In Search Of: The Great Hot Dog Stand

Hugh Beaumont said:

The Original Coney Island here in Ft. Wayne....Omigod they are so good..

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I was there a while back, was a great place to eat!

There's much discussion in another thread about the best hot dogs. Being somewhat ignorant of hot dogs, I looked them up on Wiki:
The hot dog is a grilled or steamed sausage sandwich where the sausage is served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. It can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is the wiener Vienna sausage or frankfurter, Frankfurter Würstchen. The names of these sausages also commonly refer to their assembled sandwiches. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary regionally in the United States. Typical condiments include mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, and cheese sauce, and common garnishes include onions, sauerkraut, jalapeños, chili, grated cheese, coleslaw, and olives.

These types of sausages and their sandwiches were culturally imported from Germany and became popular in the United States, where the "hot dog" became a working-class street food sold at stands and carts. The hot dog became closely associated with American culture, although particularly connected with New York City and its cuisine. The hot dog eventually became ubiquitous throughout the US during the 20th century, and emerged as an important part of other regional cuisines, including Chicago street cuisine.

In the UK we have long had a sausage known as the Saveloy. It was traditionally made from pork brains, the ingredients of a shop-bought sausage are typically pork (58%), water, rusk, pork fat, potato starch, salt, white pepper, spices, dried sage, preservatives, and beef collagen casing.

In another Wiki entry, the Saveloy is available in Australia where it is consumed at fairs, fêtes, agricultural shows and sporting events, served on a slice of bread or in a bread roll and liberally covered in tomato sauce. At the turn of the 20th century, the Saveloy was described in an Australian court case as a "highly seasoned dry sausage originally made of brains, but now young pork, salted" but by the mid-century it was commonly defined by its size as a 19 cm sausage, as opposed to a frankfurter at 26 cm. This distinction may be due to the frankfurter's popularisation, as an ingredient of hot dogs.

Given all the regional differences in the English speaking world, tell us what makes the perfect hot dog.

the POLISH DOG is my favorite, with some onions & brown mustard

call me a Philistine.....in my world nothing beats a Costco dog....best $1.50 a guy can spend. They even throw in the coca cola. Just yellow mustard....heaven wrapped in a bit of tinfoil.

I've been going to Dayton's Root Beer Stande since I was a kid in the 60s. Sitting in the car, listening to the ballgame on a warm June evening, foot long chili dog and a frosty mug of root beer? Oh, Hell's yeah!

The only dog that's better is at the ballpark.

Frunobulax said:

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I've been going to Dayton's Root Beer Stande since I was a kid in the 60s. Sitting in the car, listening to the ballgame on a warm June evening, foot long chili dog and a frosty mug of root beer? Oh, Hell's yeah!

The only dog that's better is at the ballpark.

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Sir, you bring tears to my eyes!....in a good way.

If you're ever near Funkytown and it's summer, I'll buy you a dog and a mug.

Frunobulax said:

If you're ever near Funkytown and it's summer, I'll buy you a dog and a mug.

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First major hurdle...I don't know where Funkytown is located...other than in my head. But if I get that sorted you have a deal!

At the last dance party we were at, a woman said I was “the mayor of funkytown.” But I digress.

One of the reasons I love Vienna is that there is a wuerstel stand every few blocks where they hollow out a mini-baguette, spritz in some sweet or spicy mustard, and then slip in a grilled bratwurst or kaisekraner. A kaisekraner is a cheese-infused grilled sausage. Wow. It’s amazing.

I do love stateside hotdogs... with a beer in the cheap seats at a ball game on a summer afternoon. Guess that’s not going to happen for a while.

This is our local stand: Ranch Frostie. It's a combination local ice cream hut and hot dog stand. $5 gets you a Chicago style with everything, a can of pop and a bag of Jays.

Tiki Tom said:

At the last dance party we were at, a woman said I was “the mayor of funkytown.” But I digress.

