I’ve been getting a few emails lately asking me what exactly is a Chicago style hot dog and why is it so special. What’s the big deal, anyways? (In Chicago we don’t say “anyway”. We say “anyways?” like it’s a question. FYI)
Here’s a quote, “A Chicago hot dog is probably the healthiest of the variants because of the abundance of toppings belonging to the fruit and vegetable classification”.
Pbbbbbt!
Like anyone really cares – it’s a hot dog for crying out loud. Besides, is it still healthy if I eat three of them in one sitting?
I’ll tell you why it’s so great – it’s so great because of all the flavors, textures, and temperatures that come together in one bite. They really work amazingly well together.
If you’ve never tried a Chicago dog, make some at home and give ‘em a try. Here’s the sequence:
1. Steamed bun – with poppy seeds if you can get ‘em.
2. All beef hot dog – steamed or boiled – Vienna Beef brand is my favorite.
3. Mustard – regular yellow, not brown or spicy.
4. Two tomato slices – wedge between the dog and bun.
5. Dill pickle spear – on the other side of the dog from the tomatoes.
6. Onion – chopped
7. Relish – Neon green from Vienna is the real deal. Yes, it tastes different. You can also use regular sweet pickle relish if you can’t get the neon stuff.
8. Two sport peppers – these can be hard to find, and no they are not jalapenos. I bought mine in 5 gallon buckets from my distributor who ran a truck to the Vienna plant in Chicago once a week.
9. Celery salt – just a light sprinkle but oh, so important. This is the “secret sauce” that ties all the flavors together!
Here’s a clever stop action animation depicting the construction of a proper Chicago style hot dog at one of my all time favorite restaurants, Portillo’s Hot Dogs in Chicago. Dick Portillo started out with a hot dog stand and now owns over 40 Portillo’s restaurants! But that’s a story for another time…
As you saw in the video, you should never put ketchup on a Chicago dog. True!
I have been known to use ketchup on a hot dog from time to time but NEVER on the Chicago version. There is too much sweetness in ketchup and it completely wrecks the savory/salty/crunchy/spicy thing that does the happy dance on your taste buds with every bite.
As Nancy Reagan said, “Just say no to ketchup on a Chicago dog”.
That was her, right?
-Steve
Bob Harman
// Oct 14, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Oh man, that looks so good! Thanks for the illustration.
bob
// Oct 14, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ketchup on a Chicago dog, it’s a capital offense here..goto gene n judes and you can beg on the floor for it and you still won’t get any..not even for your frys your just outa luck there..you gotta go to the mickey d’s next door if you want some packets…but then who would put ketchup on a chicago dog unless your 2 years old and don’t know any better..you can get mostly all of ur fixin’s from VIENNA SAUSAGE CO. they will ship almost anywhere in the U.S..then you can say your selling a “CHICAGO STYLE HOT DOG”..glad i live here i can eat them any time i want, the best in the nation..
Roy's Chicago Dogs
// Oct 14, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Depending the which side of Chicago you follow you can add some cucumber slices. As Steve notes if you don’t use to the “true” items for your Chicago Dog your just cheatin’ yourself
Jeff
// Oct 14, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Cute,,, I feel like I’ve truly been educated on the fine art of a “Chicago Dog.”
I still like my Cream Cheese, and Jalapeno, with black olive….Try It!
Edo "Ed's Famous"
// Oct 14, 2009 at 11:24 pm
These are my favorite!
George V Kovach
// Oct 15, 2009 at 1:04 am
Are sport peppers the same as pepperoncini peppers? And if not, can pepperoncinis be acceptable and still taste ‘genuine’?
George
Lee
// Oct 15, 2009 at 4:06 am
Ate at Portillo’s a month ago….was passing by and HAD to stop. Heard too much about The Chicago Dog and Portillo’s….. their Chicago dog TOTALLY ROCKS!
I must admit – being from the South – I much more prefer my dogs with chili….but you’re so right Steve – the textures, the flavors, wow – as we say in Louisiana….make you wanna slap ya momma!
Keep doggin it baby!
steve
// Oct 15, 2009 at 5:16 am
George,
Nope, pepperoncini are different – more “pickled” tasting.
