Hot Dog of the Week: 24-Hour Dog
"While many folks wouldn't touch a gas station hot dog with a ten-foot pole, it inspires a cult-like following for others."
Over the last few weeks we've highlighted some fascinating regional hot dogs. But for most of us, eating a hot dog does not mean traveling halfway across the country to a roadside stand in a half-abandoned coal mining town. This week's dog is a style that many will be familiar with, possibly more so than we'd like to admit. While the object of much ridicule—the term "gas station hot dog" being a common euphemism for anything on the bottom of the culinary barrel—the 24-Hour Dog can be a comforting, reliable standard, available at any time of day or night, no matter where you are.
The 24-Hour Dog can be found in convenience stores, truck stops and gas stations all across the country, rolling on gleaming silver grills or slowly roasting under glowing heat lamps. Often self-serve and accompanied by a myriad of toppings including, but not limited to: Cheez Whiz, chili, onions, pickles, sauerkraut, relish, pickled jalapenos, banana peppers, salsa, mayonnaise, and ketchup. The flavor profile ends up somewhere between the Chicago and New York style dogs, crossed with sports bar nachos.
Photograph and video footage of rotating wieners from oceandesetoiles on Flickr
As horrifying as it may sound to foodies and serious hot dog connoisseurs, many people actually seek out these 24-Hour Dogs, preferring the darkly charred, extra crispy wrinkled crust that comes from rolling on the grill for hours on end. Add the decadence of sloppy, heaping piles of chili and cheese and the result is a low-budget delicacy. While many folks wouldn't touch a gas station hot dog with a ten-foot pole, it inspires a cult-like following for others. And, in the same way a wine expert might secretly indulge in the guilty pleasure of guzzling cheap box wine over ice on a hot day, 3 a.m. at 7-Eleven might be the only time it's even close to acceptable to drown your hot dog in ketchup.
Popular after a few beers on the way home from the bar, or devoured tongue-in-cheek the same way one might "slum it" by ironically drinking cheap beer, 24-Hour Dogs also function as dinner or even breakfast to many. For truckers, transients, traveling salesmen, anyone working the graveyard shift or on a long overnight drive, the only place to get something to eat might be a gas station or convenience store. Faced with questionable shrink-wrapped sandwiches and frozen burritos, the glistening hot dogs seem like the closest thing to a fresh, hot meal.
Photograph from sylvar on Flickr
Chains such as 7-Eleven and Wawa (the dairy farm-turned convenience store chain all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey) use all-beef dogs, often a "secret recipe" made just for their chain. Here in Philly, I would say the 7-Eleven hot dog is actually tastier than most of the bland offerings at the local supermarket, and not a bad dog, so long as the rolls and toppings are fresh.
If you're willing to really explore, there are some gems out there in the world of gas station and convenience store eating. Like a Husky Gas Station in Canada where lines for hot dogs go out the door, or mini-marts in New Mexico that are cranking out green chile burgers. In 2008 John Lindner of the Baltimore Sun did a tour of local gas stations and found everything from Cajun hot dogs to sushi. There's definitely some unique styles of 24-Hour Dogs out there waiting to be discovered. Feel free to share your favorites.
But at 4 a.m. when you still have hours of work to do—say maybe finishing a painting of an exotic, obscure food item that's only available at a shack on the side of the road in Kentucky—nothing hits the spot like a 24-ounce coffee and a spicy, jumbo well-done hot dog covered in Cheez Whiz.
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11 Comments:
There are not enough antibiotics in the world for me to come within three feet of one of those things.
redfish at 1:36PM on 08/14/09
My husband still refers to those as "Death Dogs" from his years at Penn State. And yes, it's said with more affection than fear.
trillian42 at 1:52PM on 08/14/09
I've been tempted once or twice to buy one but I can''t make myself do it...
cjpenfield at 2:23PM on 08/14/09
They really are all beef, and they really aren't that bad. Honestly, I think they taste better than most massive BBQ dogs you get at state fairs or family reunions. Plus you have all those other thing to put on your hot dog in the gas station: fritos are my favorite.
hints at 2:36PM on 08/14/09
I remember my last trip to the US, my sister and I waiting for our bus before returning to Mexico with only 10 bucks, and the only place we could grab food was an AM/PM gas station, 2 dogs + plus 42oz drink (you can't find a drink of this size in Mexico!) loaded with M Dew (another thing you cant find here) for 3dlls, kinda sad meal but at the same time tasted so good!!
Ivelisse at 2:40PM on 08/14/09
I haven't eaten one of these in the US. But these aren't uniquely American. I've had "gas station" hot dogs in Denmark and Columbia. I was reminded of a Simpsons episode in Denmark. I had a great bacon-wrapped hot dog. I skipped adding the preferred condiment (mayo) though. In Colombia, the regular hot dog was called an American sausage.
edritch at 2:55PM on 08/14/09
edritch-
sounds great. 7-11 hot dogs in thailand are also a whole different story, check it out-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeontheedge/2635246088/
Hawk Krall at 3:04PM on 08/14/09
The hot dogs at QuikTrip (a gas/conv store chain in the Midwest and South) are quite tasty. They're a guilty pleasure, as are the QuikTrip taquitos. Horrible and delicious at the same time.
findlayboy at 4:59PM on 08/14/09
The hot dogs at Sheetz were a favorite of mine while I was in grad school. 2/$1.29, unlimited condiments (the spicy red pepper relish was my favorite), and walking distance from my office. A cheap treat!
FoodieSearching at 12:30PM on 08/15/09
Living in New Jersey, I have access to quality hot dogs and hot dog joints that stay open past midnight. While I'll have low budget food now and then (frozen pizza for example) when it comes to hot dogs I like the good ones too much to have a 7-11 dog. Even when I'm lazy, it doesn't take too much effort to throw a few high quality natural casing franks into water. Then in the skillet. But I agree, 7-11's and gas station hot dogs have their place. What bothers me is when hot dog establishments open serving strictly hot dogs and decide to use a roller grill. These things are for movie theatres, gas stations, and convenience stores.
To illustrate the difference, try a hot dog from Nathan's in Coney Island or one of the better franchises. Like the one in the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J. A natural casing dog is prepared on a hot griddle. Nice flavor, temperature and char. Now go and find a Nathan's at a rest stop that uses the skinless version prepared on a roller grill. Big difference. Uneven temperatures; either not hot enough or dried out from being on it too long. No char, no skin. The roller grill is made for skinless dogs only. But even the skinless Nathan's is better than what you usually get at convenience stores and gas stations.
There were two occasions where I had hot dogs at a 7-11. I was rushed, hadn't eaten, and really had no choice. The all beef Oscar Meyer dog was ok. Not great or even very good. But not as bad as I had anticipated. And cheap.
None of these chains use a special recipe dog. In fact I've found that the vast majority of times a regular hot dog joint claims a special recipe dog, they are not being truthful.
hotdoglover at 3:23PM on 08/15/09
7-11's sell more hot dogs than any other eating establishment or restaurant. And in the last couple of years they upgraded to Oscar Meyer all beef. Not a great dog, but not horrible. And a lot cheaper than what you would pay for a dog the same size from the Windmill. But it's never acceptable to drown even one of these dogs in ketchup.
hotdoglover at 7:58PM on 09/10/09