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Your favorite dog?

post #1 of 32
8/10/07 at 8:08am
Thread Starter 
No, this isn't about canines: Chicago's hottest dogs - CNN.com

This ground was covered some time ago, but when this article popped up I thought it might be worth revisiting. I know we now have at least one hot dog expert here (my friend Chicagostyledog), but a great many of us have strong opinions about what makes a great dog.

To me, it has to have that snap! when you bite into it; a pronounced garlic flavor; a soft roll (I prefer poppy seed); and (don't kill me) a hint of ketchup but a good blast of spicy mustard. That's it, usually, although I can be lured to take a spoonful of neon green relish or a bit of sauerkraut.

How about you?
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post #2 of 32
8/10/07 at 9:11am
Your post comes at a time when I'm exploring the "best dog" options in the San Francisco area. For me, a good pup has to have a natural casing, and such dogs are not always easy to find, especially if one just shops in a typical supermarket, where the hot dog bin is loaded with skinless, extruded crapola dogs, like Ballpark Franks, Oscar Meyer, Con Agra's Hebrew National (don't get me started!), and others. However, by wandering over to the meat department, or shopping specialty stores, or certain groceries (around here, at least) it's easier to find these natural casing dogs.

My first order of business is to find all of the offerings (I've found a fair number already) and where they're sold, and then, over time, give 'em all a try.

How one chooses to dress their pup is often greatly influenced by region. Ketchup, for example, is more of a Chicago thing. Being from NY, good deli mustard and sauerkraut seem to be favored, although a push cart Sabrettes with some onions is a popular choice as well. A number of Californians prefer the yellow mustards, like [editorial comment]UGH!
[/editorial comment] French's, which rightfully should only be served with an Oscar Meyer Weiner on an insipid white bread roll.

Anyway, my point is that how a dog gets dressed is secondary to the pooch itself. So, are we talking about what condiments you like, or are we talking about that tasty meat. Lots of dressing can cover a multitude of sins.

Shel
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post #3 of 32
8/10/07 at 9:17am
For me, an old fashion sabrette from a sweaty vendors dirty hands, loaded with relish, onions and the old grand dames of street foods, ketchup and mustard.

nothing beats that extra...yumminess...of a hot dog fished out, by the unsanitary hands of the vendor from the murky waters of a Downtown hot dog cart..

lol

I miss those days of calling in sick due to self inflicted dysintery...ROTFL
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post #4 of 32
8/10/07 at 9:48am
Rather than discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of the doggy manufacturers I will simply list the only ways I will eat the little buggers.
  • Brown mustard, or Horseradish Mustard with Saurkraut
  • Beanless chili meat with onions and mustard
  • Mustard and fried Salami with or without kraut
  • and a cheap ballpark with yellow mustard, but only at a game!
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post #5 of 32
8/10/07 at 10:40am
Let me count the ways! :D Great thread Mezza!

Well first off in Texas we have James Coney Island as the premiere hot dog king...NOT! Ick! Blech! Double Gross! I agree whole heartedly that the dogs must have "snap"!

I do love the Papaya King in Manhattan dogs so much. I also love Sabrettes from the street vendors!

Here, the best dogs I can find are Boar's Head brand natural casing beef frankfurters. They are the ones connected to each other and they have that yummy snap and a pleasing garlicy flavor!

I love them every way depending on mood (with the exception of ketchup! ick ;) ):
With kraut and brown mustard
With onions, relish and spicy mustard
With chili (no beans) cheese, onions, mustard...

I could go on and on! But I'll spare ya! :D I agree the most important element is the dog itself. Everything else is gilding the lily! :D
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post #6 of 32
8/10/07 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 
I'll step in here to give a plug for Neuske's and Usinger's natural casing weiners. I'm less enamored of Klement's, but they're okay too.

I've been to NYC twice but never got a chance to eat a Sabrett's or visit Papaya King, but they're on my culinary pilgrimage list! They looked pretty good at Katz's Deli but I never got one near my mouth. :(
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post #7 of 32
8/10/07 at 11:18am
Another for the pilgrimage list: Icelandic pylsur, mostly lamb-based, in a natural casing served with mustard, remoulade, and fried onions after midnight in Reykjavik, after dancing for hours.

