Texas Hots Hot Dog Sauce
on Jul 09, 2026
You need to make this Texas Hots Hot Dog Sauce recipe. This Upstate NY favorite hot dog topping has been popular for MANY years with locals and tourists. The topping is easy to make and you will want to make it every time you are serving dogs.
If you grew up in Upstate NY or Northern Pennsylvania or even visited the area, you will most likely know what Texas Hots are. If you are not familiar let me tell you, you have really been missing out on the BEST hot dog topping EVER.
Looking for other hot dog recipes? Try my Beans and Weenies or Cheese Coneys with my Cincinnati Style Chili.
Texas Hots are a hot dog topped with mustard, onion and a unique seasoned ground beef meat sauce. Some stands serve with ketchup as well (not my favorite way to enjoy them). The meat is boiled with just a couple of spices. The sauce has no beans like a chili hot dog topping and no tomato base. It still amazes me that just a few spices create such a delicious topping for hot dogs.
There are many various family recipes for Texas Hot Meat Sauce that are served in small town local hot dog stands all over NY. Most families keep their recipes secret. I personally grew up loving M&M Red Hots located in Elmira, NY. One of the other famous stands was located in Wellsville, NY. It is called Texas Hots.
My favorite recipe was my grandfathers. Unfortunately, I never had him share his recipe before his passing. So, I worked some magic and came up with what I think closely resembles the famous stands recipe.
You may be wondering why the hot dogs are called Texas Hots? I am still baffled at why Texas was included in the name considering it is a favorite in the North East. That history has been lost over the last century of the hot dog meat sauce existence.
Texas Hots Hot Dog Sauce Ingredients
Texas Hots Sauce isn’t all that different than an old school hot dog sauce. The main difference here is going to be the focus on seasonings: it ends up tasting a bit like a sweet and spicy chili. The ingredients list is pretty short, so here’s all you need:
- Ground Beef – Avoid getting extra fatty ground beef for this recipe. 80/20 ground beef is about as fat as you want to get unless you want to drain some of the excess fat off. We went with 85/15 ground beef.
- Garlic – Minced garlic and jarred garlic are perfectly fine here.
- Salt
- Spices – These are going to be what gives our Texas Hot Hot Dog Sauce it’s distinct flavor. Something like a red chili powder makes up the bulk of the seasoning followed up by some cumin to give it a sort of Texas chili flavor. Round it out with allspice and a bit of cinnamon.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Texas Hot Sauce
Making Texas Hots Sauce is really easy too, since all you need is one pan and plenty of time to simmer on the stovetop. You’ll end up throwing all the ingredients into your pot, mixing them up, and letting them cook- so simple and easy! For a quick guide, here’s our full recipe:
- First, set a medium pan on the stovetop and add ground beef, garlic, salt, and spices. Crumble ground beef and mix together before cooking over medium-low heat for 5 minutes to brown and heat through. Add water, break beef down further, and let simmer for at least an hour before serving.
Storage / Freezing
Storage: Treat our Texas Hots like you would any meat sauce or hot dog sauce. Let leftovers cool completely before transferring to an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Freezing: Freezing Texas Hot Dog Sauce is also an option. Again, let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag- making sure you squeeze out any excess air. Keep frozen for up to 6 months and reheat slowly on the stovetop for best results.
Tips for the BEST Texas Hots
- Be sure to chop the meat into very small pieces. A wooden spoon works well.
- Let the meat simmer for at least an hour. Add additional water if the sauce thickens too much.
- Don’t skip the mustard and diced onion. The flavors from both of these really add to the nostalgic flavor.
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Texas Hots Hotdog Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 2 1/4 tsp Cumin
- 4 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 3/4 tsp Allspice
- pinch Cinnamon
Instructions
- Crumble ground beef in medium pan. and add garlic and spices
- Cook over medium low heat while chopping inyo small pieces for about 5 minutes.
- Add water and continue breaking into vary small pieces, Cook for 1 hour.
Notes
- Be sure to chop the meat into very small pieces. A wooden spoon works well.
- Let the meat simmer for at least an hour. Add additional water if the sauce thickens too much.
- Don’t skip the mustard and diced onion. The flavors from both of these really add to the nostalgic flavor.
Nutrition