One of the reasons I love Vienna is that there is a wuerstel stand every few blocks where they hollow out a mini-baguette, spritz in some sweet or spicy mustard, and then slip in a grilled bratwurst or kaisekraner. A kaisekraner is a cheese-infused grilled sausage. Wow. It’s amazing.

I do love stateside hotdogs... with a beer in the cheap seats at a ball game on a summer afternoon. Guess that’s not going to happen for a while.

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I remember my first trip to Europe in the 1960's and seeing how they hollowed out the buns for their hot dogs....I thought it the most ingenious. Then in Belgium being horrified to find mayo on my French fries.

Mmmm. Perhaps I’ve been over here too long. I now prefer my fries with mayo. Those double fried Belgian Frits in a big paper cone! While we are talking about good inexpensive street food, in Amsterdam I always have to get the raw herring in a hotdog bun with diced onion on top.

belfastboy said:

First major hurdle...I don't know where Funkytown is located...other than in my head. But if I get that sorted you have a deal!

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We're just down the road from Boogie Wonderland, of course.

Sorry, I thought most folks who read my posts regularly knew I was from Dayton, now.

Tiki Tom said:

Mmmm. Perhaps I’ve been over here too long. I now prefer my fries with mayo. Those double fried Belgian Frits in a big paper cone! While we are talking about good inexpensive street food, in Amsterdam I always have to get the raw herring in a hotdog bun with diced onion on top.

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When we were kids, tartar sauce on fries was a thing.

Unca Dusty said:

I bought a six pack Sioux City Birch Beer (part of the White Rock Beverage Co. line) at a Dillon's in Lawrence, KS--I bet you could find it in Wichita.

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Ha, moved to Oklahoma and we have a place called Pop's that has most kinds of Pop. Birch Beer is a sort of Wintergreen root beer, sounds like mouthwash, but it's actually good.

Later

Well, they were open for drive-in dining last night. Summer is here.

@belfastboy, this is for you:



It's called the Dirty D. Bacon wrapped, deep-fried footlong w/ mustard, onion, chili and cheese.

Hi, OK, I was reading this thread again and was forced to hit Sonic for a foot long coney with tots, and a cherry Dr. Pepper. Possibly Norman's best, not great, but it did stifle the urge for a week or two.
Later

Tiki Tom said:

Mmmm. Perhaps I’ve been over here too long. I now prefer my fries with mayo. Those double fried Belgian Frits in a big paper cone! While we are talking about good inexpensive street food, in Amsterdam I always have to get the raw herring in a hotdog bun with diced onion on top.

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We spent a year travelling in Europe many life times ago. Didn't see much of Belgium as it was the beginning of the trip and we were eager to hit the road. We did the spend one night in Mons to pay our respects at the battleground. Purchased fries from a street vendor and I was shocked and offended when I discovered the horror of mayo on my cone of fries.......I was young, what did I know. Never did come around to liking it just became less offended.

We have a number of street vendors of hot dogs. One in particular has become legend....JapaDog. A young japanese fellow opened up a stand offering dogs with all manner of weird toppings, kimchi, wasabi, as well as gobs of other items. He is so successful he has branched out to multiple locations. I however have never eaten one as I am a yellow mustard only guy and refuse to pay $6 for a mustard only hot dog. So for me hot dog heaven is Costco.....still just a $1.50 including a coke.

belfastboy said:

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I was shocked and offended when I discovered the horror of mayo on my cone of fries.......I was young, what did I know. Never did come around to liking it just became less offended.

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How did you react when you found out that Belgian Fries are that yummy because they get (at least pre-) fried in beef tallow and / or horse lard?

Turnip said:

How did you react when you found out that Belgian Fries are that yummy because they get (at least pre-) fried in beef tallow and / or horse lard?

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My father worked the killing floor of an abattoir back in the 1940's & 50's. We ate sausages as a weekly meal or for Sunday breakfast........as my father would say...."Don't ask, you don't want to know!"