Recipe: Hot Dog Meat Sauce a la Stewart’s Shops

A well dressed tube steak with hot dog meat sauce.

This hot dog meat sauce is so close to the product offered at Stewart’s Shops, we predict you could swap out the crockpot on the counter and regular customers would not notice any difference. After our earlier experiment we simplified, added paprika and included cornstarch as a thickening agent. Makes about 2 c, enough for a cookout’s worth of hot dogs.

Ingredients:
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 c canned tomato sauce
2 c water
2 T mild chili powder (we used Toné)
1 T paprika
¼ t cinnamon
½ t kosher salt
¼ c dried onions
½ t garlic powder
2 t cornstarch in 2 t water

Stewart’s hot dog meat sauce is on the left, ours on the right. Can you tell the difference?

Method: sear the meat without browning until fat renders and any redness disappears. Drain off some fat if you like and add tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until most liquid evaporates and the sauce reduces to coat a spoon consistency, about 2 hours. Mix in cornstarch slurry and stir until sauce thickens somewhat. Serve hot as a hot dog condiment.