Hot Dog Variations from around the USA

Alaska

Hot dogs made with caribou meat added are sold as “reindeer dogs” throughout Alaska.

Arizona

The Sonoran-style or Estilo Sonora hot dog, found in Tucson, Metro Phoenix, and in neighboring Sonora, Mexico, is a hot dog wrapped in mesquite-smoked bacon then cooked on a grill or on a griddle or comal, then topped with beans, grilled onions, fresh onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, cream sauce, mustard and Jalapeno salsa or sauce and served on bread and often with a side of fresh-roasted chile. It originated in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora.

California

In Los Angeles, Pink’s Hot Dogs promotes its celebrity customers and its chili dogs, the latter of which come in a wide number of varieties. A local chain, Tommy’s, also has chili dogs featuring a premium natural casing hot dog alongside its much better-known chili hamburgers, and another local chain The Hat, which specializes in pastrami, has them also. Other notable Los Angeles chains that specialize in hot dogs include Hot Dog On A Stick, which serves a preparation similar to a corn dog, and Wienerschnitzel, a chain that bills itself as “The World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain.” The Farmer John Dodger Dog is sold at Dodger Stadium. Street vendors in Los Angeles also serve the “Downtown Dog” or “Danger Dog” a Mexican-style bacon-wrapped hot dog with grilled onions, jalapeños, bell peppers, mustard, ketchup and salsa as condiments. Oki Dog, in West Hollywood, or Oki’s Dog, on Pico serves the Original Oki Dog—two hot dogs on a flour tortilla, covered with chili and pastrami and wrapped up like a burrito. This is a variation on a hot dog served on the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is where it takes its name. Also common in Los Angeles and San Francisco are bacon-wrapped hot dogs, often served with toppings such as fried peppers and onions, mayonnaise, etc. These are typically sold by street vendors who grill the hot dogs on small push-carts. The legality of such operations may be questionable in some instances. Locals sometimes refer to these treats as “danger dogs” or “heart attack dogs”.

Connecticut

Super Duper Weenie from Fairfield, CT Connecticut hot dog restaurants often serve Hummel Bros or Grote and Weigel dogs, which are family operations. There is otherwise no particular Connecticut style. It is customary for hot dogs to be served plain so the customer can put their own condiments on the hot dog. Options range from establishment to establishment, with Blackie’s of Cheshire offering hot pepper relish, brown mustard or ketchup only while the Windmilll of Stratford is known for dogs loaded with sauerkraut, onions, and pickly chili on soft buns. Other noted establishments include Rawley’s of Fairfield and Super Duper Weenie.

District of Columbia

A half-smoke is a “local sausage delicacy” found in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region. Similar to a hot dog, but usually larger, spicier, and with more coarsely-ground meat, the sausage is often half-pork and half-beef, smoked, and served with herbs, onion, and chili sauce.

Georgia

In Columbus, Georgia, a local favorite is the “scrambled dog,” the exemplar of which was first served at the Dinglewood Pharmacy by “The Lieutenant” Charles Stevens over 50 years ago. The scrambled dog is a chopped hot dog covered by chili beans, onions and pickles with an accompanying portion of oyster crackers.

Illinois

The Chicago-style hot dog is a steamed Kosher-style all-beef, natural-casing hot dog topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sliced or wedged fresh tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, sweet pickle relish dyed bright green (often referred to as “piccalilli”), pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt, served on a steamed poppy seed bun. Chicago-style dogs never include ketchup, and some vendors won’t even offer it for french fries. This “dragged through the garden” style (more commonly called, “with the works”), 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 cucumbers or lettuce, omitting poppy seeds or celery salt, or using plain relish or a skinless hot dog. Several popular hot dog stands serve a simpler version: a steamed natural-casing dog with only mustard, onions, plain relish and sport peppers, wrapped up with hand-cut fries, while the historic Superdawg drive-ins notably substitute a pickled tomato for fresh.

Kansas and Missouri

A Kansas City-style hot dog is a pork sausage in a sesame seed bun topped with brown mustard, sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese.

Maine

The most popular variety of hot dog in Maine is made with natural casing. The casing is colored red, and so the hot dogs are commonly referred to as red snappers.

Massachusetts

In Boston, hot dogs are often served steamed as opposed to grilled. The Fenway Frank is a fixture for Red Sox fans, and there are several other local brands such as Pearl that are used. Hot dogs in the Boston area are associated with Boston baked beans, though this is probably not unique to the region. Ketchup, mustard, relish, picalilli, and chopped onions are the most common toppings.

Michigan

In lower Michigan, a chili dog is called a Coney dog and is very specific as to the ingredients: a beef and pork hot dog with natural casing served on a steamed bun, topped with a beanless, all-meat chili, diced yellow onion, and yellow mustard. There are two variations on the Coney dog: Detroit style, made with a more soupy chili, and Flint style, made with thicker, meatier chili. With over 350 chain and independent purveyors of these dogs in the metro-Detroit area, an entire restaurant industry has developed from the hot dog and are called Coney Islands.