There’s no substitute for sport peppers.
-Steve
Jim
// Oct 15, 2009 at 6:44 am
Hey Bob: That’s a blast from the past Gene n Judes, we used also call them Riverdog’s becaus e the Des Plains river always flooded out the area
Esteban Guzman
// Oct 15, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Steve,
The thing I tell my family as to why they taste so good is not the secret ingredient of celery salt, its the love I put into making each chicago style dog! To me, they are the best and they are going to be my feature dog once I get my cart business going.
mike
// Oct 15, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Man that looks mighty good from here!
Renee and Susan
// Oct 15, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Steve, we are making “Chicago Dogs” on our corner in Downtown Phoenix – this is our second week, it is going great…I will be honest that photo you have in this artical is kinda sad – I will take a close-up of our dog on Friday and e-mail it to you! Ours are as one customer said ” a work of art” you’ll see – thanks for all of your support!
We love your web-site! Renee and Susan
steve
// Oct 15, 2009 at 7:04 pm
R & S,
Yeah, that dog looks kind of tired. Show me yours!
-Steve
steve
// Oct 15, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Esteban,
Hey man – I saw your video on Facebook. You taught that little dude right!
Get that cart done before the weather closes in!
-Steve
Jose
// Oct 15, 2009 at 7:52 pm
chicago style hot dogs are the best! When I start my hot dog cart business, i will sell THOSE hot dogs! Yes, i am thinking of building my own ez built hot dog cart the steve shable way. Its less expensive and the challenge of doing something on your own is worth the efort!
steve
// Oct 15, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Jose,
Welcome aboard!
-Steve
Jeff D.
// Oct 16, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Renee and Susan,
Where are you guys located? I’m local and would love to stop in and get a dog someday soon.
Renee and Susan
// Oct 17, 2009 at 12:22 pm
We are on the corner of 1st avenue and Washington – right across the street from the Wells Fargo building and a half a block east of Phoenix City hall – Washington is a one-way going west – there are some parking meters on the left – we have a Vienna Beef umbrella and also a bright red one as well – there are 4 other hotdoggers located one each corner – we are the very best – we’ve been told. See you soon Jeff D. Thanks!
Michael
// Oct 17, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Just had my first day running my new hotdog cart. I must say my “doggs” don’t look like that but they must be good because I sold completely out of sausage dogs. It also rained my first day and was cold, well cold for me in the south. Thanks to Bens Hotdog Carts, I have the Big Dog.
Renee and Susan
// Oct 17, 2009 at 4:21 pm
oh and Jeff – I forgot to say we are there Monday – Friday approx. 10 till 3…
Jeff d.
// Oct 17, 2009 at 8:59 pm
R. & S.
Cool Thanks. Hope to see soon.
Jeff D.
Esteban Guzman
// Oct 17, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Hey Steve,
I’m making progress slowly but surely! I’m waiting on my steam pans to come in, got them at a pretty good price from ebay. Sunday I’m going to paint the interior of the cart and then continue doing what I can until I get the pans. By the way, I just added the link on youtube, I posted the video there too. Anyone want to make a good chicago style dog check out the video! Also, if you’re ever in Belton, look for a hot dog cart with a sign saying “Stevie’s Red Hot Wienies”, that will be me slinging Chi style hot dogs to my fellow texans.
keep on slinging them dogs,
Esteban
Esteban Guzman
// Oct 17, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Jose, I couldn’t agree with you more, I’m in the middle of building my cart now and its been so much fun! I’m not much of a handyman and I’ve never ever tried to build anything before so this has been such a learning experience. Also, everytime I talk to someone about what I’m doing and what I’m going to sell, they tell me that I am very passionate when I talk about it. That makes me feel good because I am going to do something that “I” want to do, not do something because I have to. I can’t wait to get started. Good luck Jose, live the dream!
Esteban
Larry Green
// Oct 18, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I found a shop near my home here in Cincinnati that serves an original Chicago style dog. It is AWESOME!!
When I get my stand up and running, I’m going to sell Chicago style, which is my favorite style of dog.
Keep up the good work!
