i'm not sure people are fully realizing the difference between coney island new york and the restaurants that are greek coney islands. there's a major difference. and on the latter;

unless you're from detroit you don't really need to voice any thoughts on this.

no tomato
all beef natural casing
and nathan's is crap. i wouldn't touch anything of theirs if you paid me

You can look up the origin of coney "sauce", the coney Island "dog" originated in NY, but, the sauce originated in Detroit, MI. by a greek man named "Gust" Keros in 1917. His original "coney" sauce contained beef hearts. The coney "dogs" he ate at coney Island were an inspiration, but the sauce originated in the Detroit suburb of Rochester by this man. It "did" contain tomato paste. It was also more like a gravy starting with a roux made from the ground beef and heart drippings and flour. Never beans though. I grew up in Detroit on this very sauce. My family's roots in Detroit go back to the 1800's and my great grandfather used to buy the "original" coney dog with "sauce" from Gust. The "dog" must also be natural casing dogs. So both are correct, the coney "dog" originated on coney Island, but the works or the coney we know today originated in Detroit, a natural casing pork/beef dog, mustard on the bun, coney sauce and finely diced onions, nothing else. Dad used to make the original sauce, ground beef heart and all.

Every state must have their own version of Coney Island sauce. The best I have ever had was from a restaurant in Perth Amboy N.J. called the Coney Island Restaurant. Their chopped meat was cooked down for hours, the Greek family was Christadotle.

Russ Perth is very correct about the Perth Amboy, NJ "Coney Island." That location, as well as a shop in Woodbridge which was next to the old Park Sweet Shoppe, were staple locations for generations. No tomato-based products used. The topping resembled coffee grinds. Best dogs ever! Mustard & raw onions. My mom was given the recipe which I make. Very close to this recipe but no tomato paste & garlic & onion powders are used in place of actual items. That is how the meat can become so finely ground.

By the way: The Perth Amboy location is still there. My hubby & I have wanted to stop in to see how they are being made. We couldn't even find a parking spot!

I love the passion shown here for hot dog related stuff. Coney dogs and chili dogs are 2 different animals. And although it is true that it can be a preference thing, beans in chili for a chili dog is wrong. Coney sauce with toato in it should be called chili sauce. Coney sauce should be drier than chili sauce...like taco meat kind of.

LOL!! wow you guys are serious about this Coney Island Sauce and hot dogs.

I too am from JACKSON, MI. The birthplace of the original Coney Island. And I can say with certainty that it Tordoroff's never used Tomato products. Also I am hungry and want to go home and get a coney now!!

George Todoroff created the first coney island hot dog concept in America in Jackson, MI. in 1914. By using the chili, he created, on a bun and hot dog with mustard and chopped sweet onions. Thus the birth of the coney island hot dog or coney island. Go to www.todorofffoods.com where you can order on line.

I know the guy who owns the recipe, he is one of the Todoroff kids. You can also by it at Meijer and Polly's.

Ok let me start by saying, I don't care where the Coney dog came from. All I know is I wanted one and my wife brought home hot dog sauce in a can!! It was made with beans, NOT GOOD! So I thought I would look for some other cans, All beans except one and it was SOY. So I have to make my own. After reading all these I figure there is a lot of ways to make it but I am going to try this sounds good...Thanks

I have heard many proclaim that true coney island hot dog sauce does not contain tomatoes, but I have not found a recipe that does not. Perhaps one of these purists can supply a good recipe without tomato sauce? Thank you.

Another Jacksonian (had Todoroffs, Christoffs, Lazaroffs as students). Any recipe that does not include mostly ground beef heart is NOT really a coney island hot dog. Period.

John, beef heart was introduced as a substitute during WWII in their chili because ground beef was so scarce. After the war when ground beef became plentiful again the Todoroffs returned to their original formula. Those that still use beef heart do so because it cost about one half the price of ground beef. Tomato products have never been used.

A true Coney Sauce DOES NOT HAVE tomato products in it. I worked in one of these CONEY Restaurants for a long time. Coney sauce no tomato... chili sauce has tomato

Arguing about the authenticity of a coney sauce recipe is like arguing about your favorite style of BBQ sauce. Who cares,as long as it tastes good, and in my opinion this sauce was very tasty. I would definitely make it again.

No clue on the recipe but I was born and raised in the Hot Dog capital, so said, New Castle PA where Greek Families were operating restaurants since the early 20s. Lookup Coney Island there and you'll find the best Hot Dog restaurant I grew up on in the 50s and 60s. No tomato sauce and no beans just great Greek chili. I've tried to duplicate that taste for decades I've lived out west for that long.

I was shocked to see a person from Jackson, Michigan where I also am from and I agree coney sauce there Very YUMMY. With no sauce in it. Virginia Coney Island in Jackson, Michigan is the best.

Haven't tried this yet, but was amused by all the comments on conies and chili dogs. I am a native of Cincinnati and grew up on conies, Cincinnati style. The best. And I believe the recipe was of Greek origin. I live in Kentucky now and sure do miss a real coney!