Rhode Island Hot Wieners
This dish, common to Rhode Island, is known as New York System Hot Wieners—a meat sauce served atop hot dogs. A friend shared this recipe, offering a version close to the original. Variations exist, but this one is a favorite. Finding the right hot dogs can be challenging outside of Rhode Island; beef hot dogs are a suitable substitute.
This dish, common to Rhode Island, is known as New York System Hot Wieners—a meat sauce served atop hot dogs. A friend shared this recipe, offering a version close to the original. Variations exist, but this one is a favorite. Finding the right hot dogs can be challenging outside of Rhode Island; beef hot dogs are a suitable substitute.
- Carbohydrate 38.7602715791328 g
- Cholesterol 78.498210600497 mg
- Fat 30.5493923129706 g
- Fiber 2.80445533082966 g
- Protein 26.7699117803494 g
- Saturated Fat 11.0809451022542 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (221g)
- Sodium 1163.16788713327 mg
- Sugar 35.9558162483032 g
- Trans Fat 2.93075191000427 g
- Calories 537 calories
Step-by-step
- On medium-high heat in a 2 quart pan, brown ground beef, do not drain any liquid after ground beef has browned.
- Add 1-1/2 cups of the onions; set aside the remaining onions for later.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together.
- Add enough water to cover the ground beef to the top and allow to boil.
- Once mixture comes to a boil, lower heat to low and allow to simmer until liquid has boiled down (this may take an hour or more).
- Stir constantly.
- When liquid is almost completely gone, mash cooked ground beef with a masher - meat mixture should be finely coarse.
- Grill the hot dogs (do not boil or steam), place in buns and spoon meat sauce over hot dogs.
- Add mustard and onions and sprinkle celery salt on top of everything!
Finely textured beef sauce clings to charred casings, releasing pungent aromas of mustard powder and celery salt upon contact with steam from the bun. The preparation relies on starting with un-drained ground beef possessing a high fat content. Retaining this rendered fat is chemically crucial because it acts as a thermal transfer medium and an emulsion base, allowing the substantial dose of chili powder and ground black pepper to dissolve evenly rather than burning against the pan bottom. Simmering the mixture uncovered over low heat for an hour or more allows excess water to evaporate completely while proteins break down into small, cohesive aggregates. Mashing the cooked meat just before the liquid fully dissipates creates the characteristic fine granule texture necessary for the sauce to blanket the cylindrical shape of the hot dog without sliding off. Grilling the beef hot dogs instead of boiling them develops Maillard reaction compounds on the outer protein surfaces, adding savory depth that cuts through the spice heat. Leftovers improve after twenty-four hours in refrigeration as the aromatics fully saturate the muscle fibers, making the sauce equally viable for repurposing over baked potatoes or French fries.
