"Coney Wars"! The Jackson Classic Sparks Fierce Disagreement

• Probably no dish says "Jackson" as much as the beloved Coney Dog.
• But how much do we really know about this humble, hearty dish? Did it originate in Jackson? And what's in that special sauce?
• Created by Macedonian immigrants, made popular by travelers and locals alike.
• DIGITAL BONUS: Ted Christoff's Family Recipe

In these controversial times, there’s not a lot we can agree on.
Can we at least agree on where that staple of Jackson cuisine — the Coney Dog — comes from?

LINDA HAAS: “Of course they were invented in Jackson. Everybody knows that.”

SUE HOSLER: “Well, I heard Detroit thinks they’re first, and Jackson thinks they’re first, but I don’t really know.”

DANIEL MAHONEY, MAYOR: “Of course, the Coney was started here in the City of Jackson, Michigan. I mean, we all know that.”

Apparently not.

EMMA STARK: “I’d love to say Jackson, but I kind of want to say Detroit…”

NICHOLAS QUIROZ: “I say Detroit all the way.”

I dug in — to the history of this simple snack…only to find controversy with every bite!

Is it Detroit?

CLIFF RISNER, OWNER, JUNKYARD DOG: “Detroit has a different type of Coney Sauce. They are more of a chili.”

Is it Chicago?

SCOTT AUGHNEY: “Chicago Coneys are not Coneys. They’re chili dogs.”

Hardly a controversy inspires such indignant reactions here in my hometown of Jackson.

LINDA HAAS: “This is serious stuff. We’re talking about Coneys!”

So what does the record say? When does the first Coney appear in Jackson?

TED CHRISTOFF: “1914. We can prove that. Detroit? 1917. So we’ve got ‘em by three years.”

Among Ted Christoff’s ancestors — some of the first owners of Coney Island diners in our neighborhood.

TED CHRISTOFF: “The great immigration — 1914 — the train station right here, it was an easy stop, and so we settled in here. So there’s lots of Macedonians — the Christoffs, Lazaroffs, Todoroffs, Boadgieffs…”

And almost all of them had a Coney Island, says Christoff. These diners were the place for this inexpensive and — literally — hearty dish.

BRITTANY CRAIG, MANAGER, JACKSON CONEY ISLAND: “Ours is strictly beef heart.”

JOE MATTHEWS, OWNER, VIRGINIA CONEY ISLAND: “Yes, we are beef heart, and it’s the same recipe that’s been passed down.”

Both Virginia Coney Island, and Jackson Coney Island, which claims the mantle of the original founded by George Todoroff in 1914, serve beef heart Coneys.

TED CHRISTOFF: “Jackson’s just been known to put beef heart in.”

But even this is the subject of debate.

Kurt Todoroff, whose family now produces and distributes Coney Sauce, told me the emphasis on beef heart is overdone.

Junkyard Dog and some other Jackson spots serve Todoroff’s, which no longer contains beef heart.

CLIFF RISNER, OWNER, JUNKYARD DOG: “I don’t prefer the heart. To me, it’s a little gritty, compared to the Todoroff’s sauce that we use.

What do you think of Coney dogs without beef heart?

SUE HOSLER: “Well, they’re not a Coney.”

TED CHRISTOFF'S FAMILY RECIPE:

But whatever your preference…

VES HOLMON: “Whatever it has in it, it’s good.”

…one thing is clear:

LINDA HAAS: “I know a guy from Chicago that comes to Jackson on the train. First thing he does is go to Coney Island to get a hot dog.”

The Jackson Coney keeps ‘em coming back.

VES HOLMON: “Everybody comes back to get the Coney Island. Nothing compares.”

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