Here’s my classic tuna sandwich. Tuna in oil, not water. Juice from the pickle jar adds tang – oh, and let’s use the pickles too! Dijon for flavour, dill for lovely herbiness, celery for crunch and green onion for freshness. Spread onto your favourite bread and enjoy!

Only homemade tuna sandwiches

One of my dark food secrets is that I’m actually a picky eater. The list of things I don’t want to eat is actually pretty long. Which is why I have to cook.

Case in point – tuna sandwich. There’s just no way I’d ever get one from a food court sandwich shop let alone a pre-packaged one from a servo (that’s a gas service station, for all you non-Aussies out there!). Eewww, bet the bread is soggy, the filling is just nothing but mayo-greasy sloppy with cheap tuna that’s just horridly fishy.

Maybe there are great tuna sandwiches out there. But why risk it when you can eat a sure thing at home, adding zing and freshness to transform fish out of a can into a sandwich filling so good you’ll want to use it as a dip for dunking? (Oh yes I do!)

What you need for Tuna Sandwich Filling

Here’s what I put in my tuna sandwich filling.

• Tuna in oil will make tastier sandwiches than tuna in water. Olive oil is better than just plain oil. But if tuna in water is all you’ve got, don’t hesitate to plough forward!

  Canned tuna types – As with most things in life, not all canned tuna is created equal. Better quality tuna and responsibility fished tuna is pricier.

• Whole-egg mayo has a smoother flavour than ordinary, non-whole-egg mayo which is typically more vinegary and some brands are overly sweeter to my taste. I only stock whole-egg mayo (Hellmans and S&W are my favourite) and Kewpie (also an excellent choice!)

• Pickles – We are using both the pickle and the juice from the jar for the tang and free extra flavour in the tuna mixture. So the pickle type matters! I use your everyday standard dill pickles. Not sweet pickles, not sweet gherkins, not cornichons, not sour pickles, not spicy pickles!

  (Just jesting with the sternest, you can use any pickles you want here. :))

• Green onion – For freshness. Substitute with eschallots (US: shallots) ie the baby onions, or 1/4 cup red onion finely minced.

• Celery – For much needed crunch, else the filling is just mush. Finely minced so it melds in.

• Dill – For herby freshness. My favourite with tuna, though basil and parsley would make great alternatives.

Also: bread of choice (not going to lie. Everyday sandwich bread is my favourite!). And lettuce. For extra perky freshness and soggy-bread-protection.

How to make tuna sandwiches

This is going straight to my “for experienced cooks only” section: Dump everything in a bowl and mix. Don’t be intimidated! I’ll hold your hand through the whole process – I’ve even made a recipe video for you! 😂

1. Tuna filling – Drain the oil from the tuna then put it in a bowl with all the other Filling ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix assertively, breaking up the tuna into almost like a paste. Bashing up the celery and pickles to soften the edges and squeeze out a little juices into the filling is encouraged.

2. Make sandwich – Butter the bread, top with 2 slices of lettuce then tuna sandwich filling. Use as much or as little as you want. Clamp the other slide of bread on then cut and eat! See note below the photo for making ahead.

Matters of Tuna Sandwich

And a few final words on the humble Tuna Sandwich:

• Shelf life – The filling itself will keep for 3 days in a normal container or 5 days in a super airtight container (I have these insanely airtight Glasslock containers that extend food life because it’s like vac-packing).

• Sandwich shelf life – To minimise bread sogginess, butter the bread and use a layer of lettuce on each slice to act as a protection barrier. Sometimes I’ll double up, for extra protection. If you do that, your sandwich will be good for a day!

• Number of sandwiches – This recipe makes a generous amount for 4 sandwiches using everyday sandwich bread. You can make more if using smaller bread rolls.

• Scale the recipe – To make more or less, or to scale a recipe to the tuna can size you have, click / tap on the servings and slide. Handy!

As a side note, JB made mayonnaise using the oil we drained from the tuna. Trés cheffy thing to do, awesome tuna flavour, but it makes far more than you need for a single batch of this recipe and I’m not quite sure what to do with the leftover mayo other than make more tuna sandwiches, which means opening more cans of tuna and more leftover oil! 😂 So we didn’t use the homemade tuna mayo in this recipe. But drop a comment below if you want the recipe and JB will jot it down and we’ll pop it in the notes of the recipe card. – Nagi x

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Tuna sandwich

Recipe video above. Here's my version of the classic tuna sandwich. Tuna in oil, not water. Juice from the pickle jar adds much desired tang (oh, I use the pickles too!). Dijon for flavour, dill for lovely herbiness, celery for crunch and green onion for freshness. Spread onto your favourite bread and enjoy!

