Hot Dog documentary

Hi,
I was thinking that someone really needs to do a Hot Dog documentary. You know, something that shows all the different types of dogs, toppings, regional favorites, and Hot Dog stands across the country. I do not know if someone has already done this. If they have let me know. I would love to get a copy of it. Some of our fellow roadfood members would be fantastic at this. John Fox, CSD,,,,are you listening? Make it and sell it to the Discovery Channel. It has to be better than some of the other stuff they have on there!Just a thought to make your day.

quote:

Originally posted by myway

Hi,
I was thinking that someone really needs to do a Hot Dog documentary. You know, something that shows all the different types of dogs, toppings, regional favorites, and Hot Dog stands across the country. I do not know if someone has already done this. If they have let me know. I would love to get a copy of it. Some of our fellow roadfood members would be fantastic at this. John Fox, CSD,,,,are you listening? Make it and sell it to the Discovery Channel. It has to be better than some of the other stuff they have on there!Just a thought to make your day.

This appeared on PBS a couple of years ago. Good show. You can order it from Amazon also.

[url][/url]http://www.wqed.org/tv/natl/hotdogs/

Not only PBS, but Food Network did the same last summer. Both are awesome! Nice thing is, PBS finally offers theirs on DVD vs. VHS (which was the only format available up till last summer)...

Wow, I did not know PBS had done one. I will get it immediately. I was looking at the video site. It looks like they have a few videos that seem right up my alley.
Thanks

Rich Sebak's "A Hot Dog Program" is probably the best, that's the WQED PBS tape, but Tracy Gallagher's Travel Channel show was decent enough, and Food Network has done several shows over the years. You might be able to do better but there's not much ground left to cover. I always enjoy History Channel's "America Eats, History on a Bun", so keep your eyes open for that one too.

Just curious as an aside...is there any kind of set definitions as to what regional styles of dogs there are?

I know off hand how a Chicago-style dog is, I also know what is the norm here around NYC, and that in New England they use them funny-looking yet tasty buns.

Reminds me, I need to see if I can find poppy seed buns in NJ.

************SOCIOLOGY ON A BUN********************

Fdoosey,
There are practically as many hot dog preferences in the United States as there are people. Which is one of the things that make it so fascinating. You might call it Sociology on a Bun.

By reading the assorted different threads here in the hot dog section, you'll come to know the various likes, dislikes, idiosyncrasies, beliefs, loyalties, etc.

That said, there are some basics. If you were to pen a dissertation, it might be inclined to theorize that a region's hot dog preference was a window to that area's personality.

Therefore, in California, it's all about the toppings; in Chicago, it's the famed Chicago Style Dog, loaded with tomato, sport peppers, dill pickle spear, mustard, neon relish and celery salt (on a Rosen poppy seed bun, of course) ; in NYC it's deli oriented, usually all beef, and more often than not topped with mustard and kraut.

In the South, they like slaw on their dogs, sometimes combined with Chili. In New England, they have that great New England bun you speak of, placed on one of many different dogs; and in New Jersey, where the Eastern part of the state shares the aforementioned NYC proclivity and the Western part of the state favors a pork-beef deep-fried dog, there is also the indigenous favorite known as the Italian Hot Dog.

This meal in a pouch (2 franks in a half-moon pizza bread pouch, with round fries, cooked onions and cooked peppers) is served mostly in the Eastern portion of the state and is believed to have originated at Jimmy Buff's in Newark. Speaking as a Jerseyan with duly admitted subjectivity, this Dog is simply the Cat's Meow.

In Upstate New York, brand loyalty holds sway, and Hoffman's and Zweigle's fight it out for top dog honors. The preference seems to be a veal-based dog there, known as a white hot, though there is also a red hot that has its adherents.

Other regions have their particular favorites. And many regions prefer variations thereof. For example, for many miles East and West of Chicago, folks like a Chicago Style Dog. The same holds for regions near Detroit, where the Coney, chili topped dog is a favorite, and is also the case for many miles in concentric circles from Cincinnati, where Chili is as much an art as it is a food.

And then again, there are mixtures of styles. City B, which is between City A and City C, may tacitly note which larger town it favors by which dog it eats. And, if they're diplomatic, it could be a conglomeration.

The latest phenomenon is the exportation over long distances of a regional favorite. A case in point being Chicago's famous Portillo's hot dogs now gaining favor in California.

Here's an entry from Wikipedia on hot dogs that discusses regions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dogs

P.S.-- Since you're in New Jersey, you're virtually surrounded with great options. Reading these threads as well as HollyEats.Com, will take you to this wonderful world of choices.
The Bear

Bear,

I have been to HollyEats a few times, nice how some of my locals get mentioned (Mr. Dees and Bear's), both are great places.

I was just curious if there were the established "standards". Me, I will try anything twice, the second time to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke.

I do have a couple stops to make in NJ though. Rutt's Hut is one, but the drive is a bit far to haul my 20-month old son, who is a little hot dog fanatic himself. Another is Windmill, which I've pass a hundred times but never had the spare time to stop in and try it.

