A Flint style coney (with dry coney sauce) at Rio's Coney Island in Flint, Michigan |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Detroit, Michigan Flint, Michigan |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Main course |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | Beef All-meat chili Yellow mustard Diced yellow onion |
Coney Island hot dog (also Coney dog or Coney) refers to a natural casing beef hot dog, topped with an all-meat beanless chili, and diced or chopped white onions with one or two strips of yellow mustard. The variety is a fixture in Jackson, Flint, Detroit, and southeastern Michigan.[1] Despite the name, the "Coney Island" preparation style has little direct association with Coney Island, New York itself, beyond a recognition of the birthplace of the original hot dog.[1] A Coney Dog is not to be confused with a generic Chili Dog which is a synthetic casing hot dog that is boiled with Texas style chili draped over it.
In some areas, most notably central and western New York, the term "Coney Island dog" is also used in connection with the white hot, a stronger and more spicy variety of the traditional pork hot dog.[2]
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The Coney Island Dog was invented by George Todoroff in Jackson, Michigan, when he opened his restaurant, Todoroff's Original Coney Island, in 1914.[3][4] What makes Todoroff's Coney dog unique from a hot dog, a Michigan hot dog, cheese dog or subsequent Coney dogs, is its beanless chili, typically utilizing beef heart. The grilled hot dog is topped with this thick chili, as well as yellow mustard and chopped white onions. The hot dog itself is never boiled or steamed.
The Detroit and Flint Coney Dogs were introduced three years later by American Coney Island and later Lafayette Coney Island, both of Detroit. Flint style Coneys are closely related to the original Jackson dog, and are characterized by a dry chili more similar in consistency to ground beef than chili. The Detroit style chili is more of a sauce with a smooth, creamy consistency utilizing Hungarian spices. The hot dog of choice for both is generally a Koegel Vienna made by Koegel Meat Company in Flint. Many in Michigan make the claim that in order to be an "authentic" Flint or Detroit Coney, the hot dog must be a Koegel Vienna.
In Cincinnati, the "cheese Coney" is a variation of the Coney Island hot dog topped with the city's unique style of chili, onions, and shredded cheese which nearly hide the wiener, which is smaller in size than the typical Detroit-style Coney dog. Its popularity makes Cincinnati nearly synonymous with cheese Coneys; outside of Cincinnati, the topping is referred to "Cincinnati style chili," whereas within the city it is simply known as "chili" from the many neighborhood franchises started by Greek immigrants.[5]
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