Makes enough for 4 sandwich-bread sandwiches, or 6 medium bread rolls.

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Western

Keyword Tuna Salad, tuna salad sandwich, tuna sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 6

Calories 688cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Tuna sandwich filling:

• 425g/ 15 oz canned tuna in oil , drained (Note 1)
• 3/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise or Kewpie (Note 2)
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery (1 stalk, cut in 4 lengthways, then finely diced)
• 5 tbsp finely chopped dill pickle (Note 3)
• 2 tbsp liquid from pickle jar (Note 3)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp finely chopped dill (or parsley or basil)
• 1/3 cup finely sliced green onion , ~2 stems (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For sandwiches:

• 8 pieces butter lettuce (2 per sandwich)
• Salted butter , for spreading
• 8 slices bread or 4 rolls (Note 5)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Filling – Put all the Tuna Filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix well using a wooden spoon, breaking up the tuna so the filling becomes fairly smooth. The pickles and celery will take a beating too which is encouraged -> flavour melding!
• Sandwich – Divide Tuna Filling between 4 sandwiches (or more/less depending on bread size). I butter the bread and use 2 pieces of lettuce per sandwich. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Tuna in oil will make tastier sandwiches than tuna in water. But if tuna in water is all you’ve got, don’t hesitate to plough forward with this recipe! Same recipe works equally well with canned salmon.

2. Whole-egg mayo has a smoother flavour than ordinary, non-whole-egg mayo which is typically more vinegary and some brands are overly sweeter to my taste. I only stock whole-egg mayo (Hellmans and S&W are my favourite) and Kewpie (also an excellent choice!)

3. Pickles – Not sweet pickles, not sweet gherkins, not cornichons, not sour pickles, not spicy pickles. Just your everyday standard dill pickles! Pickled cucumbers are also good, though typically a little softer. (OK, I’m exaggerating, you can use any pickles you want here. )

4. Green onion – Sub with eschallots (US: shallots) ie the baby onions, or 1/4 cup red onion finely minced.

5. Bread – I like using plain, run-of-the-mill white sandwich bread! But, you can get fancy with your artisan stuff you want.

6. Storage – filling will last 3 days in an airtight container, give it a good mix as it gets watery. Assembled sandwich is best eaten fresh though if you want it to last longer, use a piece of lettuce on each piece of bread to provide a soakage protection layer (also don’t skip the butter).

Nutrition for one sandwich assuming 1 tbsp butter is used on white sandwich bread, thick cut (is there any other kind??):

Nutrition

Calories: 688cal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 1154mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 711IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 3mg

My canned tuna recipes!

It’s amazing what you can make with a humble can of tuna….

The most amazing canned tuna pasta

Tuna Mornay (Tuna Casserole Pasta Bake)

Nicoise Salad (French Salad with Tuna)

Tuna Pasta Bake

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice (Nobu)

Canned tuna

Life of Dozer

What to do when there’s loud jack hammering coming from construction next door and you have to record a video voice-over? Hide in the storage room. With Dozer, of course. 😂

The post Tuna sandwich appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

A grilled cheese sandwich is not diet food. So when I have one, it has to be great! Crispy, salty, buttery exterior and oozy, molten cheese inside. Are you ready to meet the ultimate cheese toastie??

My two golden rules for a great Grilled Cheese

I realise it might seem strange to share a recipe for what is fundamentally just melted cheese between bread. And really, is there even such a thing as a bad grilled cheese? Perhaps not.

But there is such a thing as a GREAT grilled cheese sandwich!

So here are my two golden rules for my very best grilled cheese:

1. Use TWO types of cheese – mozzarella for stretch and another for flavour (gruyere and vintage cheddar are my favourites)

2. Give your sandwich press a miss. Use a pan on your stove! Just look at the superior golden buttery crust you get to bite into! ↓↓↓

Then to take it from excellent to new heights of greatness….

1. Use sourdough bread instead of ordinary sandwich bread;

2. Use freshly grated cheese instead of sliced or pre-shredded;

3. Butter both sides of each slice of bread; and

4. Be sure to use salted butter!

Grilled cheese vs cheese toastie – Fundamentally they are both toasted bread with melted cheese sandwiched between them. But toasties are made using a sandwich press or toastie maker, while grilled cheese is made on the stove in a skillet, griddle or pan.

Which is better? While it comes down to personal taste and convenience / speed, for me the grilled cheese wins hands down. The bread gets too squished in toasties and sandwich makers – even the ones that have a “thick set” option. The weight of the lid presses down on the bread too much. This also causes cheese to ooze out, limiting the amount you can put in the sandwich to not-enough. Travesty!!

And a quick note on other cooking methods…..