One thing I'm kicking around is what I labeled an "Aussie dog" - namely, a toasted bun, buttered with a small spread of vegemite. I recently tried the stuff and I actually like it. I haven't mustered up the nerve to try it with a hot dog though, it might be TOO salty. I also recently tried mayo with a dog at the insistence of a co-worker. It's weird, but it's kinda good.

Curious, one topping I didn't see listed were the Sabrett onions in sauce...I would assume they are favored locally, my friends in Ohio just gave blank stares.

Bear... Nice report there! I myself, guess it's a Michigan thing, prefer Coney (Chili Dogs). But as you mentioned, tastes vary by region, and so does the chili sauce itself! You could drive thru a state serving the same brand of dog and bun thruout, but yet you would be hard pressed find 2 places that make their chili the same. Been hooked on chili dogs since I was a kid, and it still continues... Though Chicago dogs are great, to me it would get old getting the same dog (same dog, same bun, same toppings) at every stop you made..

No one ever mentions my "no longer made" favorite hot dog.
Maple Leaf Frankfurters, ""sigh""..
Thanks to Tyson, bought out the littler guy and discontinued them.
I have not found one yet to my liking.
booo--
(and, no dont do a google search.. the ones listed are NOT maple leaf franfurters, they are maple lead hotdogs, and not the same company)-mine were made in Buffalo and that company was consumed by another, which in turn was consumed by Tyson.

Thanks Vic. Leading up to the Superbowl, when I was determined to eat chili dogs in honor of the hosting city, I discovered that I don't know beans about Chili. I think I like it, but am hard-pressed to find one I really like.

The closest I've come is a place in Linden, N.J. (Father & Son Luncheonette) that serves a rather hot chili on a griddled Grote & Weigel all-beef hot dog. We went there on our Fall 2005 Hot Dog Tour. I've since returned. That's my favorite of that variety thus far.
The Bear

I only saw a quick bit of the commercial for Ham on the Street on the Food Network and it looks like he's doing a show on hot dogs tonite 2/22 at 10:30pm.

Fdoosey,
I don't know where the Sabretts style red onions 'n' sauce originated, but I have a feeling it was in the Greater Metro area. Maybe from pushcart guys. It's great.

It's my 2nd favorite topping for a hot dog, after sauerkraut, sweet relish and mustard.
The Bear

If you're gonna watch that excellent PBS hotdog documentary, I would seriously recommend having a selection of quality natural casing dogs on the stove (I go with Kowalski or Alexander & Hornung); some warm buns; a variety of toppings: chili, mustards, onions, slaw, kraut, celery seed, etc. etc., ... and a selection of friends and beverages.

That documentary is murder without dogs to eat!

And start out slow ... it is possible to put away 4 or 5 large dogs within the first 15 minutes easy ... pace yourself :-) (the segment showing Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest notwithstanding.)

What a great documentary ... more of an event than a tv show. And their similar program on Ice Cream too ... Oh, and the *Sandwich* show that they did ... another great documentary worth searching out!

Couldn't agree more Sonny. It's especially infuriating when they run this outstanding documentary at 2am as a space filler. By the time it's done you're ready to do almost anything for a dog. But unless you're ready to drive down into Chicago in your jammies for a Jim's Original or a little verbal abuse at The Wiener's Circle, you're out of luck.

Like Sonny says, when you watch "A Hot Dog Program," be prepared!

Buddy

quote:

Originally posted by BuddyRoadhouse

Couldn't agree more Sonny. It's especially infuriating when they run this outstanding documentary at 2am as a space filler. By the time it's done you're ready to do almost anything for a dog. But unless you're ready to drive down into Chicago in your jammies for a Jim's Original or a little verbal abuse at The Wiener's Circle, you're out of luck.

Like Sonny says, when you watch "A Hot Dog Program," be prepared!

Buddy

Buddy, I hear ya on that 2-in-the-morning nonsense. But I guess to have watched and starved is better than to not have watched at all.
Because of that specific show I've taken to keeping a pack of natural casing dogs in my freezer in the event of an emergency.

quote:

Originally posted by signman

Rich Sebak's "A Hot Dog Program" is probably the best, that's the WQED PBS tape, but Tracy Gallagher's Travel Channel show was decent enough, and Food Network has done several shows over the years. You might be able to do better but there's not much ground left to cover. I always enjoy History Channel's "America Eats, History on a Bun", so keep your eyes open for that one too.

Speaking of "A Hot Dog Program", after this show premiered (I'm proud to say it's a local PBS production), it gave me a great idea: Now I carry a digital cam with me and whenever my son and I pass a hotdog place, we get a dog and pose for a picture in front of the sign outside. The only rules are it has to say hotdog, dog, frank, frankfurter, wiener, weenie, etc. OR have a picture of a hotdog on the sign. It's a great hobby, if it doesn't kill me.