Footlong Coneys (Slow Cooker) comprise a delicious Coney sauce from your slow cooker on footlong hot dogs with cheese and onions.

Footlong Coneys
by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

I meant to have this delicious crock pot sauce up last week, but I have been both busy and distracted; holiday preparations, a death in the family, other unexpected things have sort of knocked me down.

And here it is, the Fourth of July (that’s the American Independence Day for all those abroad) and the sun is shining and life goes on even through the shock of the shells the neighbor has been firing off (those must have cost a pretty penny, loud as they were and still are). Barbecue is afoot! Which the aroma in the air would be more than clue enough for any Sherlock to figure out, and if that person wait too long in their figuring, they might be out of luck as the last rib dances away in someone’s happy fingers. And we have all the usual sides, the sweet potatoes, mac salad, deviled eggs, crock pot greens, corn, watermelon, blackberry pie, peach pie, pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing (the cool weather lately set that craving off) along with lots of iced tea and copious amounts of beer.

So where are the BBQ recipes? Well, if you are looking for those just now, you might be a bit late, but I do promise some later that you can tuck away for Labor Day or just anytime.

These Coneys I had a couple weeks ago, trying to get ahead on the blog. And we here at the Lau household like our dogs. And ‘wursts. And burgers, and sandwiches. Yeah. We love it all.

And you have to remember that I live in Cincinnati, so in these parts, chili dogs get into the blood, although that type is not the kind I have made here. I do have the recipe for Cinti chili which can be used that way, or more usual, piled on top of spaghetti for a heart-attack on a plate. (And not from the calories or fat, but the sheer awesomeness of it!)

Cincinnati Chili

And this is NOT a Texas style chili either. Texas chili doesn’t belong on a hot dog, and if it does, it hasn’t been prepared right.

A good chili for a hot dog is a strange little thing. Not quite pure chili of *any* kind, but imbued with those mysterious flavors that seem to enhance a frosty mug of root beer delivered to your car window by a car hop on roller skates. Now there is a memory from childhood. And those drive-ins seem to have gone the way of Happy Days and memories almost forgotten, except. We still have a few of them around, run by entrepreneurs who remodeled the old drive-ins and fashioned the root beer by hand with their own recipes. And on their menus they offer the foot-longs, and the shorts (as they call the normal sized hot dogs), slathered with a trail of yellow mustard, a sprinkling of chopped white onion, a ladle full of Coney sauce, and a bit of cheddar cheese.

The mysterious flavors? I think I have them here, as best as I can tell from my own palate. Starting off with the flavors of usual chili con carne, it takes a left turn with the hints and aromas of a sloppy joe. Not altogether apparent until you take a bite of a Coney and imagine the flavors I have put in it, and then it seems the mind remembers they were always there. Were they ever not there? Why did we not notice them before? But yes, they are now captured and quickly eaten away with every last bite of frankfurter and bun.

And the great thing about this sauce is that it is so easy to make in a crock pot, in fact, it needs to be made that way so the long cook time really gets the meat tender. No Coney ever deserved chewy hamburger meat on it. I also mince the onion for the sauce really fine in a food processor because I really don’t want onion showing up in the sauce–it needs to disappear. You could grate it by hand, but who wants to?

The beef is browned to add that touch of flavor and all goes in, and some hours later, comes out to grace your wienies with the best sauce ever. I used foot long dogs and buns on mine, but I do admit I don’t like every brand. Same thing with any hot dog. But I did find one I liked, and I also have brands on the shorts I like as well. My advice is to go quality and natural casing and be sure to get nice soft buns.

The amount this chili covers will vary according to person, but will cover a good pack of dogs and if you have leftovers, it freezes easily so you have some made up for later. I love a good freezer stash!

I hope your holiday is a happy one as mine is, albeit the sad setbacks of late.

I am reminded of the tenacity of our revolutionary soldiers, ordinary men, mostly farmers, just trying to get through their everyday lives unhindered by oppressive problems. These days, we still have crazy problems of all types, but manage to move on, keep marching, trying to find peace and happiness in our own backyards, no matter who or where we are.

At that, the hard fought American flag salutes you, no matter where you are in the world, if you believe in fighting for what’s right to be able to live your life peacefully, in liberty, which is in fact, the American way.

~Sue

(listening to “Days are Forgotten” by Kasabian)

Cincinnati Ohio

July 4, 2015

You might also like:

Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Goetta Dogs

Spicy Jalapeno Beer Glazed Brats

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