Beef Dishes

Michigan Sauce

Posted by koolaidmoms on

There are certain foods that unless you are from a certain region or area of a state you may never hear of. Michigan sauce is one of those things. Now, Michigan sauce has nothing to do with Michigan, as far as I know. If you order a Michigan in Northern New York you will get a steamed hot dog on a steamed hot dog roll with some sort of tomato based meat sauce. Depending on where you order it from it may have onions and yellow mustard on it too.

The most likely story of how a Michigan is popular in New York and not in Michigan or the Midwest is that a couple opened a Michigan Hot Dog stand in Northern New York, in the 1920s. They served a hot dog similar to a Coney Island Hot Dog and people came to call it a Michigan because of the name of the stand.  Whatever the story this hot dog sauce is similar to a Coney Sauce.

Michigan sauce is different from Rochester Hot Sauce in that the hot sauce has a cinnamon, cayenne heat to it while the Michigan sauce is more tangy with no heat. Funny how areas develop their own flavors.

Verdict:

This was a hearty sauce that reminded us a bit of a Sloppy Joe. It had a vinegar tang with a bit of a mustard bite. We liked the sauce quite a bit but it wasn’t quite the sauce I remembered. I wonder if I need to head back some day and have another Michigan to work a bit more on the recipe.

Serve this over your hot dogs with onions and mustard as desired.

Michigan Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 8 hot dogs (preferably steamed)
  • 8 hot dog rolls (preferably steamed)
  • diced onions and yellow mustard for serving if desired

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they have softened and are turning translucent.
  2. Add vinegar, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and mustard to the onions. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Allow to come to a low simmer.
  3. Add ground beef to sauce and break up with a spoon into small pieces as it cooks. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until meat is cooked through and sauce is thickened.
  4. Serve over steamed hot dogs on steamed rolls if desired. Add onions and mustard as desired.

 

14 Comments Add yours

  1. RobbyeFaye says:
    July 17, 2017 at 1:50 pm

    Yummy, looks good!
    I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award, you can find all the info here: https://captivedreamswindow.wordpress.com/2017/07/17/6630/. Blessings~

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. koolaidmoms says:
      July 17, 2017 at 1:59 pm

      Thank you so very much!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. RobbyeFaye says:
        July 17, 2017 at 6:32 pm

        You are so very welcome!
        I have enjoyed making, and especially eating, some of your recipes!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. koolaidmoms says:
          July 17, 2017 at 6:34 pm

          You are so kind! Thank you!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. RobbyeFaye says:
            July 18, 2017 at 1:03 am

            You are so welcome!

            Like

            Reply
  2. olivetreebythesea says:
    July 17, 2017 at 2:44 pm

    I’m going to try this 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. koolaidmoms says:
      July 17, 2017 at 2:57 pm

      Hope you like. It has a savory vinegar tang that we liked. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. robbiesinspiration says:
    July 17, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    This sounds delicious.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. koolaidmoms says:
      July 17, 2017 at 5:56 pm

      Thank you#

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. relationspdbeverly says:
    July 26, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Do you ask the establishments you visit about the ingredients or do you guess by sight and with your palette?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. koolaidmoms says:
      July 26, 2017 at 10:44 pm

      Depends on the dish and the venue. This one is taste. Some places are happy to share while others are more secretive.

      Like

      Reply
  5. relationspdbeverly says:
    July 26, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    I would think that many wouldn’t be forthcoming. That’s very impressive that you can do that with the dishes where you have to guess.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. koolaidmoms says:
      July 26, 2017 at 11:40 pm

      I try…. 😉

      Like

      Reply
  6. Pingback: MMMM coney dogs | Metro Detroit Real Estate Blog

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