The Origin Of The Chili Dog Is A Meaty Mystery

Many dishes come with a storied history regarding their invention. Combinations appear at a whim, and then chefs quarrel over the title of first — just take a look at the contested origin of potato skins. Sometimes, there's enough proof to back up a claim, but more often than not, the precise details are lost to history. Such is the case for the chili dog — many theories circulate regarding who topped the sausage with meat sauce. Yet look into the details, and America's melting pot of cultures is revealed.

For starters, it's necessary to deconstruct the chili dog itself. Most know it as a hot dog topped with spicy slow cooked chili meat sauce, and perhaps some onions, cheese, and other regional toppings. In a similar vein, there's also the Coney Island dog, which also covers a sausage with meat sauce, albeit more mildly flavored with oregano, and chocolate. Most include this creation in the chili dog umbrella, although the distinction is contentious.

Such a disparity emerges by way of the influences. The former, more spiced chili is a Mexican-American creation born in San Antonio. Meanwhile, the Coney Island dog intertwines with Greek-American cuisine, a reworking of pasta meat sauce called saltsa kima. When and where each take was first spooned atop the hot dog is debated — and therein lies the meaty mystery.

The first version of the chili dog to achieve popularity was the Coney Island style, which confusingly holds roots in Michigan. It's believed that the name is an ode to the New York City area that lays claim to the American-style hot dog, rather than the location of invention. Most propose that Greek and Macedonian immigrants encountered hot dogs in this area, then moved to the Midwest, and established their own take on the style.

An especially early claim goes to Jackson, Michigan's George Todoroff, who's said to have first paired hot dog and meat sauce in 1914. Meanwhile, in nearby Detroit, American Coney Island started serving chili dogs in 1919, with Lafayette Coney Island opening next door 15 years later. Today, all three of these Michigan institutions clash over credit for the dish.

Mexican-American style chili was first documented atop a hot dog in 1939, at a legendary stand called Art's Famous Chili Dogs in Los Angeles. Opened by an ex-chemical engineer during the Great Depression, the restaurant placed down its own claim as the first true chili dog. The same year, the still-operating Pink's took off in the city, too — they started selling the dish during the 1940s. The popularity of these businesses helped bring the chili dog into the mainstream, and the food achieved widespread popularity by the 1950s. With the abundance of self-reported stories, it's impossible to verify the true first, but all such businesses helped the chili dog legacy thrive.

In large part, chili dog's tangled history is due to its numerous variations. Past the Coney Island style, the dish emerged in an enormous variety of regional takes, which — spoonful at a time — added to chili dog history. For example, Cincinnati is famous for an especially cheesy chili dog, which comes topped with a large amount of grated cheddar. The meat sauce seasoning includes flavors like cinnamon and allspice, meaning it's similar to the Coney Island style. It's said that Thomas Kiradjieff's version first crafted this version in 1922.

Meanwhile, in 1924, a Greek entrepreneur in New Jersey invented a chili dog style he called the Hot Texas Weiner (with the sausage name purposely misspelled). The dish contained a bolder dash of heat, hence its reference to the Southern state. Such a namesake expanded to Pennsylvania, too, initiating a dialogue between the Greek and Mexican American dish.

After World War II, the pepper-accented chili starting became readily available in cans, furthering the dish's popularity. To this day, chefs still find the best way to dress up canned chili for hot dogs. So with easy access to the fragrant meat sauce, the appearance of chili dogs kept increasing. Nowadays, you'll find the comforting classic all across the States, absorbing local flairs like a New Mexico take with hatch chiles or artisanal versions on the West Coast.