Also, a Nathan's Famous, with the weird crinkly fries and spicy mustard, with my grandpa and a pill bottle full of quarters for the pinball machines... (sorry... waxing nostalgic there)
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post #8 of 32
8/10/07 at 12:17pm
OMG, Luna...you absolutely MUST have a hot dog from a NYC street vendor!

Or a mustard pretzel or ANY food from a cart!

Unbelievable what they make from those carts.

I'm STILL trying to find a comparable NOODLE CART recipe!:chef:
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post #9 of 32
8/10/07 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
Risque Cakes, I'm plotting a good time for an escape to Manhattan. I trust the carts are around all year? I'd have to choose my traveling companions carefully- only those who wouldn't consider it insane to go through NYC mouth first! :talk: (<----That little guy is chewing, not talking with its mouth full! I do have manners....)
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post #10 of 32
8/10/07 at 12:50pm
hahaha what is a bitter winter compared to spreading disease throughout the NYC business world? :crazy:

YESSSSSSSS!! :bounce:the carts are out full force all year round!! there are also, roasted chestnuts ( which I don't like much but eat anyway..I'm such a food cart piglet!! )

you MUST visit Chinatown, during lunch time there is a teeny tiny rectangle of a square with all the noodle carts!! they even have chicken wings!! woo hoo!

you get a styro clam with noodles and wings and a soda for like 2 bucks! and if you go into the "BAKERY" get yourself some PORK BUNS..the baked ones ( have a golden brown sweet outside are my fave) The big steamed ones have MYSTERY SAUSAGE and hard boiled eggs..:chef:

When I was younger I used to spend all my weekends down in NYC. loved it, nothing beats the hint of "GARBAGE" wafting through the air..
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post #11 of 32
8/10/07 at 2:27pm
Sabrettes and Nathan's are good indeed. Here in NYC, Deli beats street cart only by sauerkraut quality. Papaya leads in relishes.

To Mezzaluna: If you get a chance, try Karl Ehmer and Schaller&Weber bocks, knocks or brats (available in most Manhattan Gourmet stores and all 6 German Restaurants) with sharp mustard! I cook them half-way in beer, then finish on grill.
Wild Boar, Venison and Pheasant also available.

C
WE ARE NOT SELLING FOOD...WE ARE IMPROVING OUR CLIENT'S LIFESTYLE - HIS LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO EAT SOMETHING HE DOESN'T LIKE
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post #12 of 32
8/10/07 at 9:11pm
Shel, ketchup is most certainly not a Chicago thing. The majority of Chicagoans think you are an absolute lunatic if you want ketchup on a hot dog. Some may not even speak to you in a civil manner. :eek:

A Chicago style hot dog, (keep in mind I'm from outside Milwaukee, but will not infrequently drive to Chicago for a dog and Italian Beef and have both at the same time at Al's or Portillos), consists of a steamed poppy seed bun, fermented (?) sweet relish, yellow mustard, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, a slice of dill pickle, and a dusting of celery salt.

Oh yeah, and a natural casing beef hot dog, which I believe are usually boiled.

Add some crisp, yet creamy on the inside fresh cut fries and things are really going your way.

If I missed anything, Mezz's friend ChicagoStyleDog will please correct me. He's the dean of Hot Dog University.

I make mine at home with Neuske's beef hot dogs, which the local Sendik's stopped carrying, having only the pork and beef wieners, (I need to speak with someone about that).

I also love browning them lightly in butter, after which a I gently nestle two in a bun, then smother with fried onions and hot giardiniera.

Kevin

I believe I just wrote my menu for tomorrow night's first Packer pre-season game. The fries are tough to get right at home, though I keep trying.
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post #13 of 32
8/10/07 at 9:24pm
I realize that my selection is not upper echelon fashionable select grade stuff, but I go for what is available (especially if it's from a vendor)...

Shoot me now, but I like a good Vienna beef dog or more specifically Polish dog, on a poppy seed or potato bun, and in order of importance, spicy mustard (none of the French's crappola in MY arsenal), diced onions, a dab or two of sweet relish, and kraut if it's available.

Add in a side order of onion rings, and life is grand... (no wonder I seen to have shrunk all my clothes...)

Oh, and a couple of Tums after about two hours...

