New Jersey Hot Dogs

hogiewolf


I've got a hot dog question maybe someone here can answer for me? I'm from South Jersey and use to work in north Jersey. I would stop by a hot dog place in Elizabeth just for there chile sauce. I'd buy a gallon each time I went. I use to take I think it was exit 13 coming up from the south. This was an older place right by a circle. Well I went back a couple of years ago to find there is a new building with a Dunkin Donuts there now???? Somebody told me they think they moved some place around there??  The place I'm talking about was there for quite along time. Started with just a cart and moved into the building there. I don't know why but I think it was called Johns or Johnnies? But again I'm not really sure of that. Boy I would love to get my hands on some of that chile again !!!   Any Help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty sure the place you are talking about was George's. It was on Elmora Ave. near the circle. George and Jerry (of Jerry's Famous Frankfurters) were brothers. Each served the same dog the same way. Jerry has a meat chili while George's was meatless. Jerry never sold his to go, but George's always did. It's a Subway now.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2009/06/munchmobile_hotdogs.html

The Munchmobile did hot dogs Saturday. I was a part of this trip. The article will appear on Friday, July 3rd. I'll hold off on my comments (positive and negative) until after the article appears. We will probably hit a few more places soon. Out of the six, 5 were new to me.

John Fox


Eruby, these are tied together. I get them once in awhile around this time of year because they are only sold a few months when the weather is warm. I don't know if you have a Wegman's near you, but you can get them there also. I prefer Maple Kosher because they are kept in a bag, not out in the open air like Wegmans. I do get some other dogs that are left out in the deli case because sometimes I want just 1 or 2; not a whole pack. But once my Hebrew National dog was dried out.

Thank you John.  I'm not too far from the Wegman's in Hunt Valley, MD so I'll give them a try.
 
The Hebrew National website doesn't list the casing dogs tied together, but if they are only offered a few months of the year that would make sense.  I'll call them to see what they say.
 
Thanks again!
 


 

They are only offered a few months a year at Maple Kosher Meats. I think Wegman's offers them all year round.

John Fox

hogiewolf


I've got a hot dog question maybe someone here can answer for me? I'm from South Jersey and use to work in north Jersey. I would stop by a hot dog place in Elizabeth just for there chile sauce. I'd buy a gallon each time I went. I use to take I think it was exit 13 coming up from the south. This was an older place right by a circle. Well I went back a couple of years ago to find there is a new building with a Dunkin Donuts there now???? Somebody told me they think they moved some place around there??  The place I'm talking about was there for quite along time. Started with just a cart and moved into the building there. I don't know why but I think it was called Johns or Johnnies? But again I'm not really sure of that. Boy I would love to get my hands on some of that chile again !!!   Any Help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty sure the place you are talking about was George's. It was on Elmora Ave. near the circle. George and Jerry (of Jerry's Famous Frankfurters) were brothers. Each served the same dog the same way. Jerry has a meat chili while George's was meatless. Jerry never sold his to go, but George's always did. It's a Subway now.

It definately must have been Georges because it was meatless. Did they open someplace else? IF not did you ever have there chile sauce? Do you know where I can buy that sauce or get the receipe for that sauce???

I don't know if George's opened somewhere else. I did have their chili and I thought it was ok. I bought some to take home once and it sort of coagulated and had a jelly like consistency. This was do to either having no meat, having cornstarch as a binder, or both. It had to be heated for a while in order to be able to use it as a topping on my dogs.

Yeh, that was it. I really enjoyed the taste. To me it really wasn't chile as I've know it. No beans Ect.....  Oh well I tried !!!  Thank You very much John for all your help.

hogiewolf,
 
I did a post that recounted some of my memories of George’s, one of the best hot dog joints in NJ. It’s on Page 33 of this thread. I also posted about Walt’s 42^nd St. on Page 32 of this thread.

Here’s a little more information about hot dogs in Elizabeth: 

At the same time George had his 2 wheeled wooden push cart parked on the lot where he eventually built his restaurant there was another wooden push cart that was always on the corner of 2nd Ave. & 7th St. across from the school that is across the street from the O’Brian Field playground. It was on the edge of the open-air market. The guy’s name was Gus and he had the exact same chili as George. He owned a luncheonette on 3^rd St. near Broadway. When my father was in high school at St. Pat’s, Gus would push his cart down New Point Rd. from the market toward South Park St. and sold hot dogs at 6 for 25 cents. At the same time there was a kid who also had a push cart in that area around the market who eventually opened a hot dog joint by the island in front of the old Harmonia Savings building. It might have been Jerry or maybe Tommy because both of their stores are located there.

