Entries tagged with 'Hot Dog of the Week'
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"Take two of the best classic deli sandwiches and combine them." [Original artwork and photographs: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs Danish Hot Dog24th & Passyunk TruckTexas TommyPhilly Dirty Water DogChicago Dog Kosher hot dogs have always been a staple of New York delicatessens. It was only a matter of time before a deli man or two decided to pile some of that delicious pastrami on top of a frankfurter. The components are pretty self explanatory: all-beef kosher hot dog piled high with good, moist pastrami, on a poppy seed bun, maybe garnished with a squirt of deli mustard. I found one here in Philadelphia at Famous 4th Street Deli, probably our most well-known classic delicatessen. My Pastrami Dog came with...
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"The signature of the Danish Hot Dog is the mountain of crispy fried onions—pretty much exactly like the canned French fried onions." [Original artwork: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs 24th & Passyunk TruckTexas TommyPhilly Dirty Water DogChicago Dog This week marks the first Hot Dog of the Week outside of North America. Unique hot dog styles are evolving on every corner of the planet. Brazil alone has three or four unique styles. Japan probably invented four new hot dogs while I wrote this article. European hot dog variations are extra fascinating because the dogs themselves are closer to the original German wieners, yet many of the serving styles and toppings are influenced by American hot dog variations. I was thrilled...
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"The dogs are your standard Deitz & Watson, but what really makes them stand out is the steamed buns and homemade pepper hash." Tucked away in a corner of South Philadelphia, right around the corner from Philip's, one of my favorite cheesesteak joints, lies what just might be Philly's best kept hot dog secret. Hollyeats.com calls it the best hot dog in Philadelphia, and I think I might agree. I parked in a nearby half-abandoned strip mall near a guy selling bootleg Phillies t-shirts, found a battered newsstand and a cart selling fish sandwiches, but that couldn't be it. Maybe this legendary hot dog man had disappeared, or simply went home at 2 p.m. or "when the bread runs out"...
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"Philly is greatly underrepresented in the hot dog history books." [Original art and photography: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs Philly Dirty Water DogChicago DogDetroit ConeysSeattle StyleHalf-Smoke This week we take a look at another Philadelphia hot dog—one that seems to have slipped through the cracks of hot dog history. Popular with 1950s housewives and on almost every greasy spoon menu in Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania, and South Jersey, the Texas Tommy is a grilled and split hot dog loaded with bacon and lots of cheese. Other condiments are optional but not necessary. The earliest Texas Tommys were wrapped in bacon before being cooked and grilled, or deep-fried like they used to make them at The Cup in Pottstown, Pennsylvania (now closed)....
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"A Philly dirty water dog is quite different from its New York cousin." [Original art and photographs: Hawk Krall] You might not think of Philadelphia as much of a hot dog town. Our dog offerings are often overshadowed by the almighty cheesesteak and roast pork sandwich. Although Pat's Steaks, the originator of the cheesesteak, was originally a hot dog stand, and every day thousands of Philadelphians chow down on hot dogs from glimmering lunch carts lined up along the city streets. A Philly dirty water dog is quite different from its New York cousin. More often than not, a hot dog here is a skinless, jumbo (think Chicago-sized) boiled hot dog (Deitz & Watson or Hatfield) on half of a...
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[Artwork: Hawk Krall] This week we take a look at one of the country's most beloved regional hot dogs, the classic Chicago Dog. A few weeks ago we delved into Chicago's lesser-known minimalist style, the Depression Dog. But today it's all about the classic dragged-through-the-garden jumbo beef frank on a poppy seed bun, topped with pickles, sport peppers, tomatoes, neon green relish, bright yellow mustard and celery salt. It's really almost more of a weiner hoagie than a hot dog. For the Chicago dog novice, the sheer amount of stuff on this hot dog stands out first. It's visually awesome but depending on the size of the veggies, it can be quite a challenge to eat. It's really almost...
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"Like any hot dog style that's been around for almost 100 years, the Detroit Coney has migrated far and wide." [Artwork: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs Seattle Style DogHalf-Smoke24-Hour DogThe Philly ComboTijuana Dog Detroit's Coney Island hot dog phenomenon has almost nothing to do with Brooklyn's Coney Island (similar to its cousin the Texas Weiner, which has absolutely no relation to Texas). At first glance, the Coney might just look like your average chili dog—but don't say that to anyone in Michigan, Ohio, upstate New York, or any of the other far-reaching places where the Coney has migrated. In Detroit, a "Coney" is a natural casing beef and pork dog covered in ridiculous amounts of Coney Sauce, yellow mustard, and...
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"Seattle has many hot dog joints but until recently didn't have its own definitive Seattle Dog." [Artwork: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs Beer Marinated Chili DogDepression Dog24-Hour DogThe Philly ComboTijuana Dog Whenever I think I'm out of regional hot dogs to cover, I get four or five e-mails about hot dogs I've never even heard of. It's amazing how quickly a hot dog style can be established. This week's dog, the Seattle Style cream cheese dog, seems to have popped up out of nowhere. Served at carts and trucks all over the city, popular for a quick lunch or after the bars at 2 a.m., the Seattle Style hot dog is a wiener or Polish sausage grilled and often split...
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"No matter if you wait in line at Ben's or just grab a half-smoke from a street cart, it would be a shame to visit D.C. without tasting one." [Art and photographs: Hawk Krall] The half-smoke is Washington D.C.'s signature street food, but nearly impossible to find outside of the D.C. area. By some definitions, it's not technically a hot dog. Otherwise, it has all the traits of a historically significant, regional variation of tubular meat on a bun. It involves a mildly smoked, natural casing beef and pork sausage. The meat is coarsely ground and spicier than a standard frankfurter. At Ben's Chili Bowl, a D.C. landmark and the most well-known place for a half-smoke, they are grilled on...
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"By not having a Charlie's hot dog, it's like skipping a chapter in this book called life." [Art and photographs: Hawk Krall] Past Weeks' Dogs Beer Marinated Chili DogDepression Dog24-Hour DogThe Philly ComboTijuana Dog Over Labor Day weekend I had the opportunity to visit what might be one of the country's most unique hot dog joints. Hidden on backroads in western New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border—closer to the mountains than the ocean—lies Charlie's Pool Room. Located on a residential street, it's easy to miss. In fact, finding this place was like an episode of Lost. The street names didn't match up to my road atlas or Google maps, and the GPS went haywire and told us we were still...
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