Supermarket or Commercial brand hot dogs

Out here in Northern Calif I have been really immpressed with dogs and sausages from a local company called Alpine Meats. I can't stand to eat anyone elses anymore.

Down here in far southwest Virginia my local Food City grocer is the only place I can find Nathan's dogs. They are not my favorite, that would be Sabrett's, but they are really good, and have the necessary crunch when you bite them that I desire.

The best dogs I ever had came not from Chicago or NYC, but from a street vendor in Blacksburg Va. when I was a student at Va Tech. He sold the Sabrett's, and when combined with red onions, sauerkraut, and brown mustard, they were memorable to this day... Truly a delicacy I will always remember...

John,

I looked on nj.com but could not locate the post you cited.

The information on Haydu piqued my interest. Seems I've heard them mentioned in the past in conjunction with Stewarts. I am going to try to contact them to see if I can get a sample here in New Orleans. It took at least six months to get a local supermarket chain to humor me by communicating with the Thumann distributor to procure a trial batch. I hope I can do better with the Haydu folks.

I really am sorry you did not get to sample any of Stewarts hot dogs back when. If you had I am sure you would remember the experience and the taste. Your conversion from burgers to dogs may have been hastened. You, of all people, know how great a really good hot dog can be. John, you would have been in hot dog heaven.

Meanwhile, I am now deep frying the Thumann pork/beef friers in CORN oil for 17 minutes, and warming the buns in the oven broiler for about a minute. The result is the best hot dog available in New Orleans and, while not quite on a par with the Stewarts dogs I remember, are still pretty darn good. Something about the flavor of the Stewarts seems just a bit different. It could be they were using Thumanns but were doing something slightly differently with the prep. Conceivably, even a minor variation, possibly even with the bun, might be giving rise to the discrepency. I suspect, however, that it may indeed be a meat source issue, so I will, as I mentioned, attempt to procure the Haydu pork/beef version for testing.

By the way, thanks for hanging in there with me on this. Your knowledge in the subject area is impressive. You must chuckle, and perhaps shake your head, when you see someone posting a rave review for one of the inferior brands.

Louis
louisr01@aol.com

John,

Late breaking update. I finally found the munchmobile post you cited, from the ex-Haydu employee. Very interesting. What I can't find, however, is Haydu. Haydu.com exists, but I doubt it has anything to do with the Haydu hot dog supplier. I did locate a Boardwalk Food bbs, can't recall the exact title, bearing a claim that what had been Haydu may now be, "Mid-State Beef". Can't find them either. I'll contact one of the markets you mentioned if I can't get lucky on the www.

louisr01@aol.com

louisr01,

I would suggest trying to contact Wennings in Long Branch. In the past, I've been unsuccessfull trying to get a number. I'm kicking myself, because I had a phone # for Chris Haydu, but am unable to find it. I probably threw it out after I called him once. Maybe if you call the Long Branch PD? Or wait until Max's opens. Maybe they can give you the number, as I believe that Wenning's supplies them with their Schickhaus dogs.

John:

Thanks. I'll let you know if and when I have any further success. Please update me if you learn anything else of interest.

Louis
louisr01@aol.com

Back in August I had a dirty water dog from a truck in Sayreville (Tom Nagle's) that was exceptional. I prefer my dogs grilled most of the time, but if you're going to stop at a truck or cart, it's almost a sure thing that the dog is boiled/steeped in water. The dog used was an all beef Angus frank from Hatfield. This frank was only introduced a little over a year ago to compete with Sabrett. A little less spicy than Sabrett, but with a richer, beefier taste. This is one exceptional dog.

I was in a Restaurant Depot today and came across these franks again. I bought a 5 lb bag (minimum you can buy) and then rushed home to try a couple. I enjoyed these dogs as much as the first time. Good snap to the skin with a rich beefy taste. I grilled one and simmerred one. The one prepared in water was as good as the one on the grill, which is rare. This dog is one of the best beef dogs I've had, along with Usinger's, Best, Sabrett, and Boars Head. Definitely worth a try. I hope they become available at other places besides Restaurant Depot.

I wanted to see how these dogs compared to some of my favorites, so I went to a few places and got a dog of each kind still cold. I tasted Hatfield's, Usinger's Angus, Best, Sabrett, Grote & Weigel all beef, and Thumann's. For me, it's hard to pick a favorite since some of them have different flavor characteristics. Thumann's is the only dog that wasn't all beef. But the Grote & Weigel dog clearly wasn't as good as the other beef dogs. It lacked the flavor and spice. Father & Son in Linden used this dog, switched to a different dog, and then switched back. I wonder if they changed the recipe. Let me add that I cooked all of these dogs on a griddle. Usinger's has a unique spicing, with spices that you don't normally find in hot dogs. This dog has the widest array of flavors. Sabrett is spicy with garlic and papricka dominating. The Hatfield beef dog just had a rich beefy taste where you can taste the spices, but they weren't overpowering or dominant. Best's is sort of between Hatfield and Sabrett as far as spicing. Thumann's is a different animal. Which was my favorite? I don't know. My wife and son both picked the Hatfield frank. For me, the Grote & Weigel frank wasn't as good as the rest, the Thumann's dog was mild compared to the others, and the Sabrett was a little too spicy/garlicky, although this is the dog I get when I'm in the mood for this. On the backyard grill, Best is as good as there is, but on the griddle Hatfield and Usinger's really stood out.

I'm glad that I have access to Hatfield's. I wish that Usinger's was available in my area. Only one place I know of has it, but they have the low fat skinless version. Anyone know if the Hatfield frank is available in South Jersey/Pa., or is it just shipped to north jersey? In any event, it is well worth seeking out.