Both George and Gus’s chili would vary in hotness from week to week but it was always good. If you didn’t like spices you didn’t like their chili. I started eating it at around 8 years old and it spoiled me such that I compare all hot dog chili to George’s.
 
George always greeted customers with a big smile and a welcoming warm greeting. The people who bought the business from him did not mirror that warmth one bit. That’s why they lost business. As they lost business they tried opening early in the morning to serve breakfast. That didn’t last long. They never understood that it was their lousy attitudes that lost them business. Like I said in the post, they acted like they were doing you a favor when you ordered food and they made customers feel like they were unwanted interruptions.
 
There is no George’s at a new location.
 
Around 15 years ago I asked them what brand of hot dogs they used and they said Marathon. I’d never heard of it.
 
Over the years I’ve tried to duplicate the chili and always failed until a few weeks ago. Because of this forum and Internet research I experimented with various spices and came up a replica of George’s chili that’s pretty darn close.
When my brother tasted it he said it was identical to Georges but I only think that it’s very, very close. He never ate the hundreds of George’s hot dogs that I ate there. This is how it came out.
 

 
George’s chili was never this dark. Mine is because I kept adding spices, onions, water, and cornstarch until I got to the flavor and consistency that I was looking for.
 
Evidently the Star Ledger Munchmobile never heard of George’s. George’s, which was a free standing building with parking lot on 3 sides and not some hole in the wall with a sliding window on the sidewalk or the size of a small pizzeria, was never visited. It’s a shame that people weren’t treated to what I consider to have been Elizabeth’s best and one of New Jersey’s best hot dogs.

Food_Fan

 Around 15 years ago I asked them what brand of hot dogs they used and they said Marathon. I’d never heard of it.

Before Marathon bought Sabrett, they used the brand name House 'o Weenies for their frankfurters. Marathon abandoned the House o' Weenies brand because Sabrett had better recognition among consumers. There used to be a lot of brown and yellow signage in places selling House 'o Weenies franks. 

I was only to George's a few times and those visits were from a year or 2 before they closed right up until they closed. They used Best's when I was there; same as Jerry's. I was told that before that they used a brand called Always Tasty. In fact the sign mentioning "Always Tasty" was on the back wall. Don't know when they used a dog from Marathon.

Until recently you could only get Best's natural casing hot dogs from the plant, a distributor, or the establishments that serve them. Only the skinless were sold in stores and supermarkets. This past week I was in Kings in Garwood and saw Best's natural casing hot dogs. They were the thick 4 to a lb; the same served at Amazing Hot Dog before they switched brands, and the same as the bigger dog at Frankly Burgers in Freehold.

They are sold in a 5 pound package. I don't remember the price. It is cheaper to get them directly from Best's, but if you are near a Kings supermarket and don't mind the big size, they are available. And freeze well.

'Always Tasty' was a trademark of H&H Provisions of 62 Berry Street, Somerset, NJ. References on the web indicate H&H went OOB in 1993.

Thanks David. I was wondering where that dog came from and who made it. Someone said it was made in Irvington. Someone else said they thought the company moved to Pennsylvania. Is H&H Provisions still in business?

John Fox


Until recently you could only get Best's natural casing hot dogs from the plant, a distributor, or the establishments that serve them. Only the skinless were sold in stores and supermarkets. This past week I was in Kings in Garwood and saw Best's natural casing hot dogs. They were the thick 4 to a lb; the same served at Amazing Hot Dog before they switched brands, and the same as the bigger dog at Frankly Burgers in Freehold.

They are sold in a 5 pound package. I don't remember the price. It is cheaper to get them directly from Best's, but if you are near a Kings supermarket and don't mind the big size, they are available. And freeze well.

John, I've been trying to decide if I should make the investment in that 5lb package I've seen at Kings. I don't recall the price but it is pretty expensive like the packs of Windmills they also sell. I've recently been hooked on the Kings store brand which you thought was made by Lutz(I'm sure they are). This week they are 2.50 a pack and more in my budget. I really would like to try the NC Bests, though.

I just got back from Kings the 5lb pack of the Bests was $26! I again purchased the Kings 8/1 for $2.50. Maybe next payday I'll indulge.

John Fox


Thanks David. I was wondering where that dog came from and who made it. Someone said it was made in Irvington. Someone else said they thought the company moved to Pennsylvania. Is H&H Provisions still in business?

AFAIK, H&H went out of business in 1993. Google still has a ghost address of 26 Millburn Avenue in Springfield, but that is probably bogus.

agnesrob,

I prefer the Best 5's that are longer and thinner than the quarter pounders. Both cost a little more than Best's other dogs because of their size. $19.00 for 5 lbs, $7.80 for 2 lbs at Best's factory.

