Tony Packo's Hungarian hot dogs

In MASH episode 97, Cpl. Max Klinger remarked: "If you're ever in Toledo, Ohio, on the Hungarian side of town, Tony Packo's got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs.". After that crack, Tony Packo's Cafe became world-famous and the demand for its hot dogs exploded.

This recipe is my attempt to replicate Tony Packo's Hungarian hot dogs. http://www.tonypacko.com

Label contents

beef, water, chili spice (chili pepper, spices, salt, garlic), soy protein concentrate, sugar, salt, modified cornstarch, garlic, lecithin

Method

Pulverize the garlic. In a Dutch oven, sear the ground beef in hot, bacon grease. With a slotted spoon, remove the beef then discard the grease. Return the beef to the pot.

Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Throw in the garlic and sugar. Add enough water to cover the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir the pot until the ingredients are well-incorporated. Bring the liquids to a boil, cover, cut the heat to a slow simmer and braise for 1 hour. Stir the pot - on occasion.

Measure the Kielbasa sausage to the length of a hot dog roll. Cut two lengths of sausage. Brown the sausages, then cover them with water - never allowing the water to boil. Simmer the sausages slowly.

When the chili is done, mix the cornstarch with 1 Tbl of cold water. Stir thoroughly to combine. Pour a small amount of the cornstarch/water mixture into the chili sauce to thicken it. Continue pouring small amounts of the mixture until the chili is reasonably tight. The consistency of the chili should be thick - so as not to disintegrate the hot dog rolls.

Slice the sausages in half. Load each slice into a hot dog roll. Spread heaps of chili over the slices in their rolls.