular hot dog was similarly discontinued.

Where is Coney sauce from? ›

Some assert that in order to be an "authentic" Flint coney, the hot dog must be a Koegel coney and the sauce by Angelo's, which opened in 1949. However, the sauce was originally developed by a Macedonian in 1924, Simion P. (Sam) Brayan, for his Flint's Original Coney Island restaurant.

What's the difference between a hot dog and a Coney? ›

A Coney dog is a beef frankfurter in natural casing, nestled in a soft, steamed bun. Its topping of an all meat, beanless chili, diced white onions, and yellow mustard distinguishes it from the ordinary hot dog.

What's the difference between chili and hot dog sauce? ›

There's a bit of a discrepancy as to what makes chili for a hotdog different from the regular chili you eat from a bowl. According to cooking blog, The Country Cook, hotdog chili is thicker than regular chili and uses tomato paste. The blogger also defines hot dog sauce as just a little thinner than hot dog chili.

Is Coney sauce made from beef heart? ›

Background. Dave Gillie of Gillie's Coney Island in Mt. Morris has described the ingredient list from the 25 lb bag of Flint Coney base from Abbott's Meat as “beef heart, beef, and soy texture”.

What's the difference between a coney dog and a chili dog? ›

A chili dog is usually any type of hot dog in a bun topped with chili that has beans in it. A coney dog is specifically a beef frankfurter topped with an all-meat sauce made with a number of spices and no beans!

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