• Broiler/grill – This method works fine and is a good alternative for batch cheese toastie making but you can’t achieve that same awesome melding of buttery-bread-molten-cheese like you do in a pan. Nor will you get the same golden buttery crust! However, useful method to use for batch cheese-toastie making (my method: toast bread, place on rack, butter, cheese, grill, eat open face or sandwich together)

• Jaffle maker –The sealed edges and squished bread are the cons here. Though, still perfectly acceptable to scratch your cheese-toasties itch!

• Microwave – No, you haven’t, have you??? *YES I HAVE!* 🙈

What you need for a grilled cheese sandwich

Here’s what you need to make my idea of the perfect grilled cheese. However, rest assured there’s flexibility and options! It’s more about technique.

• Bread – This recipe will work fine with any sliced bread (sandwich, loaf etc) though you want to ensure the slices are not too thick (cheese might not melt), too thin or too soft (will get squished by the cheese) or too holey (cheese-escape-routes).

  My favourite is a nice sourdough but not those super fancy ones that come with a crazy thick, tough teeth-breaking crust. Just a normal, good sourdough is all you need!
  

• Cheese options – For the best grilled cheese, you want to use a combination of mozzarella (for its cheese pull and non-greasy melting qualities) with a flavoured cheese – because mozzarella actually has a very mild flavour. A good vintage cheddar or gruyere are my absolute favourites.

  Otherwise, I’ll use anything and everything – tasty, Monterey Jack, colby, swiss, cheddar. Just give me my grilled cheese!!!

  Grate your own cheese for the ultimate grilled cheese! The melt is superior – smoother, more even, and “softer”. Store bought pre-grated cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that prevents it from melting well, so it can end up kind of gloopy and rubbery. Cheese slices are better than using packet shredded cheese.
  

• Salted butter – Just your everyday butter that you use to spread on bread and crackers. Else, use unsalted and add a light sprinkle of salt. Trust me – you really want the salt!

How to make the best grilled cheese sandwich (in my world)

I added “(my world)” to the end because I realise that some people might not agree or have different tastes etc. and that’s totally ok! I’m just here today to share what I think is the very best grilled cheese in the world. (I mean, MY world 😂)

1. Grate cheese – If not using store bought pre-sliced cheese, grate the cheese using a standard box grater. As noted above, store bought pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents which prevents it from melting properly.

2. Butter both sides of each bread. Yes that’s right, all four sides. Trust me on this!

3. Head start fry – Place the bread in a pre-heated heavy based skillet or non-stick fry pan over medium low heat. Let it lightly toast just for 1 minute. This will give this side of the bread a little extra toasty flavour as well as giving the cheese melting a head start – because we are going to flip the bread before piling the cheese on.

4. Flip bread & cheese it! Turn one slice of bread then pile the cheese on top (any order). Place the other piece of bread on top with the hot toasted side in contact with the cheese.

5. 3 minutes – Press down lightly and cook for 3 minutes until the underside is a deep, even golden brown colour. If it is browning too quickly, remove the pan from the stove, let it cool slightly and lower the heat.

6. Turn, 3 minutes – Carefully turn the sandwich. Cook the other side for another 3 minutes until golden and crisp, and (most importantly!) the cheese is melted. Take a quick peek if you are unsure.

7. Golden brown – This is what your bread should look like from edge to edge! A deep golden brown, even coloured, crisp. You know this is going to be good!

8. Cut – Transfer to a cutting board and cut in half, decisively and with intention. And then….wait for it…. THE CHEESE PULL!

Yup, that piece has my name all over it. JUST LOOK AT IT.

That golden, salty, buttery crust.

The molten cheese, the perfect combination of the beautiful melting qualities of mozzarella mixed with the flavour of gruyere or cheddar….

The first bite is EVERYTHING!

I really hope you give this recipe a go, even if you only make it once, just so you can experience the greatness of a really, really good grilled cheese sandwich!! – Nagi x

PS Reading back over this post, I find my extreme enthusiasm for butter-cheese-bread somewhat worrying. I hope that one day, my salad recipes read with the same level of energy.

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My best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Recipe video above. A grilled cheese sandwich is not diet food. So when I have one, it has to be great! So this is my recipe for my very best Grilled Cheese Sandwich. 2 types of cheese. The right bread. Butter both sides. And cook it on the stove! {Read in post for why.}

Crispy, salty, buttery exterior and oozy, molten cheese inside. Are you ready to meet the ultimate cheese toastie??

