RE: Hofmann's fanatic - just moved to NJ
Thu, 09/23/04 7:03 PM
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My Liehs and Steigerwald franks arrived today as expected. My plan was to sample them next to Thumann's, Hofmann's, and Schaller & Weber. Since I was across the street from Gaiser's deli on Tuesday, I picked up one of their dogs. I also had my wife run across the street from work and get a dog from the Union Pork Store. So I cooked 6 of these German style franks on my griddle and put them in heated buns. They were sampled plain, with mustard being added later. My wife, who is not a big fan of dogs that contain any meat other than beef also sampled them. I would have liked to include Schickhaus, as it's one of my favorite dogs in this style, maybe second to Thumann's. But I didn't feel like buying 2 lbs and not using them right away as they don't freeze well.
Before I talk about the tasting, let me describe these dogs. In alphabetical order; Gaiser's is made by an old German butcher shop since sold to Russians. They used to supply the Galloping Hill Inn prior to the new owners taking over in 1987 or 1988. I don't know if the recipe is the same, but the regular dog sold there is smaller than what they made for the Galloping Hill Inn. They also sell a foot long (but thin) dog. A German style dog that is a little spicier (garlic or paprika) than most in this style. Let me say that I've tried many dogs with a wide range of spices. Some (like Usinger's) have esoteric spices like nutmeg, white pepper, cloves and others. I can't identify the spices, but I know what I like when I taste it, and what works for me. And another thing to keep in mind is that taste is subjective. You may like one mix of spices in a dog and hate the next dog with a different blend. As I said, I griddle cooked these dogs. When Rosengarten did his tasting, he boiled everything. I don't like doing this with dogs that aren't all beef. I think the reason that he picked Schaller & Weber is that the spices stand out. Just for the hell of it, I cooked a Schaller & Weber and a Hofmann's in water a few months ago. I didn't like the results, but the Hofmann's was completely tasteless cooked this way, while the Schaller & Weber tasted better. My preference is for Hofmann's when they are grilled.
The next dog is Hofmanns. Made in Syracuse from beef, pork, and veal, this is a delicate, good tasting dog with a mild flavor. Schaller & Weber is made somewhere in N.Y. (Long Island?) with a store in Manhatten. Heavily spiced for this style, it has a great reputation. It's won competitions in Europe and was tied for first with the Liehs and Steigerwald dog, which was next in line, and previously never sampled. I ordered it based on Cosmos recomendation as well as it's good showing in Rosengarten's tasting (although I disgreed with a lot of his picks). It also came in second in a tasting held by a Mens Travel or Outdoors magazine. Correction: the L&S dog was before the Schaller & Weber. Then came Thumann's, which is my clear cut favorite in this style. Just a great flavor reminiscent of quality meats (smoked ham). Maybe along with Usinger's the 2 best (in my opnion) frankfurters in the U.S. The Union Pork Store is a well regarded German butcher shop that is very popular in this area. They have been featured in New Jersey Monthly for their excellent franks. Everything they make is top quality, and some people think their bratwurst is among the best in the country.
The tasting. I had all of the dogs labelled and placed in front of me. Plain. I went in alphabetical order and took a bite of each. Then a second. Then I switched around a bit. I had my wife sample them, and finally had some with mustard. I gave some leftovers to the dog and ditched the rest. My findings: the Gaiser's dog was ok. Spicier, as I said, than most in this style. Good if you like paprika, which is what I think this tasted like. Ok, but not one of the better ones today. I'm not crazy about the spicing. It's similar in flavor to the franks made by Pulaski in Linden.
Hofmann's: good but very mild compared to the other dogs. A little too mild. I like this one better than the Gaiser's dog and Schaller & Weber, but not as much as the other 3.
Liehs and Steigerwald: I was expecting an exceptional dog and I was not disappointed. In fact, it was better than anticipated. I was told that this dog came 4 or 5 to a pound. I received 6, but they were big, the biggest dog in the tasting. I think the guy I spoke with threw in an extra dog or 2. These were long and thick; my guess between 4 and 5 to a lb. They were also very tender and juicy. Much more flavorfull than their Syracuse neighbor Hofmann's and way better too. A distinct spicing, but one I liked. Hard to explain the mix of spices, but it was tasty without being overly spicy/garlicky. An excellent example of a German style butcher dog. I will definitely be ordering them again. I've ordered several dogs by mail, and other than Usinger's, these are the only ones so far that I've planned on ordering again.
Thumann's were next. I was eager to try them after sampling the L&S dog. The Thumann's tasted top notch as usual. A terrific and unique flavor that remains my favorite in this style. But L&S is in the same league. Both great dogs with their own distinct flavors. In fact, I think I may prefer the L&S dog to Schickhaus and the Grote & Weigel dog served at the Galloping Hill Inn.
Schaller & Weber was the fifth dog sampled. Very spicy, but I didn't like it. Just something about the blend of spices. It sort of had a tangy, metallic taste, if that's possible. My least favorite in the tasting.
The Union Pork Store dog was last. A good dog, most similar in spicing and taste to the L&S dog, but not nearly as good. In the top 3, but a distant third to L&S and Thumanns.
My wife, who prefers kosher style all beef dogs liked Thumann's, thought the Gaisers dog was ok, and hated the other 4.
In summary, I didn't care for the Schaller & Weber dog, Gaiser's was ok, Hofmann's was ok but too mild, the Union Pork store makes a fresh, solid example of a German dog I would rate as good; Liehs and Steigerwald and Thumann's are terrific, as good in the style as you will find.