The King's store brand is made by Lutz's. The 8's are labelled King's, while the 6's have Lutz's label. Both made at the Schmalz factory in Newark to the same recipe. You can get individual franks at Lutz's store.

Thank You Food_Fan,
      Its a shame that the recipe had to go with those jerks !!! I'm sorry now that I didn't have it analyzed. A real shame !!! I read back on what you wrote, obviously you enjoyed it as much as I did. By the way I have been in Olga's quite a few times (Another Shame) Thanks for all your info. if you ever get that receipe please let me know.
 

Anybody been to Hoboken recently?  There seems to be an influx of decent hot dogs recently. 

Junior's Papaya serves a griddled Sabrett like Gray's and also has a deep fried Thumans like Rutts. 

Biggie's Clam Bar has a great chili on a very snappy dog (I can't figure out what they use). 

Mr. Wraps serves a good italian dog but not on pizza bread.

And a Windmill is opening up.

Sorry, I don’t post as often as I would like but here goes:
 
hogiewolf,
 
I’m glad you liked the info. George’s was and is one of my standards for judging a hot dog.
 
As for George’s chili, I’ll continue to work on the recipe and I’ll post it here when I have it down. As you saw in the pic, even though it was very close in flavor, what I made was too dark so I have some work to do to get it to the opaque color that it was.
 
David_NYC,
 
Thanks for the info about “Always Tasty”. That sign had to be hanging on the wall for at least 10 - 15 years and was there when they told me they sold Marathons.
 
I mean no offence and I’m not out to start any kind of argument but do you think that H&H Provisions was an actual manufacturer or just another distributor? I have my doubts that they were a food manufacturer. I’m thinking that they were probably another distributor that bought pallets from the big guys and sold boxes to the little guys 
 
There are some distributors in NJ that have their own stores where you can get some good bargains. Yes, I like bargains.
 
When I searched H&H/H & H Provisions (Somerset NJ) as well as H&H Provisions 62 Berry Street, Somerset, NJ there were no hits on Google.
 
In the same vein; when I asked A&G Texas Weiners in Roselle what brand of hot dogs they served they told me that they serve “Texas Weiner’s” because that’s what it says on the box. They told me the name of the distributor – Dutch Prime Foods - and when I called the distributor they told me that they were Grote & Weigel Boardwalk Style/Brand from CT.
 
As for the Kings super(price)market chain; I’ve visited several and would not spend a dime in any of them because they are a total rip-off. Only Whole Foods exceeds their pricing. They have pretty stores and rip-off prices.
 
Pfunk,
 
I haven’t been to Hoboken in years. Always liked the town except for the parking. I still have a keychain that I won at a Good & Plenty (A bar) trivia contest, How’s the parking these days?

Food_Fan

I haven’t been to Hoboken in years. Always liked the town except for the parking. I still have a keychain that I won at a Good & Plenty (A bar) trivia contest, How’s the parking these days?

the parking is about 500% worse than it was when you were dancing on the bar at Good and Plenty, which has been only a distant memory for probably, oh my i'm embarrassed to do the math, 15 years?   Hell maybe 18 years at this point. 

do you remember the question that won you that keychain?  that might put a fine point on the calendar.

Food_Fan

.......do you think that H&H Provisions was an actual manufacturer or just another distributor? I have my doubts that they were a food manufacturer. I’m thinking that they were probably another distributor that bought pallets from the big guys and sold boxes to the little guys 

I remember seeing products from H&H back in the 70's and 80's, but never knew anything about the company. My opinion that they did manufacture was taken from this line in an obituary I found on ancestry.com:
"He was a machine operator for 35 years at H&H Provisions of Somerset". 
You could be right, of course, that they were a distributor.
 
In the early 90's a lot of provision companies that actually manufactured their own stuff went out of business, such as Ridgewood Provisons/Fred Weinkauff in NYC. Unless someone knows more about H & H, it is an open issue.

I remember speaking with Tommy jr. of Tommy's Italian Hot Dogs and Sausages a few years ago when they had their location in North Brunswick. He told me that they and Jerry's 2 doors down from their Elizabeth location used Always Tasty until they stopped making them. I also spoke with someone at George's shortly before they closed. I was told that they used this brand and then switched to Best. They were using Best just before they closed. There were some other people who remembered the Alway's Tasty brand. I heard different things from them about where they were made.

