A tradition among tailgaters is tailoring their menu to the local cuisines of their opponents. We'll serve meals with cheese vs Green Bay, brats vs Minnesota, steaks vs Chicago, sea food vs the Seahawks, etc... And everyone wants to know what we eat here in Detroit. It's simple, it's easy to make, it is the virtual essence of what it means to dine in Detroit.

Coney Dogs! Many people around the country call them chili dogs, but here in the Motor City, they're coneys, and there are vehement debates to be had in Detroit about what the difference between coney and chili dogs are or if they are actually one and the same. I'm not the authority on the subject, but here are my opinions.

If you get down to the nitty-gritty, the debate about what constitutes a chili or a coney dog actually has it's roots in the definition of chili, which is a hotly contested subject in itself. Beans or no beans? Steak or burger? Spicy enough to set your nose hairs on fire or mild?

As far as I'm concerned, there is no difference between a chili or a coney dog, but a Detroit coney isn't simply any ol' chili slapped on a hot dog. Detroit coneys have no beans. It's a delicious concoction of tomato paste, chili powder, sugar, garlic and ground beef and various other ingredients smothered over a hot dog in a bun and heaped with onions and yellow mustard.

Chili dogs were originally concocted on the east coast and made famous at the original Coney Island Amusement Park in New York, but made popular by two Greek brothers in Detroit who's rivalry resulted in two side-by-side Coney Island restaurants in downtown Detroit; the famous American and Lafayette Coney Islands. You haven't been to Detroit until you've visited either one or both of the these restaurants.

There a many coney sauce recipes, some of which can be found HERE.

I've found that in a pinch, the stuff in a can in the chili section at your grocery store is just fine. It's found under various names such has "Hot Dog Sauce," "Chili Dog Sauce," and "Coney Sauce." I've found the local "Kroger brand" of coney sauce to be quite satisfactory. Many Detroiters may gasp at this paragraph, but hey, I've eaten many a coney dog and have every right as a Detroiter myself to say that Kroger makes a damn good coney sauce. Up yours.

Since this is such a delcate and important subject here in Detroit, there will be future articles and recipes discussing exactly what a true Detroit coney consists of, but for now all you need to know is ketchup has no place on a coney! Mustard and onions only! You heathens!