The best hot dogs I ever had were at Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin (middle of nowhere, nowhere defined as Sparta & Thoma(sp?) Wisconsin).

They snapped when you bit into them. I was told it was because they left the skins on them - whatever it is, I haven't been able to find anything similar out here in Oregon.

--
Ooooh! Shiny!

The hot dog is the perfect food for everyone. Being neither animal, vegatable or mineral it is appropriate and satisfactory for everybody. Have you ever seen a kid who does not like a hot dog? They may be extremely picky, rationally eschewing food of green, but they will always accept and gratefully eat a hot dog. Every race, every nationality of child will eat a hot dog. They are Kosher, Halal and good!

Please note that tofu hot dogs are an abomination and should be avoided. Hot dogs should always be made of pink.

Uh, Hebrew National, that should be cow snouts.

Hebrew National is my favorite as well, they "answer to a higher authority"

If you want a hot dog that "snaps," go to the store and buy "old fashioned" or "skin-on" hot dogs.

Then, just to treat yourself right, put them on a bakery bun, not a bun from a national brand.

Hebrew Nationals are the only hotdogs we eat.

That's what we're grilling on Memorial Day, along with burgers, chicken and one soyburger, for my vaguely vegetarian fourteen-year-old daughter.

You can still buy Coke made with real cane sugar. You just have to buy the bottles labled "Kosher for Passover". There might not be any left now (try a kosher grocery store if you have one) but if you see it in the stores next year, stock up. It's not like it goes bad.

Grilled just right (cooked through, with those diagonal black marks on them that looked so tasty in the Ed Herlihy Kraft mustard commercials), reposing in a bakery bun, potato salad AND ripple chips on the side, and a nice cold brewski to slake your thirst. Forget the hokey pokey, kids; THIS is what it's all about.

John Robinson
www.johnrobinsonbooks.com

Also the Mexican Coca Cola has cane sugar. I have seen it in Costco in California and all the Mexican Markets.

Sorry, I do not know how East and North this Mexican Coca Cola travels.

Corn sweetener in everything is another victory for ADM along with soy burgers and gasohol.

I wonder how many "progressive" realize how much support they give this "evil corporation." Isn't it ironic?

Dad and I pulled that stunt a little ways from DL back about 25 years ago... a rogue wave on a little bitty pretend lake flipped our canoe over. round about June 3rd, cold spring like this one, and that water was colder than polar bear spit.

and so, so deep. and endless. and of course we were dressed for the sun on our arms.

saving grace: we are life preserver fanatics. my wife lost her thoughts of trying canoeing when I flatly told her first time we get in one, we swamp it shallow, and she has to learn how to hang on and kick back to shore. no excuses. that's how you learn to live.

worked for me and Dad. took two pots of coffee at a barely-open resort before he stopped shaking.

do NOT forget a coast-guard approved life vest for every member of your boating party. do NOT take them off while in the boat.

and enjoy that Ambassador classic hot dog.

Usually I prefer the crispy grilled hot dog, complete with black lines evenly spaced and one charred corner that got too close to the hot part of the grill... But every once in a while I just want the simple, wet and steamy boiled hot dog like you get from the street corner vendors, or at the ball game... Quick and easy to make, impossible to overcook, and always available.

The hard part is keeping the buns from getting stale though. Doesn't matter how good the hot dog is, if the bun is hard and dry, it's just not as good. It should either be slightly toasted, or soft and squishy.

Now I want a hot dog... I have a few in the fridge, but I had to throw away the buns because they were rock hard.

The "skins" are intestines.

I travel to south America occasionaly. Down there they call hot dogs "poncho's ". Why you may ask.

Poncho is the nickname for Franko or Frank in english. Frankfurter ---Poncho.

I try a hot dog everywhere I travel So far Chicago "vienna" dogs are my favorite.

get a bread machine (Fleet Farm reliably has them, otherwise it's a search,) make the basic bread recipe out of the folder, let the dough rise in the machine.

then take it out, pound it down for the second rise, and shape some buns. barely warm up the over, warm enough to make you think of a tropical resort, turn the heat off, and rise the dough to the right diameter. shouldn't be planning on more than a doubling in size, or it will collapse when baking.

then bake until just golden brown.

the lack of evil preservative chemicals won't cause them to turn funny colors, they won't last that long.

nothing better.

bake your own buns

Isn't that what that Wisconsin guy got "busted" for?

(I have baked both hamburger and hot dog buns, mixed results)

I would never recommend taking a trip to Wichita, Kansas, as it is a silly place. But...if you happen to be there and enjoy a good hot dog, you MUST go to Dog-N-Shake. They soak the buns in butter, and toast them just right. The bun alone is worth it, but the dogs are sublime, as well. And affordable!