Hey John: You mentioned Restuarant Depot as a source for those Hatfield franks. That was a new one on me, I did a web search and turned up a place in Kenilworth, I guess that must be it, but it seems to be a restaurant supply warehouse.

Is that it? What's the deal there, do you have to be a member or something?

Thanks for any help, Kenilworth's only about a 1/2 hour drive for me. I've gone much further than that for good dogs. ---Ken

That be the place! You do have to be a member. To be a member, you have to own a business, or work for someone who does. I'm not a member, but I borrowed a member's card. A lot of hot dog carts get their Sabrett's from Restaurant Depot. Cheaper even than some of the Sabrett distributors.

Coming out of the pool supply store yesterday I spied a small hot dog cart, knowing I was gonna be fighting traffic to get home I stopped for a soda and a snack.. I was surprised when the vendor pulled the dog from the steamer and fired up a small grill, even the roll got toasted!! Maybe not the worlds best but I ordered a second one for the road..

There is a Restaurant Depot on Green st.in South Hackensack,right off the Green st exit on Rte 80 also.You do have to have a business to shop there,and have a tax ID number.I used to buy most of my supplies their when I owned my restaurants.Great prices.You can go in and tell them you are opening a restaurant and they will give you a temporary card to shop for that day if you want,but it will only be good for the day.I loved that place! We would fill up a straight truck and a van.The little bit of inconvenience was worth it considering the selection and price savings.I would not go on a Friday though,the place is a mad house and the parking lot is packed!

For a great chain brand, we like the gourmet franks from Omaha Steak stores. Yes, it's true, they can get pretty expensive if you eat a lot of hot dogs, but they are really good. They are thick and juicy and don't leave that filmy aftertaste that most store-brand weiners do.

quote:

Originally posted by foodguy

I dont like hummels that much and in CT thyre all over the place. I've had Thumanns and they are very very good. NOt a fan of Sabretts that mcuh. Theres a place in Startford called Millers that makes great hot dogs, im not sure if thats what you were talking about.

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Millers in Stratford went out of business. Its a shame because it was a great dog.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Rushmore Jr.

Kayem Natural dogs are excellent in Boston. I am not sure if it a regional thing or not, but the best hot dog joints use them.

Crestbrook Park Golf Club in Watertown Ct. serves them on buttered grilled rolls with a hot red relish. Outstanding.

quote:

Originally posted by jpatweb

John Fox: Did you ever get to try the Weber brand in the New Haven/Southern CT area? Possibly made in Stratford. They were a cut above Hummels and held in high regard by the region's dog lovers. Problem was it was a small family-run outfit. A few years ago, so the story goes, the owners were ready to retire, couldn't get anyone in the family to take over, and simply let the brand die. If you're familiar with the brand, maybe you can confirm this story.

I drive from DC to New Haven to visit family several times a year. Hot dogs in the DC area are pathetic. So I usually return home with a box of Hummels. I'm intrigued by your recommendations of Thumanns. Where can I buy them in Jersey? If possible, it would be a store close to an exit from either the NJTP or the Garden State.

Jpatweb-I used to buy the 5 lb boxes of Weber Natural Casings. Stop & Shop used to carry them. They were great but disagree that they were better than Hummels Natural Casing dogs(beef & pork) which were not carried by Stop & Shop(only carried the skinless 10 packs).

Every time I come to this forum I'm reminded that there're only two things I miss about living in Connecticut... The first heavy snowfall, and Hummel Bros. hot dogs.

I don't know why Texas is the hot-dog-void of the world, but a GOOD day at the grocery store is when they're not sold out of the Ball Park GrillMaster Beef (I think that's right) dogs. Feh.

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

Chicagostyledog,

Thanks. Maybe I'll give them a call. There was an article in our local paper about Hebrew National products being temporarily scarce because of a switch in production plants. Some of the delis are upset that they have to switch to another brand. Empire Kosher from Brooklyn, N.Y. makes a great kosher dog. With casing. A deli near me carries a giant 1/3 lb Empire dog.

John, yesterday we shopped at the Garden Fresh food store. They have a huge section of kosher foods and meats. They sell the Romanian Sausage Company hot dogs and Polish and Empire Kosher hot dogs. I bought two of the Romanian hot dogs and we had them for lunch today. Boiled and ate them plain. The meat is finely ground with just a hint of sweetness. No garlic taste at all. It was an excellent dog. Next time, we'll try the Empire Kosher dogs. I think you'd enjoy the Romanians.

CSD

Me too. Haven't gotten around to calling them yet. First, I think I'll see if there's a Garden Fresh store near me. Let me know what you think of the Empire dogs. Make sure you check the label to see if you're getting the ones from Brooklyn. There is more than one hot dog that goes by the name of Empire. The Brooklyn dog is called Empire National.

I was in a Wegman's in Princeton, NJ and came across Hofmann's German Franks from Syracuse, NY

How do these rate?

They're a good quality dog, but rather mild tasting.

John, the hot dogs at Garden Fresh are Empire National. Garden Fresh is an Illinois based store( www.gardenfreshmarket.com). It's like a gigantic New York bodega in the Chicago suburbs with reasonable prices and close to Wisconsin. Maybe I will move back to the northern suburbs of Chicago.

CSD

The Wimdmill has been selling their hot dogs in supermarkets for a good couple of weeks now. Actually, they've been selling them for about a year in and around Monmouth County (N.J.). They have been introduced to my area recently. They are 1/4 lb and come in a 2 lb package. 8 dogs for $12.76. Much too expensive in my opinion. Schickhaus, which is similar, but a little better, goes for between 8 and $9.00. I believe you can get Windmill franks at a Sabrett distributor for much cheaper.