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Western

Keyword cheese toastie, grilled cheese sandwich

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1 toastie

Calories 807cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread , sliced 1.3–1.5cm thick (0.5 – 0.6″) – Note 1
• 30g/ 2 tbsp SALTED butter , for spreading on bread (or unsalted + pinch of salt)
• 1/3 cup (heaped) vintage cheddar cheese or gruyere, freshly grated (or other melting cheese of choice) – Note 2
• 30g/ 1/3 cup mozzarella, freshly grated – Note 2

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Butter bread – Slather both sides of each piece of bread with the butter (yes, all 4 sides!).
• Light toast – Heat a heavy-based skillet or frying pan over medium low heat (no oil or butter). Place both pieces of bread in the skillet and lightly toast for 1 minute to warm it through and create a light crust. (When we flip, this gives the cheese a head start).
• Pile on cheese – Flip one slice of bread, then pile on the cheddar cheese followed by the mozzarella. Place the other slice of bread on top, with the hot toasted side in contact with the cheese.
• Cook 3 minutes – Cook for 3 minutes or until the bread is evenly golden and crisp, pressing down lightly with a spatula every now and then. If it's browning too quickly, remove remove from the stove to cool down a bit and lower heat.
• Flip, 3 minutes – Turn the sandwich over, and cook the other side for 3 minutes or until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted.
• Devour – Transfer to cutting board. Cut in half in one swift motion. Admire cheese pull. Devour.

Notes

Note: The exact amount of butter and cheese you will need depends on the shape and size of your bread. My rule of thumb – more rather than less is better.

1. Bread – This recipe will work fine with any bread though you want to ensure it’s not too thick (cheese might not melt), too thin or too soft (will get squished by the cheese), too holey (cheese-escape-routes). My favourite is a nice sourdough but not those super fancy ones that come with a crazy thick, tough teeth-breaking crust. Just a normal, good sourdough is all you need!

2. Cheese options – For the best grilled cheese, you want to use a combination of mozzarella (for its cheese pull and non-greasy melting qualities) with a flavoured cheese – because mozzarella actually has a very mild flavour. A good vintage cheddar or gruyere are my absolute favourites.

Otherwise, I’ll use anything and everything – tasty, Monterey Jack, colby, swiss, cheddar. Just give me my grilled cheese!!!

Cheese slices work fine but honestly, you get a better melt using shredded. I promise. (I’ve had a lot of experience with both!). Please grate your own – packet shredded has anti caking agents, never melts as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 807cal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1427mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1292IU | Calcium: 629mg | Iron: 5mg

Life of Dozer

Post trip re-uniting treat, for both of us! He’s not usually allowed up on the couch without a full-towel-coverage situation. The fur…SO MUCH FUR. I’ll be vacuuming that couch tomorrow!

The post My Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

At the heart of a great egg sandwich is a creamy egg filling and essential to this are soft boiled, not hard boiled eggs! The creamy yolks practically makes its own mayonnaise sauce and the soft-set egg whites almost melt in your mouth.

Egg sandwich thoughts

You wouldn’t think that someone would have so many opinions about a simple egg sandwich, but as I sat down to write this recipe, it turns out I do! Here’s my egg sandwich thought-dump, roughly in care-factor order:

1. No rubbery bits of whites – I don’t like little firm bits of egg whites in what should be a creamy egg filling. So I use soft boiled eggs with soft just-set egg whites, rather than hard boiled eggs which is more common in standard egg sandwiches.

2. Semi homemade mayo – Soft boiled eggs = creamy yolk = practically makes its own semi-homemade mayonnaise. It’s so good! Better flavour and more luxurious with less mayonnaise required.

3. No celery. I know that might be an unpopular opinion but crunchy bits in a creamy egg filling, no matter how small or finely sliced, just don’t appeal to me. Goes in the same bucket as #1.

4. Soft bread is best. Too much filling oozes out when you bite the sandwich if you use chewy, crusty artisan bread like sourdough.

So, if all that sounds good to you, then let me introduce to the egg sandwich of your dreams!

Creamy egg sandwich filling

Here’s an up-close-and-personal look at the filling. The left photo is just soft boiled eggs mashed up. You can see that it’s already pretty creamy, even before adding the mayonnaise! Then the photo on the right is the finished filling after adding the mayonnaise and mustard.

What you need for my egg sandwich

As already emphasised a number of times (reeks of passion, right??!), the key ingredient here is soft boiled rather than hard boiled eggs! With creamy yolks, you only need a mere dab of mayonnaise and smidge of mustard for a creamy, luxurious filling.

If you don’t have chives, substitute with finely minced green onion.

• Soft boiled eggs – The creamy yolk gives you a head start on the creamy sauce so we only need 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 6 eggs (4 sandwiches). So we’re sort of making a semi-homemade mayonnaise here!

• Mayonnaise – Whole egg mayo is creamier and less tangy than normal mayo. My favourite brand is S&W (Australia), followed by Hellman’s and Kewpie (equal second).

• Dijon mustard – For flavour and a touch of tang.