Ketchup/Catsup is appropriate for fries, bologna sandwiches, meatloaf sanwiches, or hamburgers, but not tube steaks...
I might be suffering from CDO.
It is just like OCD, except the letters are in alphabetical order.
Just as they should be...
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post #14 of 32
8/10/07 at 11:38pm
I am a Chicago purist... the following methods are acceptable

1.) Chicago Style - Vienna Beef Frank (casing is optional), steamed poppyseed bun, chopped onion, relish (some places use the neon green relish, either one works for me), tomato slices, kosher dill pickle spear, sport peppers, dash of celery salt, and MUSTARD (NO ketchup).

2.) Maxwell Style - Lots of grilled onions & mustard (typically a polish sausage thing, but hot dogs can apply)

3.) Chili-Cheese Dog - Chili, cheese, chopped onion

4.) Home BBQ Dogs - Ketchup & Mustard; this option is acceptable because whenever I go to a friend's house that is having a BBQ, he/she only buys ketchup and mustard for condiments. Under these circumstances I will put ketchup on my dog.
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post #15 of 32
8/10/07 at 11:52pm
Thanks for the correction. There was a Chicago style place here a few years ago, selling Vienna dogs, and I recall that ketchup was offered. Maybe it was California-Chicago Fusion <LOL>

In any case, the dogs were good, the place was always crowded ...

Shel
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post #16 of 32
8/11/07 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 
Do you make your giardiniera or buy it? I LOVE Tenuta's!! I buy it there by the quart jar. I can't get enough of it on steamed veggies, chicken breast... oh yeah, on Italian beef and on hot dogs, too. :lips:
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post #17 of 32
8/11/07 at 11:52am
My favorites are just about anything from Pepper Tree sausage place in Albany OR, with a section of baguette as the bun, mustard, a couple of pickle slices. Sometimes some Sonoma Jack melted in there.
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post #18 of 32
8/11/07 at 12:44pm
Mezz, I buy it. Scalia, Vienna Beef, etc. I once bought some from a little Italian grocery store in Chicago called Bari's that was really good. They also make subs there on fresh bread they get from the coal fired oven in the Italian bakery next door. Unbelievably good. Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and the hot pepper relish may be the best sub I have ever had. The ham, salami, and mortadella was not too offensive, either. LOL.

Is the Tenuta's from the restaurant on S. Clement in Bay View? Just Googled the name and had not heard of the restaurant. I love to find out when I'm missing something good that's basically right in front of my face.

It usually doesn't take me long to check it out. :D

Kevin

I bought Boar's Head all beef natural casings for tonight. They're not too shabby.
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post #19 of 32
8/11/07 at 1:48pm
Thread Starter 
Nope, Kevin- it's in Kenosha. Head down I-94 and exit at the Hy. 158 exit, which is 52nd street. Go on into town and you'll see Tenuta's on your right at the corner of 52nd street and 32nd Avenue.

Here's their site: Page Title In summer they grill their own sausages outdoors and have tables at which to enjoy it. There's a huge liquor section (decent wines, at least they did when I lived there) and at least three times the food space as Glorioso's on Brady Street in Milwaukee. I'll be headed to Tenuta's soon to tank up on olive oil and a bunch of other stuff, including the giardiniara. I always have a cooler with ice in it when I go to Kenosha. :roll:
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post #20 of 32
8/11/07 at 2:17pm
Sounds like the family needs to head down to the outlet mall next weekend to buy some vacation clothes for our Washington, DC trip the following week. I expect it to be quite humid out east, and I know I need a couple pairs of new shorts.

Wouldn't surprise me if we end up lost for a small portion of the day. LOL.

Kevin
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post #21 of 32
8/11/07 at 6:13pm
Johnsonville has natural casing dogs that are connected and very good.
griddled, soft bun seeds optional, Gulden's spicy brown mustard, Wickles sweet spicy pickle relish and sometimes chopped red onions.
It is absolutely in the snap.


Or the G&W brats rolling on the grill roller first thing on Sat. morning at Soulard Farmer's Market with mustard (only have yellow) and pickle relish....G&W is a local German butcher that has top notch quality products.

