“They said, ‘Come on, dudes, let’s get it on, ‘ and we proceeded to tear that hotel down”
Theme song by Grand Funk Railroad “We’re An American Band” from We’re An American Band
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I got fooled by an internet myth. I thought a Flint version of the iconic Detroit Coney Dog existed that used ground hot dogs in the sauce. I believed this because, as someone who grew up in Flint in the 70s & 80s, it made perfect sense. Flint has an inferiority complex about Detroit. Both were once auto towns, but Detroit was so much more than cars. Flint was not.
Detroit has a vibrant art & music community: The Stooges, Bob Seger, MC5, Suzi Quatro, & the brilliance of Motown.
Flint had Grand Funk Railroad. That’s it. Just one single famous rock band from Flint, and we were kind of fine with that, but not really. Yes, “American Band” is a perfect example of 70s hard rock & the excesses of touring. “Closer To Home” is a banger, psychedelic-tinged folk rock and their best tune. Their other hit covers a Motown song, naturally.
At one point, Grand Fuck Railroad claimed they were the “Loudest Band In The World.” Meanwhile, MC5 & The Stooges were deafening Detroit. Just another example of “Flint Myth Making.”
Much like this recipe. The Internet Legend claims this Flint Coney Dog recipe made with ground hot dogs was “passed down” from the owners of any number of Flint Coney Islands. In fact, it was published in the Flint Journal around 1976 as a way to make Coney Sauce without the traditional beef heart & kidney found in Detroit Coney Sauce. It turns out, though, this was probably lifted from a Frankenmuth Historical Association fundraising cookbook.
Flint in a nutshell: decently copying shit we saw & heard elsewhere without the same level of quality, but it was fine for us.
WE’RE AN AMERICAN BAND
Beef hot dog, coney sauce, white onion, & mustard
Makes 2 dogs
2 beef hot dogs
Coney sauce (see recipe below)
White onion, finely diced
Mustard
2 hot dog buns
Cook the hot dogs with your preferred method. Place dogs in the buns, add Coney sauce, mustard, & white onion.
Coney Sauce
1 lb of 80/20 ground beef
1/2 lb hot dogs
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
6 oz tomato sauce
6 oz water
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne hot sauce
Pulse hot dogs in a food processor. You’re looking for the texture of ground beef but not a paste.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the ground beef & hot dogs. Sauté until the beef & hot dogs get browned & slightly crispy. Do not drain the fat. Add the spices, stir to combine, & sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Continue cooking until there is no pink left in the ground beef.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer for at least 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.