And if you're more into burgers, try NuWay, where the hamburger meat is crumbled up, like a sloppy joe without the slop. It's not as good as Dog-N-Shake, but still kinda fun.

In Los Angeles (which is measurably sillier than Wichita -- I mean, geeze, Sean Penn lives here), you can get fantastic, '50-style, practically-bite-you-back hot dogs at the Cupid's hot dog stands. The best is the one in Canoga Park.

Cupid's chili dogs are the stuff of song and story, I'm told, but I'm not a chili dogger myself. But with mustard and onions? Mmmmm....

I love hot dogs.

There's a German butcher nearby; they make all their own meats, as well as fresh home-made sauerkraut. So good.

Then there's Zab's White Hots, from Rochester, NY. Had a friend get me some once--deelish.

In North Jersey, the best supermarket brand is Thumann's. A wonderful blend of beef and pork, with just the right spices and the skin that snaps when you bite it. Boar's Head runs a close second.

Combine that with a nice brown mustard, and a potato roll, and some fresh kraut (or do a Texas Weiner, famous in New Jersey--hot dog with chili sauce and onions and mustard).

Then there's Rutt's Hut, in Clifton, NJ, where they deep-fry the hot dogs. Ambrosial.

New Jersey is one of the hot dog capitals of the world.

Chicago's pretty good, too.

But sorry, friends--the all-beef hot dog doesn't cut it. Ya gotta have some pig in there to make it taste just right.

That settles it--I'm off to the German butcher first thing Saturday morning!

If you're ever in Arlington, ya gotta eat at this place.

I wish they had more Skyline Chili places around here (Orlando)..I used to go to the one when I lived in Ft Lauderdale..Mmmmm. Tiny dog in a bun covered with a mound of chili and cheese...So freaking good. :`(

Philly for hoagies and cheese steaks, Chicago for hot dogs. Almost any place that does Vienna Beef brand, especially if they are grilled. For me: everything but relish.
There are a couple of places around the Twin Cities that do an imitation Chicago dog, using Vienna Beef, but then they spoil it by boiling the hot dogs.
If you want something done right, do it yourself, I guess.

I moved to MN from Wyckoff 12 years ago - my mom grew up in Clifton. Loves Rutt's Hut. We used to go to Clixes in Wyckoff every Friday night when I was growing up. It's since closed down, but they had great Texas Weiners. Awesome Taylor Ham and Cheese also! I miss that! Hard to find out here, so I always bring some back when I go visit my family.

The Morningstar (soy) bacon strips are great, provided you don't overnuke them. If you overnuke them, even the dog won't touch them. So undercook. They go crisp on their own as they cool. And no shrinkage!

Anyway that proves that if the original flavor comes from smoke and nitrate flavoring, you can really duplicate it well in soy.

Morningstar also has soy hot dogs, which are not bad. Add the usual condiments and you can't tell the difference.

(The various Morningstar burgers are okay but don't think of them as hamburger-like. They're their own genre. Boca burgers tend to be a little off-putting to my taste but are tolerable if on deep sale. Condiments are not enough to make the burgers seem like burgers if thought of as meat.)

cyndija, I live in the bucolic village of Pompton Plains, NJ. I knew Clixes well--I believe it's been replaced by a BBQ place. Of course there's Goffle Grill right down the street, and then there's Johnny & Hanges, Hank's Franks, Falls View Grill, the Hot Grill, and on and on. The Texas Weiner is a standby. And Taylor Ham (aka Pork Roll) is utterly unknown outside the Garden State. Those folks in other places don't know what they're missing! Nothing like a Taylor Ham and egg on a hard roll to start your day.

I just got back from the German Butcher (Farms View in Pompton Lakes)--got some old-fashioned hot dogs, bratwurst, Italian sausage, and a handful of sauerkraut. Just took my first bite--ambrosia!!!

rhhardin,

My picky 14-year-old daughter will eat ONLY the Morningstar "chicken" patties. She used to eat the Boca brand, but says they're not as good.

I hope she gets over this phase soon and goes back to eating animals.

If you ever find yourself wandering the beautiful islands of Hawaii, make it a mission to find yourself a Puka Dog. Yum.

Yeah, the chicken's okay too. Either Boca or Morningstar seems the same to me, in the chicken genre. Boca offers ease in cooking just one, if you're not inclined to eat two anyway. Nuke in the bag, it works fine.

I think there's no traditional chicken-as-food holiday though.

Before you reject all that is new in weekender foodstuffs, i just tried the Heinz "Hot Dog Relish" which is a blend of mustard and relish in a squeeze bottle (i know, i know -- take that, Mother Earth!).

The mix of the flavor is a real improvement on getting a mouthful of all relish or all mustard.

IMHO.

-------

"Live your faith, share your life"

_@_v - back in the '70s this place called lums sold hot dogs cooked in beer. someone posted the recipe online...