Tommy said that his father knew all about it and that I should ask him. Unfortunately he passed away before I had the chance. I would guess that H&H was an actual manufacturer.

As for A&G Texas Weiners, they definitely use Grote & Weigel griddle franks as do almost all of the Texas Weiner joints that grill rather than deep fry their dogs. Manny's, Red Tower, Texas Weiner l, ll, J&G in Dunellen, etc. I spoke with the Grote & Weigel distributor when they were in Newark some years ago. The boxes have had "Texas Weiners", "Griddle Franks",  and "Boardwalk style franks" on them at various times, but they are one and the same. Many of the people who work at these Texas Weiner joints don't really know that the dogs are Grote & Weigel. Years ago most used Schickhaus. Many, including Middlesex Texas Weiner will tell you that they use Shicckhaus when they are really using Grote & Weigel because many people know of Schickhaus when they were made in New Jersey. The plant in Kearny closed and the recipe was made elsewhere. For years it was made at Grote & Weigel. Then they lost the contract and they were being produced by Russer Foods for a few years. Then Grote & Weigel got the contract back and began producing them again. About 2 years ago Schickhaus was being made by Armour-Eckrich. I will say that the recipe is the same and the dogs are consistent no matter who made or makes them.

John Fox


http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2009/06/munchmobile_hotdogs.html

The Munchmobile did hot dogs Saturday. I was a part of this trip. The article will appear on Friday, July 3rd. I'll hold off on my comments (positive and negative) until after the article appears. We will probably hit a few more places soon. Out of the six, 5 were new to me.

Good read. The Curbside Cafe isn't too far from my work, it looks like I'm going to have a hotdog lunch today!

Team my apologies for this "off topic" drift.  I seem to remember from my childhood a  restaurant right down the road from Glenwoods called the Fireside. If memory serves me it had a similar, though expanded menu which gave Glenwood some decent competition. Ironically I also seem to remember that the Fireside burnt down :). Does anyone remember Fireside and is my memory of  good food and  happy thoughts accurate?

Thanks to all!

Curbside Cafe was delicious. Not too hard to get too either, you can easily see it from either side of 46. As soon as I got there another customer touted the double Italian hotdog, but I had to start with the chili dog with mustard. It was great! As promised the chili was delicious, very meaty and flavorful. I like my chili extra spicy, but this was a nice change of pace. After polishing that off in a minute and a half, I decided on the sausage peppers and onions. The sausage wasn't well done, which was nice, and the bread was outstanding. I did end up paying $9 for lunch though, not something I'd like to make a habit of. I'll just have to stick to the dogs, maybe treat myself once in a while to the pricier items.

I have also been trying to find George's chili dogs and to make my own version of it. Any information you can share would be appreciated.
 
Thanks

Hi, All

I just joined the forum.  I'm in LA these days but from Jersey originally, and I LOVE Jersey hot dogs, especially Italian Hot Dogs.

I had heard about Dino's in Rockaway that opened last year, but I'm now hearing rumors that they've closed.  Is that true?  I just passed them on a visit to Jersey last month, and was planning on going there when I came out to Jersey at the end of the month.  Please tell me it's not true.  There just aren't enough good IHD places.  I wish we had them in LA.

Oh, well.  The Jimmy Buff's in East Hanover is just a few miles from my sister's place, so it's not a total loss.  JB's is and continues to be the best in my own humble opinion.

Thanks, all, for any info on Dino's.

Dan

Welcome to Roadfood. Dino's is closed. I was there and they did make a very good Italian Hot Dog.

Thanks, John.  Nice to hear from the Hot Dog Guru.

Real bummer about Dino's.  It was only a few miles from my sister's.

Just had a friendly debate with a friend in Jersey about Jimmy Buff's.  She does not like the dog at the East Hanover store -- too dry for her.  But I prefer the less greasy potatoes, onions, and peppers.

Does anyone remember a place called Mike's that apparently sold Italian Hot Dogs?  I never ate there, but I heard it was really good, but looks like they closed some time ago.

On another note -- talking about hot dog memories, back in the late 80's while in college I worked at the Stewart's Root Beer in Kearny.  The hot dogs were Oscar Mayer pork and beef weiners and were deep-fried.  The chili sauce was basically the industrial stuff from Code - a food service company.  Not bad, but not the best.  Apparently they are no longer using Oscar Mayer.

Hey, John, have you been to LA?  Just wondering if you've had a chance to sample and critique the dogs out here.  There are some decent places, but not nearly the selection and variety of Jersey.  I like the dogs at Carney's, which is an all-beef that they make themselves.  I'll apologize in advance if you've posted an LA review elsewhere.

Thanks!