Or a Chicago dog at Woofie's Hotdog restaurant....strong word for such a small place.....minus the sports pepper......sacriledge but I value not having indigestion.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #22 of 32
8/11/07 at 9:36pm
The Chicago hot dog is perhaps the best fast food in the city in the field of taste and appeal. In Chicago, it's the single most popular restaurant entree with over 1800 hot dogs stands and thousands upon thousands being ordered every day. A Chicago style hot dog is a high quality, all beef, encased meat(natural lamb casing or skinless), without any fillers or unnatural additives. It's spiced with garlic and paprika and made for adult tastes. It's boiled, steamed, or char grilled. Never roller grilled or flat grilled. It served on a warm, airy, light, steamed poppy seed bun. A basic Chicago style dog is dressed with yellow mustard, neon green relish, and chopped onions. A fully dressed Chicago style dog "dragged through the garden" also includes a kosher dill pickle spear, tomato slices, two sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt. The Polish is the big brother to the hot dog. It's larger and spicier than a hot dog and can be prepared by deep frying. Dressing a Polish Maxwell Street style includes brown Dusseldorf mustard, grilled onions, and sport peppers. My favorite dog is a deep fried Vienna Beef Polish with a little yellow mustard, Merkt's cheddar cheese, and some well done grilled onions. As a card carrying baby boomer from the west side of Chicago, I'm 90% old school Chicago and 10% Wisconsin.
Born in Chicago
Escaped to Wisconsin
Selling Vienna Beef hot dogs & Polish
Business educator www.hotdogu.com
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post #23 of 32
8/12/07 at 6:52am
Hi Shel :)

You had mentionned natural casings a while back, did you check halal butchers.

I bought 2 packs of halal pure beef hot dogs with natural casings.

There are the best in my book :D
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post #24 of 32
8/12/07 at 7:04am
There are two halal butchers that I know of in my area, and I've been meaning to visit them again to see what they offer in the way of pups and some other meat. However, they are not on my regular route these days, so I'd have to make something of a special trip to visit them. But thanks for the reminder - I'll make myself a note and when I'm next in that general part of town I'll be sure to check them out.

As for the natural casing dogs specifically, I've found four brands here, and went to get a couple yesterday, but wasn't feeling well and didn't feel like hassling with parking.

Kind regards,

Shel
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post #25 of 32
8/12/07 at 7:14am
I'm with chicagostyledog all the way! Having grown up in the western 'burbs Portillos(The Dog House for all you Villa Park oldtimers) and Mickey's (Manheim just south of Butterfield) were the places to go. Although in HS it was usually Portillos since Mickey's was in Proviso territory. Hehehe

Love the Beef/Sausage combo too. Can't forget the hot peppers either. Dang this is making me hungry and being in VA it's a long way to get one. As a side note we did visit a place in Charlotte called Matts Chicago Dog. They were transplants from you guessed it.....Chicago. Vienna everything and even had Rosens Rye for the corned beef. Unfortunately they could'nt get Gonella for the Beef and/or sausage sand but I tried to give them a source. Never found out if it worked.
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post #26 of 32
8/12/07 at 7:23am
Hi Shel,

Ah ok, the halal butchers are far from you, I understand, me they are all over my area.

At least you now have some:), sorry your not feeling good yesterday:(

Regards

Gilles
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post #27 of 32
8/12/07 at 7:42am
Oh, no, they're not far from me, just on the other side of town from where I've been travelling recently. They're on the cat litter, ribs, Indian and Latino markets, artisan bread side of town and lately I've been busy on the farmers market, poultry, fish, organic produce, brioche, and restaurant side of town. :lol:

Thanks for your concern. I'm feeling a little better today.

Shel
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post #28 of 32
8/12/07 at 8:40am
Ok, your looking for other products your need, I understand that, its been 25 years since I visited San Francisco, so its vague in my mind.


Your welcome Shel, I know what it is not too feel good, I'm glad you are feeling a bit better today.

Regards

Gilles
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post #29 of 32
8/12/07 at 10:40am
lololol.....oh Shel, you are a gem.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #30 of 32
8/12/07 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
Chicagostyledog, I'm glad you posted! I had you in mind when I opened the thread.

On a personal note, CSD is a friend of mine- we know each other from the "real" world. Believe me when I say he's an EXPERT - and I mean a professional expert - when it comes to Chicago style dogs- and a few other things, too! All that, and he's a mensch besides. :D
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