At first glance, it looks like a hot dog topped with meaty chili, what some call a chili dog. On closer inspection, we discover there’s no hot dog buried under there, just chili. Behold the chili bun, a beloved treat in the Appalachian Mountain South.
Chili bun chili is the same as used on hot dogs, and the best places make it from scratch using ground beef and a little gentle spice. It’s nothing like the chunky, fiery, and (in some circles) beany chili we eat in bowls. The texture is closer to sloppy joes but less tomato-y. Most recipes call for only a spoonful of tomato paste or ketchup. It’s also less bumpy. This smooth chili is thick enough to hold its shape on the spoon, but remains moist thanks to the generous amount of liquid in most recipes, usually water or flat beer. The liquid and uncooked ground beef are stirred together to form a slurry. As it simmers, the excess liquid cooks away leaving finely grained chili that isn’t greasy. To further finesse the texture, some cooks add a little thickener. (Rumor has it that the secret ingredient in some places is a small handful of crushed saltine crackers.) No matter the technique, the goal is chili that’s tasty enough to be a filling instead of a condiment, and thick enough to sit in the bun, not soak through it. Speaking of the soft steamed white bun, most people want it generously swabbed with yellow ballpark mustard. A few places offer chopped raw onion and a bottle of hot sauce to those who want to doctor up their chili buns a bit more.
Chili buns are regional, and even then, we might not find them just any ole where. We’ll have the most luck at small town restaurants, drive-ins, and what locals call a custard stand, which implies they sell ice cream, but not all do, at least not anymore. Be sure to grab plenty of napkins and while, you’re at it, go ahead and order two. They’re that good.
