What is your idea of the ideal hot dog?

Haven't eaten a hot dog for years. Don't intend to, either. Not my cup of tea.

Second choice--and most often choice since we don't live near a Skyline!--is a grilled (very charred, almost burned) Hebrew National with finely chopped onions, a little yellow mustard and a lot of ketchup. I like a buttered, toasted bun, as well.

I've learned to not be surprised anymore, but our tastes once again line up eerily similar on this one too Carrie! At least on this second choice (I'm not too hot on chili dogs, but do like the old fashioned ground beef-based coneys)...

Actually, I can't say I'm familar specifically with a Hebrew National, but in terms of A) grilling B)mustard C)ketchup and D)finely chopped onions, those are the four most common traits of my own typically prepared hot dog. The toasted bun is one I know I like with burgers and which I need to start doing when grilling my own hot dogs.

I just hope I don't get laughed off of my own post now because I just admitted I typically put a dollop of ketchup on my hot dogs in addition to the mustard and diced onions! I already had the nerve to volunteer the fact that I much enjoy Chicago style pizza to the thin style in one of my posts above. Between that and this I might have to hide for cover over the weekend!

Jeff

For my film group this month we watched "Big Night."

In one of my favorite scenes, Secondo (Stanley Tucci) says, "why don't we take Risotto off the menu? It's expensive, it takes you a long time to make, I say, take it off!"

The chef, Primo (Tony Shalhoub) pretends to agree, but after a long pause he says "why donna we make-a, what do you call it" (he moves his hands into a shape " ott dug? People like-a de ott dug!"

Secondo realizes he's been had...

I have mixed feelings about these. I suppose I eat them often enough, my wife particularly sees them as comfort food. Her family in Vermont would have baked beans with franks every weekend. And I have had them in many contexts with many condiments. Certainly I'd prefer Kielbasa or nearly any other sausage instead. They are bland and boring, but it's hard to imagine never eating one again. I suppose they are comfort food for me as well.

Dijon mustard and kimchee on a warm bun. With a good Pilsner.

This will sound like heresy to all the purists here, but I'd be happy just trying the various ever-changing specials from Hot Doug's in Chicago. The smoked and spicy Cajun pork sausage with crispy fried onions that occasionally shows up on their specials menu is one of the most addictive things I've ever eaten.

For the most part, I detest hot dogs, but... Top Dog in Berkeley: grilled hot link on a sourdough bun with sauerkraut, onion and spicy German mustard, all served in a squalid shack adorned with anarchist literature -- what's not love?

Mark Lipton

On a baguette with a hard white cheese and mustard in a cafe along the river in Paris, with a cold Heineken.

[Jenise]

This will sound like heresy to all the purists here, but I'd be happy just trying the various ever-changing specials from Hot Doug's in Chicago. The smoked and spicy Cajun pork sausage with crispy fried onions that occasionally shows up on their specials menu is one of the most addictive things I've ever eaten.

Not heresy. I think most of us have nothing but admiration for food fanatics who take any common category of food and raise it to an artform, and from what I've read Doug's totally done that. There's a notoriously popular hot dog stand in downtown Vancouver I've meant to try--Susan B, are you listening?--called JapaDog. Hot dogs with an Asian flair, like cabbage, shredded hori and wasabi mayo There's always a line halfway down the street.

This will sound like heresy to all the purists here, but I'd be happy just trying the various ever-changing specials from Hot Doug's in Chicago.

I've tried and tried to replicate their duck fat fries at home. I'm getting close, but still falling short of their gold standard.

My mom was not the best cook. She would get ideas from the center pages of TV Guide magazine.

One of the more memorable ones was hot dogs split down the middle, stuffed with Velveeta and green pickle relish and cooked in the oven...

She did occasionally get some ideas that turned out pretty interesting, like the cheese and rice soufflé. I doubt if that was from TV Guide but it was such a hit with the family that she made it rather frequently...

Oh! I just remembered something about hot dogs. I know we veterans know about it but does Jeff B know about Octodog?: http://www.octodog.net/

No purist here, I'm a fan in general. Although I must say that plain old mustard is the only way to go at the ball park. I love chili dogs. I had my first slaw dog this summer from a newly opened area restaurant that specializing in dogs and as Alton would say, "Good Eats". And I dig Chicago style, just not from our AAA baseball park (lesson learned, see above), should have stuck with mustard there this spring. I like them off the grill with a good bit of char, I'll eat them boiled and I've been known to nuke 'em when I needed a fix. Why, why, why have I never thought of kimchee as a dog topper? That sounds awesome. And for the record, I'm basically the same with pizza, growing up in ST Louis with their funky crust and cheese, deep dish, even 2/$6 frozen specials. I'm just not picky when it comes to the foods that seem to raise the biggest regional debates.

Oh! I just remembered something about hot dogs. I know we veterans know about it but does Jeff B know about Octodog?: http://www.octodog.net/

No, I had never heard of this but thanks for the link!

So now hot dogs are not only delicious but they can become true works of art!

Jeff

As to how I like my franks

(a) At Nathan's in Coney Island, first boiled then grilled, served on a soft bun with nothing more than a generous quantity of deli mustard
(b) At street side stands in New York City, boiled, served on a soft bun and topped with mustard, mayonnaise, relish, fried onions and hot sauce
(c) At New York City delicatessens, on a plate (at least three and ideally four dogs), served alongside potato salad, cole slaw, sauerkraut, fat pickles and ideally accompanied by Dr Brown's CelRay Tonic (or whatever name it goes by today)
(d) At the stands in Vienna, Weisbaden, Berlin and St. Moritz, boiled, on a medium-soft to medium-hard roll with nothing but mustard (put my sauerkraut on a separate plate please) and with a can of ice cold beer close at hand
(e) In delis in the State of California – on soft buns (implying of course that I will eat more than one) with a mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard spread first on the bread and then topped with fried onions when available or with additional mustard, depending on the mood
(f) At home - as close to Nathan's as I can get - first boiled and then grilled

I have a bunch of answers to this topic but first.......did you know that Nathan's dogs are made in Cincinnati? or at least they were earlier this decade? and despite that, you won't find them for sale here?

But they are good.....only tasted a few times, first in the Orlando airport returning from Disney World with the kids. I would repeat.

If hot dogs disappeared from our world tonight, I wouldn't even notice.
Of all the myriad varieties of sausage available from numerous cultures, the hot dog has to be the tail-end Charlie.

What he said!

Despite a preference for certain styles of hot dog, I wouldn't miss them if I couldn't have them any more.

Chicago Style, from a street vendor, in Chicago. There is no other way for me to enjoy a humble hot dog, and when compared to New York street vendors there is no comparison, New Yorkers eat there hot dogs with KETCHUP or mustard, thats it. I was looking around for Ashton Kutcher because I thought I was being punked.

Yep, Chicago style with most of the works on it, including the pickle spear. Super Dogs is the one near where I visit.

First choice would be a Skyline Chili dog. Those tiny little hot dogs with the softest buns, loaded with chili and cheese. Mmm. They're just so smooshy and good.

Second choice--and most often choice since we don't live near a Skyline!--is a grilled (very charred, almost burned) Hebrew National with finely chopped onions, a little yellow mustard and a lot of ketchup. I like a buttered, toasted bun, as well.

For Skyline, you need to be in Cincinnati or Clearwater, Fla. (one just south of Innisbrook) or Naples, Fla. or Lauderdale. Dine on a 4way bean at the place, take about a dozen coneys with cheese and chili home. Yum.