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

Click here for more of AlwaysHungryNY.com's regional hot dog round up >>