New Jersey

New Jersey’s potato dog includes diced stewed potatoes combined with brown mustard served on a spicy hot dog. The most common brands of spicy hot dogs used are Sabrett’s or Best’s, both of which are NJ companies. A traditional Newark Style Dog (also called an Italian Hot Dog) is made by cutting a round “pizza bread” in half (for a double) or into quarters (for a single), cutting a pocket into it and spreading the inside with mustard. A deep-fried dog (or two if it is a double) is put in the pocket, topped with fried (or sautéed) onions and peppers, and then topped off with crisp-fried potato chunks. A quicker version of this, often simply called a double dog, can also be requested at some lunch trucks, luncheonettes, and pizzerias across the state. Instead of the traditional potato round, French fries are substituted and in some spots a Portuguese or sub roll replaces the traditional round bread used. Rutt’s Hut in Clifton, NJ is famed for its rippers, hot dogs deep-fried to the point where the sausages burst open, resulting in a dense, caramelized outer casing. The rippers are served with Rutt’s homemade relish, a blend of mustard, onions, carrots and cabbage. The Texas wiener was created in Paterson, New Jersey sometime before 1920. The “Texas” reference is to the chili sauce used on the dogs, which actually has a stronger Greek cuisine influence due to the ethnicity of the cooks who invented it. The wiener, also referred to as an all-the-way dog, consists of a hot dog covered in Düsseldorf mustard (as opposed to the Coney, which uses yellow mustard), diced onions, and chili sauce.

New York

In New York City, the natural-casing all-beef hot dogs served at Katz’s Delicatessen, Gray’s Papaya, Papaya King, Papaya Dog and any Sabrett cart are all made by Sabrett’s parent company, Marathon Enterprises, Inc. of East Rutherford, New Jersey (Levine 2005). Nathan’s hot dogs, which are all-beef and come in both natural-casing and skinless, were also made by Marathon until several years ago (Levine 2005). Local kosher brands—which are not permitted natural casings—include Hebrew National, Empire National (Levine 2005). The usual condiments are mustard and sauerkraut, with optional sweet onions in a tomato based sauce invented by Alan Geisler, usually made by Sabrett. Hot dogs are available on street corners as well as at delicatessens. New York street vendors generally store their unsold dogs in warm-water baths, giving rise to the semi-affectionate moniker “dirty water dog.” Bagel dogs are also sold in Manhattan. The white hot or “porker” is a variation on the hot dog found in the upstate area. It is composed of some combination of uncured and unsmoked pork, beef, and veal; it is believed that the lack of smoking or curing allows the meat to retain a naturally white color. White hots are almost exclusively eaten with mustard, specifically spicy brown, and other spices, and often include a dairy component such as nonfat dry milk. In the Capital District surrounding Albany, smaller-than-usual wieners are served with a spicy meat sauce; the Capital District style is quite similar to the New York System or Hot Wieners of Rhode Island. Prominent Capital District hot dog restaurants include Famous Lunch in Troy and Gus’s in Watervliet. In the mid-twentieth century, hot dog purveyors reportedly would carry the dogs to the table lined up on their bare forearms, giving rise to the term “the Hairy Arm”; today, health codes prohibit this practice. Buffalo, Rochester and Western New York state are known for charcoal-broiled hot dogs, cooked over real hardwood charcoal. Prominent purveyors include Ted’s and Louie’s. The popular regional brands are Zweigle’s, Sahlen’s and Wardynski’s.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, hot dogs are prepared Carolina style which includes chili, slaw and onions; locally, mustard sometimes replaces slaw, or is added as a fourth item. Merritt’s Burger House has been serving Carolina hot dogs since 1958.

Ohio

In Cleveland, a kielbasa or hot dog served on a bun covered with a layer of french fries, a layer of sweet southern style barbecue sauce or hot sauce, and a layer of coleslaw is called a Polish Boy. Variations exist for the preparation of the sausage or hot dog, whether it is grilled or fried. When Cincinnati chili is served on a Coney-style hot dog, dubbed the “Cheese Coney”, the chili is also topped with cheese. The default Coney also includes mustard and a small amount of diced onion. Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

There are several variety of local dog recipes in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, street vendors sell hot dogs that can be topped with one or more of several traditional Philadelphia toppings: ketchup, mustard (yellow and/or spicy brown), chopped onion (cooked/soft or raw), relish, and (without exception) sauerkraut. In Allentown, Pennsylvania there is regional Yocco’s Hot Dogs. Various shops and butchers in Pennsylvania make traditional German natural casing franks. Altoona, Pennsylvania has two remaining Texas Hot Dog stands that claim a legacy going back to 1918.

Rhode Island

The hot wiener or New York System wiener is a staple of the food culture of Rhode Island. It is typically made from a small, thin frankfurter made of veal and pork, thus giving it a different taste from a traditional hot dog made of beef. Once placed in a steamed bun, the wiener is topped with a meat sauce seasoned with a myriad of spices like cumin, paprika, chili powder, and allspice, which is itself covered in finely chopped onions, celery salt, and yellow mustard.

Washington

In Seattle, hot dogs are served with cream cheese and grilled onions on a toasted bun. The sausages are split in half and grilled before being put in the bun. Stands offer a variety of condiments, such as Sriracha sauce and jalapeños.

West Virginia

An "all-the-way" hot dog in West Virginia generally, but not always, features yellow mustard, chopped onions, chili (or “sauce”), and cole slaw. Canada The Whistle Dog is served by some A&W restaurants in Canada. A whistle dog is a hot dog that has been split and served with processed cheese and bacon.

Canada

Toronto Hot dog carts are a staple of Toronto street food, offering large hot dogs (and other types of sausages) grilled and placed in a bun. Customers are offered a variety of “serve yourself” condiments including the standard ketchup, mustard and relish, but may also have mayonnaise, sauerkraut, raw onions, and sometimes corn relish, olives, pickled sweet peppers and or hot sauce

Montréal A Montréal-style hot dog, as popularised by numerous shops such as the famous Montreal Pool Room, is either steamed or griddle fried (nicknamed steamies or toasties, respectively). It is generally topped with coleslaw, onion, mustard, relish, and occasionally paprika or chili powder. Due to the bilingual nature of Montréal street culture, these are usually ordered, and condiments named, in Franglais. Montreal hot dogs can be found throughout Eastern Canada and the United States.