Hot Dogs Hot
A recent story from The Associated Press talks about how hot-dog sales aren’t hurting one bit during the recession. In fact, they are going up.
Can anyone say “cheap meat”?
Oh, yes, cheap fatty meats are looking mighty good these days. People will gladly put up with clogged arteries if they can save a few bucks when money is tight.
(Don’t get me started on all those 99-cent fast-food deals.)
The AP quotes Nielsen figures that say hot-dog sales went up 5.1 percent from April 2008 to April 2009, to $2.1 billion. That’s a lot of dogs.
Interestingly, Sara Lee, which owns Ball Park, is suing Kraft, which owns Oscar Mayer, saying that Kraft’s ads bragging about “100 percent pure beef in the Oscar Mayer Jumbo Beef Franks is not accurate. Beef is the only meat in those dogs, but they also have water, salt, a few chemicals, etc.
Of course, I think Sara Lee is probably a lot more peeved about Kraft’s claims that its Oscar Mayer franks were preferred in a taste test over Ball Park and Hebrew National.
In my opinion, hot-dog preferences are like a lot of other foods. They depend on what you were weaned on as much as or more than actual taste. Does Coke or Pepsi taste better? It most likely depends on what mom and dad fed you early on. Same with hot dogs.
I love a good hot dog as much as anyone else, but eating them three times a week reduces their appeal after a while.
If I do start to get tired of hot dogs, making a Chicago-style dog can help change things up a bit. This is a crazy, over-the-top, kitchen-sink kind of dog. You could argue that the meat matters little here, because it has so much piled up on top of it.
But if you’re one of those people eating a lot of hot dogs to trim your grocery bill, you might want to give these Chicago dogs a try.
Chicago Hot Dog
This recipe is based on information at http://www.hotdogchicago style.com.
Large all-beef franks
Poppy-seed buns (long, more like deli or hoagie rolls to fit all the toppings)
Sweet pickle relish
Yellow mustard
Dill pickle spears
Chopped white onion (optional)
Ripe tomato, cut into wedges
Pickled serrano peppers, whole
Celery salt
1. Steam or grill the franks.
2. Lightly steam the buns until soft and moist but not soggy. This can be done in a microwave by wrapping them in paper towels and heating for about 1 minute. Or use a steamer insert in a pot for 20 to 30 seconds - and watch it carefully to make sure the buns don’t get soggy.
3. Place one frank on a bun. Squirt or spread mustard on the frank, from one end to the other. Add a generous amount of relish. Sprinkle onions, if using, on the dog. Place two tomato wedges end to end between the dog and the top part of the bun. Place one pickle spear between the dog and the bottom of the bun. Place two whole peppers on top of the dog. Sprinkle with a dash of celery salt.
