The Official Coney Dog Thread

[ssandy_561]

Don't knock it until you try it.

[Aimless1]

Fun video. Love Koegel dogs. Life long Michigan resident and did not know the coney originated here. Have to agree that if we have a thread dedicated to Coney dogs then we need at least one coney recipe. Sadly, never made them at home so I have nothing to offer.

[Troutman]

Lol...you said "weenie"

[Troutman]

Wait, Texas brand sauce made in Buffalo, New York? Sorry not feeling that one....

[JeffJ]

When I was growing up one of my favorite restaurants in Plymouth (my parents still live in the house they bought in '79) was Daly. It goes back decades and had a fairly prominent footprint in Southern-Eastern Michigan back in the "Happy Day's" era. The one I grew up with had those outdoor drive-in lanes where you dined in your car with the waitress bringing the food to you. Now, in the '80's those drive-up booths were barely used but the traditional diner menu remained. Believe it or not, I was a really finicky eater when I was young - I didn't like pizza, hamburgers or fries. But I loved the menu at Daly. Their vegetable beef soup and their foot-long coney dogs were divine. I bring it up because I haven't had a Daly-Dog since I was in college (I graduated in '93). I am thinking a pilgrimage to the Daly in Livonia is necessary to see if the soup and the coney are as good as I remember.

Here is a link to their website:

http://dalyrestaurants.com/menu?cat=5

When my mom and dad were dating Daly was a hot-spot and none of the teens ever set foot in the restaurant. All food was "carry-out".

[JeffJ]

CaptainMike When I make coney sauce, I wing it. I am on a quest to develop the perfect coney sauce recipe. Once I have done so and taste-testers agree that it's sublime, I will post the recipe on this thread and will create a separate thread that features the same recipe. I'm not there yet, unfortunately, which was one of my motivations for creating this thread - Pit member suggestions.

[CaptainMike]

OMG, will one of you guys just give us a recipe!! Many of us probably didn't even know that a Coney Island dog isn't just a weenie smothered in chili, cheese and onions (which doesn't suck either).

[JeffJ]

Great tip ssandy_561. One constant my research has shown is that the meat should be pretty fine. If that is more easily achievable without browning, I'm going to incorporate it.

[ssandy_561]

The best way to cook a natural casing hot dog in my opinion is "The reverse sear" method. I've been doing that for years for hot dogs even before seeing it here on Amazing Ribs for steaks.

I never thought to do the reverse sear technique for steaks until I saw it here.

[JeffJ]

cscheib I'm not a fan of Kogel's franks. I have wanted to like them and have tried to force the issue, but I just don't care for them all that much. Don't get me wrong, they are not bad by any stretch, I just prefer Dearborn or even Ball Park over Kogel's.

[JeffJ]

National makes pretty good coneys. Lipuma's Coney Island in Rochester Hills makes excellent coneys. Between American and Lafayette...I always thought I preferred Lafayette. I dined at American last November and Lafayette a couple of weeks ago and thought American was better. which surprised me.

[ssandy_561]

The one thing I do when I make my coney sauce is I do not brown the ground beef. I cook it in the water. It gives the beef a finer texture which I believe makes the coney sauce better

[cscheib]

I'm an advocate of the Flint-style (Angelo's) coney - I don't like coneys that are too saucy. The beef heart adds richness. Some recipes incorporate ground hot dogs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney_...og#Flint_style

I grew up just south of Flint, and went to college there, so perhaps I'm biased. But, Koegel's dogs are the best, skin-on or skinless.

Disclaimer: Of the oft disputed duo, I think American is trash (and dirty) - I'd rather even have National. Lafayette all the way. Credentials: I work downtown, live just north of there, and been an MI resident my entire life.

[JeffJ]

I'd be very interested to see (and taste) the final product.

[ssandy_561]

All I know about coney dogs is what you need to make the best one