Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Heat up the chili or defrost it if it’s frozen until it’s steaming.

Steam the hot dogs in a vegetable steamer. If you don’t have one you can get creative like I did and place a wire rack in the bottom of a large pan. Add ¾-inch of water to the bottom, making sure it’s not touching the rack. Place the hot dogs on the wire rack, cover them with a lid and steam for 10 minutes, if using frozen hot dogs, or 5 if thawed. The internal temperature of the hot dog should be at least 150˚F.

Once the hot dogs are cooked and the chili is warm, place a hot dog in a bun, top it with ½ cup of chili then place a slice of cheese on top. I usually break a slice in half and put them side by side length-wise. Repeat for the remaining hot dogs.

Place the chili dogs on a line cookie sheet, ensuring they’re standing up straight. Place in the oven just until the cheese is melted. Roughly 5 minutes.

Remove the chili dogs from the oven and serve with your favourite toppings.