Lums Hotdog
One Package, John Morrell's, New York Deli Brand, Beef Franks.
1 can beer.
2 cans water, (use empty beer can).
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon garlic powder
Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to a lowest heat and let stew 15 minutes or longer.
Serve on a Quality Hot Dog Bun.

There's nothing particularly unusual about the hot dogs here (the culinary landscape of the Seattle area is known more for its seafood, most of which would not be found on a bun, at least in polite company.) Surprisingly enough, I'd have to say that the best hot dog you're going to find around here is the Costco dog for $1.50 with a drink. That's probably saying more about the relative dearth of good hot dogs around here than it is about the quality of Costco hotdogs, but they're consistent, cheap, and actually pretty good with the "standard" toppings (which, based on some of my reading elsewhere, would make most Chicago Dog fans throw a fit.)

For slightly more money, there's also the good old-fashioned ballpark hotdog, although six bucks (plus admission to the game and exorbitant parking fees,) but that seems to be one of those "you have to be there" things. I actually worked 10-15 games a year in a concession stand for a nonprofit group at Safeco Field for a number of seasons, and in spite of that I still enjoy the occasional Minor League Mariner Dog at the ballpark when I get there(the Major Dogs are a bit too big though...)

Most of the time, I prefer a good chili dog though, and will usually make one at home with the Hebrew National Quarter-Pound dogs, Nalley Chili, Tillamook Cheddar and plenty of onions, on an outdoor roll. I just wish Sonic would show up around here at some point so I could go get one of their Footlong Cheese Coneys without having to drive 300 miles to the nearest one...

And on an unrelated note, here's a (vaguely) food-related Memorial Day post from today's festivities over on my own Blog:

I Think My Family Has a Drinking Problem
(No, it's not THAT kind of drinking problem...)

The Twin Cities doesn't have any real hot dog restaurant, as far as I know. After seeing Hot Dog Heavens on the Travel Channel (great documentary), I thought about opening one in Minneapolis. It would be difficult to make it a financial success this late in the game, I suppose.

bgbear> There's probably a greater percentage of "progressives" who know about the ADM and high fructose corn syrup problem than conservatives, because progressives I think are more likely to go to an organic market or co-op, so they're more aware of things like food additives and substitutes.

Franksamillion in the skyway near Marquette and 2nd does a pretty good job on the dogs.

Oh yeah, I remember passing Franks A Million every day in the skyway and laughing to myself at the name. Never stopped there. So it's not just a cheap snack bar I guess? I noticed it was still there a couple months ago when I was in town and took the skyway due to the snowstorm. I suppose it must be decent if it's still in business.

If you come to Atlanta, you may hear the dulcet tones of "What'll Ya Have? What'll Ya Have? What'll Ya Have?" ringing like a siren's song through the streets and emanating from all cracks, crevasses, nooks, crannies, etc. It's spoken very fast, so it sounds like "wadduhlyahavwadduhlyahavwadduhlyahav?".

There can only be one explanation for the strange sounds. There's only one source. The Varsity. Home of some of the greasiest, fatteningest, unhealthiest, yet most deliciousest of hot dogs in this country. You haven't lived, nor will you come close to a heart attack, unless you try a Varsity chili dog with onion rings or fries, an F.O., or a "Frosted Orange", and a hot apple or peach pie.

One major rule about the Varsity is when you get to the counter, you better have your order ready. Otherwise they will send you to the back of the line, where you will get leers from everyone else in line. You should have already known what you want, pal. I made up my mind when I got in my car this morning.

Whatchoo Talkin' Bout?

There are three or four locations. The main one is in downtown Atlanta, right across the interstate (there's a bridge near them) from Georgia Tech and the dormitories for Georgia State University. There are other student housing within a short walking distance as well.

"Walk me two c-dogs all the way with strings and an F.O.!"

Yes, they have their own language as well. The site should explain it all.

PatrickRsGhost

They have awesome shakes and malts as well as a cool logo

I was going to post my praises of Thumann's brand hot dogs on Friday, but I got out of work early and didn't touch a computer all weekend. Glad to see GardenStater threw the Thumann's hat into the ring. Fantastic franks. I actually know a few people who do not care for hot dogs, but still love Thumann's dogs. I didn't know it was a local brand, but I see on their site that they're located in Carlstadt, New Jersey. On Saturday we decided to have hot dogs for dinner while babysitting my two-year-old nephew, and I am happy to report I got the very last package of Thumann's at the store. The nephew loved them. (Well, "it", as he only had one, but it was a pretty big hot dog for a two year old!)

Texas Weiners are also great, not only for tasty hot dogs, but they also make good, inexpensive breakfasts. There's a new one by me (in Hillsborough, NJ), but everytime my husband and I try to go there, they're closed, and it's not as if we keep odd hours. I have to wonder if they'll stay in business for long.