More than a spoonful, less than a ladle.
90% of the time, I just want a spoonful.
The other 10% I’ll have what I call an “open faced” chili dog, with lots of chili.
Don’t eat them anymore due to sodium content but back in the day, more sauce, more onions! There is aConey dog place here in town that has been around forever. I’ve heard their sauce is mostly lard but damn, they are tasty. Used to get them six at a time and wolf them down fast. They would stink up the car and the office if they made it that far. Well worth it.
Coney Dogs-Chili Dogs…what’s the difference?
So, I just got up and made myself a chili dog after opening this thread. I ate it before posting, I was compelled.
It’s a Martins potato bun, Nathan’s dog, and Hormel Hot Chili with beans, finely shredded cheddar. Sub optimal, but’s what I had on hand. I added just enough chili to eat it with out making a mess. Then ate the rest of the chili in a bowl on the side.
So there.
Beans??!?
It was all I had!!!
Chili dogs are called “Coneys” in the Detroit area, no?
And chili dogs in Rhode Island are called “New York System,” for some reason. And the chili on them tastes like dog food, for some reason. Or maybe I only frequented the lesser hot dog stands.
Ever eaten a chili size? Half a bun, burger on top, chili on top of that, eaten with knife and fork.
That’s because the chili is made with beef hearts.
Chefguy - The Chili Size, made famous by Ptomaine Tommy’s in LA. You’d be surprised at the number of Dopers who’ve never heard of the dish.
Maybe you were eating “hot wiener sauce” instead of chili. Until a couple of days ago, I didn’t know there was such a thing:
If I am going to eat a chili dog it’s going in a bowl and it’s going to be smothered in chili, a little cheese and hopefully a few jalapenos or at least splashed a lot with cayenne sauce. I’ll use a big spoon to get each morsel and top it off with a drink of baking soda and water 
I can handle a spoonful of chili on cafeteria dogs, but at home I ladle the stuff on and eat it all with a knife and fork. :o
It’s a hot dog - I want to handhold it - if I’m sitting down with a knife and fork I’d almost certainly rather be eating something else.
(I’m not crazy about the trend towards burgers you can’t fit in your mouth either.)
I usually stand at my kitchen counter when I eat with a knife and fork. The food goes down faster that way. 
I love those potato buns. Later this week I’m gonna make some homemade chili dogs with those buns, some beef Franks kosher dogs, Hormel beanless chili, garden tomatoes, some sweet relish, chopped onions and mustard,some sport peppers. I’m all out of dill spears or I’d throw those on there as well. They are messy, but I portion em perfectly to be picked up by hand. I’m just not responsible if the toppings end up on your shirt because you don’t know how to eat over your plate.
Chili, mustard,and cheese.
No onions.
I prefer the foot long chili hot dogs.
Nope, I’ve had chili on a burger before but never heard any one refer to it as a chili size. Generally, speaking I prefer eating with my hands and so would rarely choose the option that would make me break out the knife and fork. Its one reason i don’t like my burritos smothered.
After seeing Silenus’ post, I grew up in SoCal and still never heard of it. I’ll have to give it a run the next time I’m in the area or see it on a menu.
this, exactly.
At it’s heart, it’s just chili with extra meat. 
Here is a thread from 2005 with the origin of the term “size” for chili: