Posted on 05/18/2005 7:48:07 AM PDT by conservativebabe
"A hot dog at the ballpark is better than a steak at the Ritz." -- Humphrey Bogart
Like lemonade, sun tea, bomb pops and tinkly music wafting from the rusty white vans of Stan's Ice Cream, the humble hot dog offers the best kind of bliss when the weather is warm.
Ballparks and back yards alike already are heating up. In a couple of weeks, swimming pools will open, and green-tinged heads will hover over grills, breathing in the fleeting aromas of summer.
It's time for the hot dog to have its season in the sun.
In fact, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says 38 percent of the dogs sold all year are eaten between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
That's why we recently asked readers of The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus to tell us about how they like to eat their dogs.
Perhaps the wildest idea came from Don Healy of Rock Island, who sent us his recipe for a gut bomb he calls "The Weenie of Death: aka Beer-Boiled, Barbecued, Broiled, Baconed Chili Cheese Dogs With Multiple Thermonuclear Warheads."
Unfortunately, Mr. Healy was not available for a photo with his apparently edible WMD. But you'll find his recipe at the end of this story.
Other entries weren't nearly as hilarious, but those who sent in their ideas were pretty adamant about the right and wrong ways to dress a wiener.
"Sir: It is my personal opinion that a good hot dog should not be, or need to be, tainted by various condiments: e.g. mustard, ketchup, onions, etc.," began an e-mail from James Hanson of Moline.
He likes his dogs microwaved and served with just a little peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter. More on his technique later.
Yet others made an issue of terminology.
"Please call them wieners, not `hot dogs,"' requested Ed Deener of Geneseo, who has eaten frankfurters in Frankfort, red hots in Yankee Stadium and "hot dogs at more fairs and carnivals than I care to remember."
No, he won't say he's a"hotdogologist," but he dares anyone to match his credentials.
After trying the following suggestions, you just might want to take him up on that dare.
Sweaty dogs
Jennifer Littrell of East Moline starts with a 24-pack of bun-length hot dogs from Aldi. She cooks them at 375 degrees in a toaster oven "until they sweat and turn sort of pinkish red."
Then she tops them with Swiss cheese singles from Aldi, piles on the sauerkraut, and adds a little ketchup. "YUMMY!" she wrote.
Simple dogs
"Ahhh ... the best hot dog is the Nathan's (brand) hot dog -- grilled to perfection with just the basics -- Heinz ketchup and French's mustard!" wrote Molly DeMink of Rock Island. An admitted "hot-dog snob," Ms. DeMink claims to have been raised on the baseball field and the basketball court, where hot dogs are par for the culinary course.
Julie Mudgett of Moline likes jumbo hot dogs from Cattlemen's Meat Market in East Moline.
She grills them along with brat buns from the Hy-Vee bakery, then adds microwaved sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and the Quad-Cities' own Boetje's mustard.
Dumpster dogs
How about mustard, chili, shredded pork butt, coleslaw and oyster crackers on your dog?
They're the ingredients "we affectionately call the Dumpster dog," wrote Bob and Denise Hines of Moline.
"Believe it or not, it is GREAT!"
P.B. dogs
Mr. Hanson likes a little peanut butter with his dog, but not just any dog will do.
He prefers the ones in natural casings from Golick’s Meat Market in Davenport. (Hot dog tidbit: Most commercial hot dogs come in fabricated cellulose casings that are removed prior to packaging.)
To cook his dogs, Mr. Hanson perforates the casings with a fork and microwaves them. Then he spreads a little Jif peanut butter on the bun and goes to town.
Southern-style slaw dogs
Margaret Tischer Lorentzen of Georgia, recently in Rock Island visiting her father, offered a recipe for slaw dogs. She learned how to make the iconic Southern meal from a friend about 20 years ago.
"All you have to do is shred cabbage very, very thin and mix with salt, pepper and mix with ONLY mayonnaise called Blue Plate. Just mix and spread on your grilled dog," Ms. Lorentzen wrote.
Blue Plate mayonnaise is a product of the Luzianne company with headquarters in New Orleans. Literally a southern classic since 1927, it's available for purchase on the Internet (www.luzianne.com) and in grocery stores in slightly warmer territory.
The filet mignon of wieners
"There's only one hot dog allowed in our refrigerator. It comes from Weber Meats ... made in-house from family recipes ... brought here from Switzerland," Mr. Deener wrote.
"I like (my wiener) with sauerkraut, chili, onion and relish, but I like it with those things on the side. I don't want to cover up the great taste of the wiener itself. Sort of reminds me of the guy who covers his filet mignon with A-1 sauce."
The Weenie of Death
1 package Hebrew National beef knockwursts
1 40-ounce bottle of lager (light beers not allowed)
1 package maple-sugar-cured bacon
1 pint hot barbecue sauce from Jim's Rib Haven
1 package high-quality rolls
1 jar sport peppers
1/4 pound each, grated and mixed: American cheese; sharp cheddar; Jarlsberg (or other soft, sweet cheese)
1 can Chili Man chili with meat
1 white onion, chopped
Boil the knockwursts in the lager for a good 10 minutes while the grill heats. Wrap each knockwurst in a slice of bacon, slather profusely with barbecue sauce, then place on grill and keep slathering until the bacon is crisped but not burnt.
Open the rolls and place a few sport peppers strategically within, place the weenie on the peppers, and sprinkle cheese on top.
Heat chili in microwave and place on top to turn the cheese into a simmering gooball between the dog and the chili. Sprinkle chopped onion on top.
A note from Mr. Healy: "The contrasts between the sweet and hot ingredients, along with the knockwurst, make for a surprisingly complex treat."
Big Green Egg Dog
Linda Gist-Fossett of Davenport likes Oscar Mayer jumbo hot dogs.
"We most often grill them on our Big Green Egg using hardwood charcoal," Ms. Gist-Fossett wrote.
1 package Oscar Mayer jumbo hot dogs, each slit down the center
1/2 cup Dale's Steak Sauce, sold at Wal-Mart stores
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Hot coleslaw (see following recipe for Southern Coleslaw)
1 package hot-dog buns
Mix all of the ingredients except for the slaw and pour over slit hot dogs. Allow them to marinate for several hours, then grill as desired.
Place a dog on a bun and top with hot coleslaw (see following recipe) for a southern-style dog, or use toppings you like, such as chili, onions, mustard and sauerkraut.
Southern Coleslaw
5 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
2 heaping tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large head cabbage, shredded
4 bell peppers, sliced
2 medium onions shredded
Put mayonnaise and mustard in a bowl large enough to hold complete mixture, but shaped so that the mixture can be beaten with a fork. Beat mayonnaise and mustard until combined. Add olive oil slowly, beating all the time. Beat until mixture has returned to the thickness of original mayonnaise. Add Louisiana hot sauce, continuing to beat. Add ketchup and keep beating.
Add salt and garlic salt, beating all the time. Add wine vinegar (this will thin the sauce down) and the Worcestershire sauce. Beat this thoroughly, adding the lemon juice as you do so. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place shredded cabbage, peppers and onions in a large salad bowl. Pour sauce over and toss well. This should be done about an hour before serving. Serves 10.
Adapted from Justin Wilson's "Outdoor Cooking With Inside Help."
I personally, love a good chili dog with shredded cheese and mustard.
I can already here my arteries clogging.
Lotsa mustard and sauerkraut. Everything else ruins it!
Give me a good chili dog with onions, mustard, shredded cheddar cheese and an order of fries. Yummy!
LOL!
I had a COSTCO dog yesterday.
Mustard, onions and relish.
Tasty.
I should have seent hat one coming! LOL! No pun intended. :)
Thanks a lot, now I have to clean coffee off my screen. LOL!
Ketchup should NEVER touch a hot dog. Ketchup is for burgers. Hot dogs demand SPICY Mustard.
There. I've settled it.
Mustard, relish, onion... with a dash of Tabasco sauce applied to the bun (not the dog itself).
Agreed, no ketchup, especially HEINZ!
No matter what, if you don't include onions, its not a real dog
I keep telling my kids that but they won't listen.
Dittos to that! It has to be real brown mustard though, none of that yellow crap.
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