• Chives – For freshness and nice green bits in our filling.

• Salt – Just 1/8 teaspoon! Trust me on this. Egg is weirdly salt adverse. The opposite of potatoes which can take loads of salt!

Best bread for egg sandwiches

As for the bread, you can really use anything you want though for traditional tea-type sandwiches (like pictured), soft white sandwich bread is the go. My only tip is to avoid crusty, chewy artisan bread (like sourdough). Filling ooze issues. Stick with soft bread!

How to make egg sandwiches

And the making part:

1. Cook soft boiled eggs and peel (8 minutes in boiling water). For full directions see my boiled eggs recipe, but I’ve included abbreviated directions in the recipe card below.

2. Mash the eggs using a fork to get it started, then a potato masher. The finer you mash, the creamier your filling! Once well mashed, you’ll see your filling is already semi-creamy.

3. Filling – Stir in the mayo, mustard, chives, salt and pepper.

4. Spread butter on the bread.

5. Spread filling on bread, from edge to edge!

6. Crusts – If you’re going for quaint English tea sandwiches, trim the crusts off then cut to your desired shape. The sandwiches pictured in post have been cut into 3 rectangles (4 sandwiches cut into a total of 12 finger sandwiches).

   TIP: For extra neat edges, refrigerate the sandwiches for 1 hour before cutting. This will set the filling so you can cut more neatly. But be sure to serve at room temperature!

And there you have it! My egg sandwich. I know there are recipes out there with more bells and whistles, using fancier ingredients like creme fraiche, perhaps a smidge of curry powder, and other add-ins.

But to me, all that is unnecessary if you use soft boiled eggs. This is one of those recipes where the end result is so much more than the sum of its parts. I hope you give it a go! Let me know what you think if you do. And also, you know I always love hearing your thoughts on my thoughts on matters of food. Do you disagree with my position on soft boiled eggs? Do you think celery is mandatory? Fancier bread? Bring on the egg sandwich debate! 😂 – Nagi x

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Egg sandwich

Recipe video above. At the heart of a great egg sandwich is a creamy egg filling and essential to this are soft boiled, not hard boiled eggs! The creamy yolks practically makes its own mayonnaise sauce and the soft-set egg whites almost dissolve in your mouth.

If you're making to impress, refrigerate to firm the filling so you can cut neat edges.

Course Lunch, Sandwich

Cuisine Universal, Western

Keyword egg salad, egg sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Egg cooling time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 full sandwiches

Calories 376cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Egg sandwich filling:

• 6 soft boiled eggs , at room temperature (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp whole egg mayonnaise (S&W brand best, Note 2)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp finely chopped chives (sub green onion)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt (yes really, that's all!)

Sandwich:

• 8 slices soft white sandwich bread (Note 3)
• Soft salted butter , for spreading on bread

Instructions

• Mash egg: Place the eggs in a bowl and crush with a fork. Once mostly broken up, use a potato masher to mash them up really well. Smaller egg white bits = creamier filling.
• Filling: Add remaining filling ingredients and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired, but add with caution because it's bizarre how little salt eggs can take!
• Make sandwich: Butter the bread. Divide filling between 4 pieces of bread, spread evenly edge to edge. Trim crusts (optional), then cut as you wish. (Note 4 tips)
• Serve: Always serve at room temperature, for best flavour!

Notes

1. Soft boiled eggs – Boil 10cm/4″ water, gently place eggs in, set timer for 8 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in sink or large bowl of cold water. Peel from base in water. (See boil eggs recipe for full directions & the why)

2. Mayonnaise – Whole egg mayo is creamier and less tangy than normal mayo. My recommended is S&W (Australia), followed by Hellman’s and Kewpie (equal second).

3. Bread – My preferred is Baker’s Delight standard white sandwich bread (thick cut which is thicker than standard slices) but any sandwich bread with work. (Australian chain bakery brand). Though if you use very chewy artisan bread with thick crusts, you may experience filling ooze issues when eating. The filling is creamy!!

4.Cutting – For extra neat cuts, refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting (this firms the filling). Pictured in post – each sandwich cut into 3 rectangle fingers. Other options diagonal (2 or 4 per sandwich) or squares.

5. Storage – 2 days in the fridge, but please eat at room temperature! You can’t taste the filling as much when fridge cold.

Nutrition per sandwich assuming 1 tbsp table butter spread per sandwich.

Nutrition

Calories: 376cal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 718IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg

Life’s too short for bland sandwiches!

Chicken sandwiches – gatherings, picnics, lunches!

Chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich)

Chili dogs

Reuben Sandwich recipe

Steak Sandwich

Cuban Pork Sandwich (Cubanos) from Chef Movie

Sandwiches and Sliders

Life of Dozer

No egg sandwiches for Dozer! 💨💨

The post Egg sandwich appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Welcome to the chili dog of my dreams! A thick, molten beef chili sauce, slow cooked for hours, designed to function more like a sauce so it smothers rather than running everywhere. As for the grilled hot dog? Skip the cheap footy franks. Smoked sausages are the way to go. Think – kranksy, bratwurst, half-smokes!

A cracking recipe for summer BBQ’s, game-day, and just when you need something seriously moreish.

THE chili sauce for hot dogs….

This is a chili dog that is inspired by the famous Half-Smoke Chili Dogs at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC. It’s an institution famous for their chili which is served in various formats – in a bowl, burgers, and chili dogs.

The chili sauce used for the hot dogs is different to the chili served in bowls. It’s noticeably thicker and smoother, and doesn’t have beans in it. Essentially, it’s like a thick sauce that stays on the hot dog better than regular chili so you can eat it with your hands.

I’ve always wanted to replicate the Ben’s chili sauce. I’ve had a few attempts over the years – surely I just need to slow cook for longer, longer! Nope, it just didn’t have that same “molten” texture.

The answer came to me when I was making lentil soup: a partial blitz. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce, and makes it smoother too. This changed my chili-dog-game forever. Will it change yours too??

Ingredients in chili dog

Alrighty, first up, what you need to make the chili sauce for hot dogs!

Ingredients in chili sauce

The ingredients are no different to my classic chili con carne except the ratios of the spices are a little different (more!). And there are no beans in this chili sauce so it’s smoother and sits in/on the hot dog better.

• Beef mince / ground beef – While this recipe will work with lean beef, it will not have as much beefy flavour. Because most of the good beefy flavour we love is in the fat!

• Beef bouillon cube (stock cube) – Better than salt! Adds more flavour.

• Onion & garlic – Essential flavour bases.

• Tomato paste and crushed tomato – For thickening and flavour of the sauce. By the time all the spices are added in and it’s been slow cooked, you don’t really taste the tomato at all.

• Capsicum/bell pepper – A traditional inclusion in chili.

Homemade chili powder for sauce

There’s no store-bought chili powder mix in my chili sauce. I prefer to make my own from scratch because the flavour of chili powder varies from brand to brand. Making your own ensures consistency of flavour for everyone!

Plus, chili powder spice mix, while common in the US, is not easily found in Australia.

No unusual players here. All pantry essentials (here’s my essential spices list, in case you missed it!), the same spices I use in my chilli con carne. However, I use slightly more spices to give the sauce a stronger flavour because less sauce has to go further when it’s used in a hot dog bun compared to serving a big bowl of chili. Am I making sense?? Not sure I’m explaining that well!

Spiciness – There’s a decent amount of cayenne pepper in this to give the chili sauce a spicy kick, as is traditional. Feel free to dial it back. You can just add it right at the end, bit by bit, tasting as you go.

Chili dog

For the best hot dog of your life, skip the everyday cheap hot dogs and go for a good German or other European smoked sausage (Austrian, Polish). You’re welcome!

Smoked sausages – better than hot dogs! Chili dogs are typically made with economical thin hot dogs. Think – uniform pink colour that are 30 – 40% fillers. Tasty enough, when smothered in a homemade chili sauce. But you can really dial-up your hot dog game by using good European smoked sausages – like kranksy’s, bockwurst, bratwurst, “continental franks”. Just ask Ben’s Chili Bowl. Their famous chili dogs use sausages called “half-smokes” which are a type of smoked sausage.

Why European smoked sausages are better – More meat, less fillers, they’re seasoned with flavour, and fatter so you get more sausage! They are smoked so they are technically cooked but most are usually grilled or pan fried before serving. Makes them even tastier.

Find them easily these days:

• Kranksy’s – a deli staple at large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies – see here online, Harris Farms). Get the smoked ones, if you can, but even un-smoked are 20x better than the “footy franks”

• Sausages in packets labelled “Continental Franks” or “Weiners”.

• German deli – If you are lucky enough to have a German deli in your area, it’s worth a visit because you’ll have an even better selection – and it’s hard to go wrong! Also, other European delis. The Polish and Austrians do wickedly good smoked sausages too.

• Where I go – Brot & Wurst in Narrabeen, Sydney, which is near my home. My favourite for chili dogs are Bockwurst (pictured above). But all the smoked sausages of theirs I’ve tried (probably most) are great!

• Hot dog buns – Look for soft, pillowy buns for the hot dogs to nestle in.

• Yellow mustard – Optional, I guess! For me, a chili dog isn’t a chili dog without a squirt of mustard. I use American mustard – 100% artificial yellow colour, 100% hot dog authentic.