Brook / Slap Happy Dogs
// Nov 2, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Washington State here — Where can I get SPORT PEPPERS. Inquiring minds want to know.
Esteban Guzman
// Nov 2, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Brook, I order mine online from Puckered Pickle Company and I also get my neon green relish from the same site. The website is http://www.puckeredpickle.com. Try them, they are pretty reasonable and I’m sure you can get a discount if you buy quantity.
Nomad Dawgz
// Nov 25, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Question…the fixins for the Chicago dog, seem to be easy to find, and price out…the biggest hurdle I am finding is a source for poppy seed buns.
I have found Lou Malnati’s and Flukys, but these are sold as “kits” and aren’t all that financially viable for selling Chicago dogs off a cart.
Portillo’s Chicago dog kit goes for $59.95 a “kit” for 10 dogs and poppy seed buns. That breaks down to almost $6.00 a dog. Not very profitable.
I am really frustrated trying to source the buns, because I want to do the Chicago dog right..
I really want to specialize in Chicago and New York style dogs off my cart, because they are solid sellers.
I am new to the hotdogging business, and I would appreciate any advice or source anyone has on this.
Thanks to all for the links especially to Esteban on the sport pepper link, and want to say hello to a fellow Texan hotdogger!
Happy Hotdogging!!!
Nomad Dawgz
Vanessa
// Feb 1, 2010 at 6:30 am
Hey guys,
just purchased the book and looking forward to tips and encouragement from fellow doggers! Not sure what style of dogs I will sell- I am in Hopewell VA. Still looking at buying a cart – but also open to building one… decisions decisions!! I hope to have my dogs and cart ready by first week in April – cant wait for the book to arrive so I can begin! Best of luck to all of you and may I say I love this blog!
V
Mike C
// Feb 9, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Ok i have an investor considering putting alot of money into my restaurant concept, but he wants to know how much money my restaurant can bring in on an annual basis. I don’t know… it’s not open yet!
Is there a way to find financial numbers relating to the annual perspective of a conceptual hotdog vending restaurant, and if there is, where do I find that info?
Thanks Steve
Esteban Guzman
// Feb 9, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Vanessa, I’d start off with a simple menu and maybe featuring a regional favorite, like the slaw dog. There are a number of books that you can buy online with great hot dog recipes and you can go from there. Most of all, sell the best product available, sell your brand, and sell yourself and you will do fine. Wishing you the very best of luck and success,
Esteban Guzman
Kath
// Mar 4, 2010 at 11:16 am
This whole discussion regarding the “Chicago Dog” I find amusing! We started researching this industry close to 3 years ago now. Having never tried a Chi Dog at that time, we Googled it, found out what was on it, and the searched one out on the internet so we could taste one.
I see doggers all day long making knock offs of the real deal, using inferior ingredients to save money perhaps? Using the correct ingredients to make these dogs we feel is crucial! Regular relish is not the same as Neon relish folks! It’s a completely different flavor, as are the sport peppers. The few cents you save by cutting corners just isn’t worth it, and you aren’t representing the real deal to your customers. Use the best as Steve suggests, listen to his advice and learn from his experiences…they are priceless!!! And the internet is another valuable resource, check out “Hollyeats.com” and their the hotdog grease stain rating…it’s hilarious.
Kath
// Mar 4, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Vienna Beef is an excellent source for all these ingredients. Find your source by calling them at the number on their web site. We aren’t large enough (YET) to have an account, but they will sell to anyone. We hooked up with a rep that gave us free product to sample (sausages) and then hooked us up with a restaurant close to us (57 miles), we placed our order with Vienna and met the truck at the restaurant paid the driver and we were on our way with a bucket each of Neon, sport peppers, dill pickles, and a case of Poppy seed buns (which freeze well). I’m sure they all do it, you have to inquire tho.
WaydeG
// May 6, 2010 at 8:22 am
We’re one of the few folks in the DFW area that serve the real deal Chicago Style hot dog – from the Vienna Beef dog to the poppy seed bun, right down to the position of the tomato wedges and sport peppers. Our clients LOVE these dogs and out sell any other dog 3-1. Do it right. Do it well. People will notice.