Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown the beef.
- Add the ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking it into very fine crumbles as it browns. Drain excess grease if necessary.
Add it to the slow cooker.
- Transfer the browned beef to your slow cooker.
Add everything else.
- Add the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, tomato paste, yellow mustard, Frank's RedHot, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.
- Stir really well until everything is evenly combined.
Let it do its thing.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally if you're around.
- The sauce should become thick, rich, and spoonable rather than soupy.
Taste.
- Give it a taste before serving and adjust the salt if needed.
Serve it properly.
- For the classic experience, spoon Michigan sauce generously over a hot dog on a warm bun and bury it under finely chopped white onion and yellow mustard.
- Napkins are not optional.
Notes
The beef matters.
I brown my ground beef first and break it into really fine crumbles. Michigan sauce should be spoonable and almost melt into the hot dog—not have giant hamburger chunks sitting on top. If your beef is particularly fatty, drain off the excess grease before adding it to the slow cooker. Yes, I use Frank's.
I use Frank's RedHot Original, and ¼ cup sounds like a lot more heat than it actually brings to a big batch of sauce. For me, it's as much about the tang and flavor as the spice. If you're sensitive to heat, you can start with less and add more to taste. And yes, there's brown sugar.
One tablespoon isn't here to make the sauce sweet. It rounds out the acidity from the tomato, mustard, and hot sauce. Some Michigan recipes don't use it. Mine does. Let the crockpot do its job.
Four hours on LOW gives everything time to come together. This is one of those sauces that gets better after it's had some time to sit and think about what it's done. It might be even better tomorrow.
Like chili, Michigan sauce is fantastic after a night in the refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container, then reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Freezer friendly.
This freezes beautifully. Let the sauce cool completely, portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat when the Michigan craving strikes. The classic Michigan:
Warm bun + hot dog + a generous amount of Michigan sauce + finely chopped white onion + yellow mustard. Don't be shy with the onions. Not from Upstate New York?
You absolutely don't need to limit this to hot dogs. Put it over fries, baked potatoes, burgers, tots, or make yourself a trash plate and fully commit to the experience. A note about authenticity:
There are approximately a million opinions about the “correct” way to make Michigan sauce. Some recipes boil the beef, some brown it, some cook it directly in the sauce; ingredients vary from family to family. This is my Uncle KiKi's version. You are welcome to modify it. Just know that somewhere in Upstate New York, someone will probably have an opinion about it. That's part of the experience.
I brown my ground beef first and break it into really fine crumbles. Michigan sauce should be spoonable and almost melt into the hot dog—not have giant hamburger chunks sitting on top. If your beef is particularly fatty, drain off the excess grease before adding it to the slow cooker. Yes, I use Frank's.
I use Frank's RedHot Original, and ¼ cup sounds like a lot more heat than it actually brings to a big batch of sauce. For me, it's as much about the tang and flavor as the spice. If you're sensitive to heat, you can start with less and add more to taste. And yes, there's brown sugar.
One tablespoon isn't here to make the sauce sweet. It rounds out the acidity from the tomato, mustard, and hot sauce. Some Michigan recipes don't use it. Mine does. Let the crockpot do its job.
Four hours on LOW gives everything time to come together. This is one of those sauces that gets better after it's had some time to sit and think about what it's done. It might be even better tomorrow.
Like chili, Michigan sauce is fantastic after a night in the refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container, then reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Freezer friendly.
This freezes beautifully. Let the sauce cool completely, portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat when the Michigan craving strikes. The classic Michigan:
Warm bun + hot dog + a generous amount of Michigan sauce + finely chopped white onion + yellow mustard. Don't be shy with the onions. Not from Upstate New York?
You absolutely don't need to limit this to hot dogs. Put it over fries, baked potatoes, burgers, tots, or make yourself a trash plate and fully commit to the experience. A note about authenticity:
There are approximately a million opinions about the “correct” way to make Michigan sauce. Some recipes boil the beef, some brown it, some cook it directly in the sauce; ingredients vary from family to family. This is my Uncle KiKi's version. You are welcome to modify it. Just know that somewhere in Upstate New York, someone will probably have an opinion about it. That's part of the experience.