• White onion – Optional! This is a direct copycat of the way the chili dogs are served at Ben’s Chili Bowl. A little sprinkle of finely chopped white onion brings a hint of freshness in amongst all that moorish, spicy, saucy goodness. I like to use white onion because it’s not as sharp as brown onion. Red onion will also work from a flavour perspective.

• Cheese – A sprinkle of shredded cheese on a chili dog is fairly common practice but melting is not. But, like good ole’ crispy shell beef tacos, melted cheese wins over un-melted cheese any day. So if you have the option to melt, why would you not?? (Bonus: Cheese melting oven time warms up the bun so you don’t have to do it beforehand plus gives all the flavours a chance to meld together into one cohesive chili-dog-of-your-dreams!)

How to make chili dogs

As I mentioned earlier, the one thing that’s a little unique about the chili sauce I make for chili dogs is that it’s thicker, smoother and more “molten” than the usual recipes you see which have larger, chunkier beef bits in a runnier sauce. This is because mine is designed to be like the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl chili sauce which is like a thick sauce that stays in the hot dog rather than slopping out everywhere when I take a (big!) bite!

The trick to achieve this? A little blitz. Releases flavour and thickens the sauce.

1. The chili sauce

1. Cook chili sauce – The chili sauce starts off like your everyday chili con carne. Sauté onion, garlic and capsicum. Cook the beef until it’s browned, then stir the tomato paste for a minute to cook out the sour raw flavour.

2. Add everything else – Add all the spices, canned tomato, beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes), salt and water and give it a good stir then bring it to a simmer.

3. Slow cook 3 hours – Simmer on a really low heat with the lid partially on. A cracked lid allows the sauce to reduce and thicken. Make sure the heat is really low and give it a stir every now and then to ensure the base doesn’t catch. Remember – we’re making a sauce that is thicker than typical chili con carne.

   It can also be cooked in the oven (160°C / 325°F for 3 hours) or slow cooker (low for 6 to 8 hours) – directions included in the recipe.

   After 3 hours of slow cooking, the beef should be very tender. Yep, you’ll need to have a spoonful to check!

4. Blitz to thicken and smooth – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth – it should only take around 15 seconds on high. This will release flavour and also thicken the sauce.

5. Stir in – Return the pureed chili sauce into the pot and stir well. As you stir, you should find that the slow-cooked beef bits start to fall-apart into really fine pieces of beef to make a smooth-ish, almost molten-like sauce.

   If your beef doesn’t do this, it will just need a bit of help from a potato masher. Just mash the beef straight in the pot until it becomes a fairly fine texture, like pictured.

6. Thick sauce – This is what your sauce should look like! Dollop-able but it mounds. Now you get to heap it on your hot dog!

2. Assembling chili dogs

Grill, stuff, smother, bake!

1. Pan fry or grill your hot dogs / smoked sausages until browned and warmed through. Don’t worry if the skin splits! Visually it doesn’t matter because it will be completely hidden by sauce.

2. Mustard & onion – Add a squiggle of mustard then sprinkle with onion.

3. Chili sauce – Smother with a good amount of chili sauce. Appreciate how it’s thick and stays on/in the hot dog instead of running everywhere!

4. Bake for 10 minutes – Top with cheese then bake for 10 minutes just to melt the cheese. Pull out of oven and start getting excited about sinking your teeth into these chili dogs!!!

When to make chili dogs

A backyard grill out, a gathering with friends. Game day, dinner tonight, and, well, just anytime because you can’t get darn-good chili dogs in your area. That would be ME!!

In all seriousness though. A good smoked sausage, pan fried or grilled then tucked into a soft bun is delicious as is.

Smother it with a thick layer of big-flavoured beef chili sauce, and you’re well on your way to food heaven.

Add a blanket of molten, gooey cheese and that, my friends, THAT is what food dreams are made of.

I really hope you try these chili dogs one day. For us Aussies, chili dogs are hard to come by and when we do find them, all too often they are terribly disappointing. I promise this won’t disappoint! – Nagi x

PS As long as you give the cheap footy franks a miss!

Watch how to make it

Print

Chili dogs

Recipe video above. A pan-fried or BBQ sausage smothered in chili sauce in a hot dog bun. Cracker of a recipe for summer BBQ's, gatherings with friends and game-day!

My chili sauce is a copy-cat of the famous Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke chili dogs in Washington DC. Love how their boldly spiced chili sauce is thick and almost "smooth", so it stays in the hot dog better. I replicated this by blitzing the chili a bit. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce. Win!

Also, skip the cheap hot dog "footy franks". Do what Ben's does – use a good smoked sausage.

