AlwaysLearning: Regional Hot Dog Round-Up

Zak Williams — July 02, 2009

Chicago Dog, photo courtesy of Navin75 via Flickr

Coast to coast, city to city, there are hundreds, if not thousands of ways to top the almighty hot dog. Aside from conventional toppings like ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, onions, chili, and peppers, there are tons of interesting toppings from beef hearts to spaghetti sauce. This being National Hot Dog Month, and Saturday’s event in Coney Island being the mother of all hot dog days, we’ve compiled a list of some popular styles.

Brats
Location: Sheboygan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dog: Bratwurst (large, white, pork-based hot dog), preferably Usinger’s
Bun: A brat bun (Milwaukee) or hard-roll (Sheboygan)
Method: Simmered with onions in beer and finished off on a charcoal grill
Toppings: Onions; Brats are cooked with and finished off with brown or Dijon mustard, never yellow.
The Spot: State Street Brats and Lambeau Field’s parking lot a few hours before a Packers game.

Cheese Coney
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Dog: Pork or beef hot dog
Bun: Steamed
Method: Boiled or grilled
Toppings: Mustard, diced onions, Cincinnati-style chili, and a mound of shredded Cheddar cheese
The Spot: Skyline

Chicago Dog
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Dog: All beef frank, traditionally of the Vienna Beef brand
Bun: Doughy poppy-seed bun
Method: Boiled or grilled
Toppings: Yellow mustard, sport peppers, tomatoes, a pickle spear, onions, bright green relish, celery salt, and absolutely no ketchup
The Spot: Hot Doug’s

Coney I-Lander
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Dog: Mini pork dogs
Bun: Mini steamed buns
Method: Slow-grilled
Toppings: Shredded cheese, chili, onions and mustard
The Spot: The Coney I-Lander mini-chain

Coney Island
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Dog: An all-natural beef hot dog with natural casing
Bun: Steamed
Method: Grilled
Toppings & The Spot:
Detroit-Style “Wet,” beanless chili w/beef hearts, yellow onions, and mustard
. Lafayette Coney Island
Flint-Style “Dry,” chili, diced yellow onions, and mustard
. Lipuma Coney Island

The Half-Smoke
Location: Washington D.C.
Dog: Beef or pork dog, or a combination of the two.
Bun: Grilled
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: With our without chili, and sometimes onion and mustard
The Spot: Ben’s Chili Bowl

Hungarian Hot Dog
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Dog: Pork sausage
Bun: Toasted rye-bread
Method: Grilled
Toppings: Chili-sauce
The Spot: Tony Packos
Special Note: If you’re famous and want to represent, sign a bun. They’ll frame it, and hang it there.

Italian-Style Hot Dog
Location: New Jersey
Dog: One or two all-beef dogs
Bun: Half a giant Italian-roll
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Fried peppers, potatoes and onions
The Spot: Jimmy Buff’s

 

Michigan Hot Dog (Canada), photo courtesy of Will S. via Flickr

Michigan Hot Dog (Canada)
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Dog: Pork or beef hot dog
Bun: Steamed
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Spaghetti sauce
The Spot: The Quebecois LaFleur Restaurant chain

Michigan Hot Dog (USA)
Location: Upstate New York
Dog: All-beef natural casing, usually the Zweigle’s brand
Bun: Buttered and crustless Frankfurt bun
Method: Grilled
Toppings: Meat-based “Michigan-sauce”, mustard, and onions
The Spot: McSweeney’s Restaurant

 

North Carolina Slaw Dog, photo courtesy of troutunderground.com

North Carolina Slaw Dog
Location: North Carolina
Dog: Red-hots, all-beef natural casing
Bun: Griddle-cooked
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: The slaw topping is tinged red with a vinegary BBQ sauce. Mustard and chili, optional.
The Spot: Kannon’s, although Slaw Dogs can be found throughout the South
Special Note: West Virginians lay claim to originating the Slaw Dog, but it’s North Carolina where this variation has taken on a bolder hue.

New York City Dog (Vendor-Style)
Location: New York City
Dog: All-beef dog in natural casing, preferably Nathan’s or Sabrett’s
Bun: Steamed
Method: Boiled or Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Sweet Sabrett’s “onions,” mustard, kraut and ketchup
The Spot: Every other corner in Manhattan, Gray’s Papaya and Papaya King take-out joints

New York City Dog (Deli-Style)
Location: New York City
Dog: Kosher all-beef
Bun: Griddle-cooked
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Sauerkraut and mustard
The Spot: Katz’s Delicatessen

 

New York System Hot Wieners (Rhode Island), photo courtesy of kaszeta via Flickr

New York System Hot Wieners
Location: Rhode Island
Dog: Chopped from giant all-beef links
Bun: Steamed
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Meat sauce, onions, mustard and celery salt
The Spot: Olneyville NY System Olneyville NY System

Pittsburgh Dog
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Dog: Foot-and-a-half-long dog
Bun: Hoagie Roll
Method: Griddle-cooked and served like a hoagie
Toppings: Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, coleslaw, and tangy provolone
The Spot: PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Rawley’s Dog (Fairfield, CT), photo courtesy of roadfood.com

Rawley’s Dog
Location: Fairfield, CT
Dog: All-beef in natural casing
Bun: Grilled
Method: Fried then grilled
Toppings: Mustard, relish, sauerkraut, and cubed thick-cut bacon
The Spot: Rawley’s Drive-In

Rippers
Location: Clifton, NJ
Dog: All-beef hot dog
Bun: Grilled
Method: Deep-fried
Toppings: Rutt’s Hut special relish
The Spot: Rutt’s Hut
Special Note: If you want it well-done ask for a “cremator”

Rochester White-Hots
Location: Rochester, NY
Dog: Large uncured, unsmoked, pork, beef, or veal hotdogs called “white-hots”
Bun: Griddle-cooked
Method: Griddle-cooked
Toppings: Meat-sauce, mustard and onions
The Spot: Schaller’s

Scrambled Dog
Location: Georgia
Dog: Pork or beef
Bun: Grilled
Method: Chopped-up
Toppings: Chili and onions covered in mustard, ketchup, sliced dill pickles, and oyster crackers
The Spot: The Dinglewood Pharmacy claims to be the originator of the Scrambled Dog
Special Note: There are special “scrambled dog” bowls that are similar to banana-split bowls.

Seattle-style Dogs
Location: Seattle, WA
Dog: Pork, beef, veggie or salmon
Bun: Grilled or steamed
Method: Grilled or boiled
Toppings: Cream cheese and onions, with or without kraut
The Spot: Matt’s Gourmet Hot Dogs

 

The Texas Wiener (New Jersey), photo courtesy jasonperlow via Flickr

The Texas Wiener
Location: New Jersey
Dog: All-beef in natural casing
Bun: Grilled
Method: Blanched in vegetable oil and finished off in a steel skillet
Toppings: Spicy mustard, onions and heavily-spiced chili
The Spot: Texas Wiener
Special Note: The “Texas Wiener” is based on the heavy Greek-influence around Plainfield, and the chili on it can be considered an American interpretation of Greek-spaghetti sauce