thumb|Chicago-style hot dog with duck-fat fries

thumb|Chicago-style hot dog at [[Portillo's Restaurants|Portillo's]]

thumb|A char-dog with ends cut [[cervelat-style]]

A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago dog, or Chicago red hot is a hot dog comprising an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating in Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers (a variety of Capsicum annuum), and a dash of celery salt.

The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be "dragged through the garden" due to the many toppings. The method for cooking the hot dog varies depending on the vendor's preference. Most often they are steamed or water-simmered, or less often grilled over charcoal (in which case they are referred to as "char-dogs").

The canonical recipe A number of Chicago hot dog vendors do not offer ketchup as a condiment.

History

The hot dog arrived in Chicago through Frankfurt from Vienna. Pork sausages have been known in Frankfurt since the 13th century. In the 19th century, a butcher in Vienna added beef to the sausage mixture. He called this a "wiener-frankfurter". Eventually reaching Chicago, franks served in buns became popular at fairs and baseball games. Reportedly the pork-free and kosher-style all-beef frank was originated by Fluky's in 1929. During the Great Depression they were sold for a nickel out of carts along Maxwell Street. Two Austrian Hungarian immigrants sold their Vienna Beef franks at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Vienna Beef became a major producer of hot dogs and by the early 2000s was one of the major suppliers for hot dog carts.

The celery salt is a result of the existence of many local celery farms, Lake View being a celery farming area up until the 1920s.

Variations

The "dragged through the garden" style is heavily promoted by Vienna Beef and Red Hot Chicago, the two most prominent Chicago hot dog manufacturers, but exceptions are common, with vendors adding cucumber slices or lettuce, Several popular hot dog stands serve a simpler version known as the "Depression Dog": a steamed natural-casing dog with only mustard, onions, plain relish and sport peppers, wrapped up with hand-cut french fries,

Preparation

Chicago-style hot dogs are cooked in hot water or steamed before adding the toppings. A less common style is cooked on a charcoal grill and referred to as a "char-dog". Char-dogs are easily identifiable because very often the ends of the dog are sliced in crisscross fashion before cooking, producing a distinctive cervelat-style "curled-x" shape as the dog cooks.

The typical beef hot dog weighs , and the most traditional type features a natural casing, providing a distinctive "snap" when bitten.

The buns are a high-gluten variety made to hold up to steam warming, typically the S. Rosen's Mary Ann brand from Alpha Baking Company.

Restaurants

<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|right|Boz, which opened in 1968 and has 11 locations, is one of many Chicago Style Red Hot vendors. Boz is usually (and mistakenly) called BOZO's, due to the smiley face at the end of the logo. -->The Chicago area has more hot dog restaurants than McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King restaurants combined. or architectural features.

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  • Fluky's
  • Gene & Jude's
  • Hot Doug's (closed)
  • Portillo's
  • Superdawg
  • Redhot Ranch
  • The Wieners Circle
  • Woody's Chicago Style

See also

thumb|right|Hot dog establishment in Chicago in 2003

  • Chicago-style pizza
  • Coney Island hot dog
  • Cuisine of Chicago
  • Francheezie
  • Hot dog variations
  • Italian Beef
  • List of hot dogs
  • Maxwell Street Polish

References

Further reading