Course BBQ, Main

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword chili dogs, chili sauce for hot dogs

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 8 hot dogs

Calories 761cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Homemade chili powder (Note 1):

• 3 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
• 3 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper , adjust to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Chili sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• 1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper , finely chopped
• 500 g/1 lb ground beef / beef mince
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g / 14 oz canned crushed tomato
• 2 beef cubes (I like Oxo, easy to crumble, Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt , plus more to taste

Chili dogs:

• 6 good smoked sausages (kransky, bratwurst, half-smoke) or hot dogs of choice (Note 3)
• 6 hot dog buns
• 1/2 white onion , finely chopped
• Yellow mustard (I use Heinz American mustard)
• 2 cups Colby or Monterey Jack , shredded (or other cheese of choice)
• Plain crinkle cut potato chips , optional side for serving (traditional!)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Chili sauce:

• Sauté aromatics – Heat oil over medium high in a heavy based pot. Cook the onion, garlic and capsicum for 3 minutes.
• Brown beef – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see raw meat. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
• Sauce – Add the spices, tomato, water, crumbled beef cube and salt. Stir well.
• Slow cook 3 hours – Bring the chili to a simmer then turn down to low, on a small burner. Put the lid partially on (to allow for sauce reduction). Simmer for 3 hours on low (goal: small bubble every now and then), stirring just to ensure the base doesn’t catch. OR put it in a 160°C/325°F oven for 3 hours (lid partially cracked).
• Slow cooker (Note 4) – Reduce water to 3/4 cup. After chili comes to a simmer on the stove, transfer everything to a slow cooker then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours on low.
• Thicken sauce – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth (~ 15 seconds). Add the pureed sauce back in the pot and stir well.
• Sauce goal – As you stir, the remaining beef bits should become quite fine (rather than bolognese type chunks) because the beef is so tender. If the beef bits are not as small as desired, use a potato masher in the pot – it won't take long. The chili sauce should be a thick sauce that mounds up a bit when you scoop it, not runny. (Note 5) Keep sauce warm.
• Optional rest overnight – Allow the sauce to cool then refrigerate overnight. As with most slow-cooked stewy things, the flavour improves! Reheat on the stove before proceeding.

Chili dogs:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Grill/pan-fry – Preheat a pan with 1/2 tbsp oil (or the BBQ) on medium / medium high. Brown the stages all over until they are heated through (they are already cooked inside, it's just about heating/colour).
• Assemble – Place hot dog buns on a tray. Stuff with a sausage, top with a squiggle of mustard and a sprinkle of onion. Spoon over a generous amount of warm chili sauce, top with cheese.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Traditionally with a mound of plain crinkle cut potato chips and an ice cold beer!

Notes

Servings note: Recipe realistically makes enough chili sauce for 8 hot dogs. But I just don’t know how big your buns will be so prefer to err on the side of caution. Nobody wants to run out of chili sauce!

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1. Spice notes:

• This blend of spices includes a homemade chili powder which I prefer to do because the flavour of store-bought chili powder mixes (in the US) vary from brand to brand.
• Garlic powder and onion powder can be substituted with more of the other.
• Cayenne pepper provides the spiciness (chili sauce is SUPPOSED to be a bit spicy!). This amount won’t blow your head off but if you’re concerned, hold some (or all) of it back and add right at the end, little by little.
• Mustard powder – sub 1 tsp dijon mustard

2. Beef bouillon cubes / stock cubes have more flavour than plain salt. 

3. Smoked sausages are my preference over economical hot dogs / “footy franks” – high proportion of fillers! Idea swiped from Ben’s Chili Bowl, they use half-smokes (famous Washington smoked sausages).

I use: smoked kransky’s, bratwurst, bockwurst, “smoked wiener” or “continental franks”. Available at German and other European shops, and large supermarkets (Australia). Even the common un-smoked kransky sold at most supermarket deli’s is way better than the cheap hot dogs! Love my local German small-goods shop, Brot & Wurst (Narrabeen, Sydney), their Bockwurst is my favourite for chili dogs.

4. Slow cooker note – While this recipe will work fine in a slow cooker, you just don’t get the same caramelisation around the edges on the surface of the chili like you do with stove and oven cooking, which adds to flavour. I’d say it’s 95% as good in a slow cooker! Oven and stove are just as good.

5. Sauce – If your sauce isn’t as thick as mine, just leave it on the stove on low, stirring regularly, until it reduces and thickens.

Nutrition

Calories: 761cal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 1458mg | Potassium: 883mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1442IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 432mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

I find it quite amusing that he can spend hours in the pool or at the beach and his furry golden head remains fluffy and dry while the rest of him is saturated.

Then I realised I do the same thing. Sometimes a girl just doesn’t want to ruin her hair, y’a know? 😂

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