A&W Coney Sauce Clone Recipe

I got my first job at A&W and only worked there the summer but that is where I met the love of my life.

This sauce was made on site by the owners. It is not to be confused with coney island sauce. The best I can describe it as is a make-shift chili style sauce but it isn't to be eaten as a chili. They used to put it on fries or hot dogs. They were very secretive of the recipe but I think I've cloned it rather well. Made correctly it will knock your socks off if eaten by itself but is just perfect with French fries! It freezes well so you can make a large batch then freeze in meal size portions.

Coney sauce starts out with a pound of lean ground beef. Back then it was actually their fat laden burger patties. Brown the ground beef with one finely chopped onion. Drain then pour in 2 tins of Campbell's tomato soup with about a half can of water. The soup is important because that is exactly what they used. Now here is where the fun part starts and I'm sorry I simply don't have measurements as I go by taste. I'm estimating the amounts to give you an idea.

Coney Sauce Cooking

Next comes the seasonings. Add: onion powder, garlic powder,cumin, celery salt and paprika. Add cayenne pepper to taste. The sauce should have a real bite to it. Allow the sauce to simmer until thick. I think the sauce tastes better if it ages for at least a day. My husband can immediately tell if the sauce is freshly made.  It really needs a bit of time to meld the flavours together. 


Coney Sauce on French Fries

Serve the sauce on French fries for a real taste sensation. As I mentioned above, the sauce was originally served on fries or hot dogs. It is delicious!  We very seldom eat hot dogs so I can't attest to taste of that combination but it was a very popular combination at the A&W we worked at. Talk about wonderful memories!