Chili Cheese Dog Sliders

• Preheat oven to 375° F.

To Make the Chili Sauce:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place ground beef in the skillet with the water. The water helps to break down the beef to a finer texture. Brown the beef breaking it up with a spoon into small, fine pieces for about 5 minutes.
• Add to the beef the onion and garlic powder and saute for 1 minute. Add the ketchup, mustard, salt, black pepper, chili powder, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened and reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• While the chili sauce is simmering, cut the hot dogs in half lengthwise, being careful to not cut them all the way through (butterflying them), and then cut them in half. You will end up with 16 halves.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the butterflied hot dogs in the hot skillet cut side down, cook about 3 minutes per side to warm them through and to slightly brown them, flipping them at least once.

Assembling the Sliders:

• Cut the rolls in half, setting the top of the buns to the side. If your rolls are connected, it is easiest to cut them all at once instead of pulling them apart and cutting each roll. Place the bottom layer of the rolls in a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray (or you can line the dish with foil for easy clean-up).
• Lay the cooked hot dogs on the center each roll. Divide any extra between the rolls to fill in gaps (if your rolls are larger in size, you can get 3 halves on each roll). Spoon the cooled chili evenly over the hot dogs. Top with the cheddar cheese. Place the top layer of rolls over the cheese. If you like onions and mustard on your chili dog, you could sprinkle diced onions over the cheese and spread a layer of mustard on the top rolls; or you could set onions and mustard out with the sliders and guests can top as the like.
• In a small bowl, melt the butter. Add the Dijon and onion powder to the melted butter and stir to combine. Pour the butter mixture over the top of the rolls as evenly as you can, you could brush the mixture over the rolls if you prefer. Sprinkle the rolls with the sesame seeds. Let the rolls sit for about 5 minutes to allow the butter to soak into the rolls.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and seal closed. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the sliders cool for about 5 minutes. Remove from the baking dish to a platter or cutting board and cut into individual sliders. Enjoy immediately!