New Jersey Hot Dogs

Yesterday I stopped by Munce's truck on St. Georges Ave. in Rahway to sample the new butcher shop dog that owner Stuart Burnett recently started serving. Munce's is one of the better places serving dirty water Sabrett's. In my top 3 along with Marci's and Dees. All serve fresh, hot, natural casing Sabretts at a decent size; not the tiny 11 and 12/1 that most serve. The toppings are very good also. Stu's chili is one of my favorites.

I expected to like the new frank that he gets from a butcher shop. Out of the dozens of franks that I've had from European style butcher shops, pork stores, and deli's; all have been very good with one exception. That being the nitrate free frank from the Haledon Pork Store. But the dog I had yesterday far exceeded my expectations. In fact it may be my favorite butcher shop frank. And that's saying a lot since I regularly get franks from Kocher's and the Union Pork Store, 2 well known places for homemade franks.

What I had at Munce's was between 8 and 9 to a lb. This is a size that is specially made just for him. Many places falsely claim a specially made frank. In fact, it is the biggest lie in the business. In this case it is true. The dog had a nice soft casing which appeared to be collagen. That's good since it makes for a uniform size. With sheep or hog casings you get size variation. My dog was placed on a fresh, quality steamed bun and topped with mustard only. The dog was delicious. Great texture with a mild smoky flavor. Snappy, juicy, tasty, and balanced. Surprisingly good in water as the less aggressively spiced dogs don't usually taste great in water. I usually heat these types of dogs in water first, then use a griddle or skillet to finish them off. This particular dog tasted better in water than any butcher shop dog I've prpepared in water. I got one cold to take home just to see how it would taste in a skillet or on a griddle.

I highly recommend this dog. I don't know if Stuart will be serving it as well as Sabrett, or if he will be replacing Sabrett with it. But definitely check it out when you get a chance.

Thanks for the tip, John. I've always liked Munce's truck, even though I've only been there maybe 3 or 4 times over 10 years. Looks like I'll be adding to that total soon.
 
Do you know who is making these new dogs? Since you didn't mention it, maybe it's not for publication.

Correct.
 

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/hot-dogs-haute-dogs-nyc-article-1.1285371?comment=true
 
A link to a Daily News article on the current "haute dog" trend which I despise. Below is what I posted on Hot Dog Nation:
 
I don't really care for this current "haute dog" trend as well as chefs getting involved with hot dogs. I just posted about this on Roessler's facebook page in response to a link posted there on the same subject. A lot of what I posted is from some of my previous posts and comments. I'll cut and paste it below. One reason places do this is to drive up the price. Let me quote Holly Moore from the book Man Bites Dog. Holly, like myself prefers the minimal sausage because he doesn't think that "mixtures of flavors ought to be forced on a beautiful hot dog." The true hot dog is the product itself; the fancy ones are inauthentic. Hot dog establishments do this for several reasons. "One is that toppings can drive up the check so that you can sell a three dollar hot dog for five with junk on top of it. Second, the owner is not confident in just the hot dog and thinks that they have to do more to get any sales."

What follows are my opinions on the haute dog trend. Warning: it's a pretty long rant you may want to skip.

Not a fan of the trendy new "haute dogs". A hot dog is a simple unpretentious food. The focus should be on the meat and spices, not on esoteric junk that bored faux chefs use to amuse themselves and try to convince others how creative they are. These fancy pants ingredients detract from the frankfurter, which should be the focus of the experience. I can see them laughing at old school Jersey hot dog joints like Rutts Hut and Charlies Pool Room and questioning the manliness of these designer haute dogs. Or as a friend calls them, alternative lifestyle hot dogs. You don't buy a hot dog called a haute dog and you don't get it from a fancy chef. You get it from a guy in a tank top with hairy arms who is probably named Nick or Vinnie. Guys like this have sense enough not to use white truffle butter and duck foie gras.

The hot dog is an icon and an important part of American culture. People don't want it messed with. Two unfortunate souls in New Jersey (the hot dog capital of the world) learned this lesson the hard way. They tried to bring the "haute dog" concept here with predictable results. After much hype and fanfare plus glorious reviews by the biased liberal media, the place was struck by lightning! A sure sign from above and a warning to cease their foolishness. They did not listen, and as a result their business died a slow miserable death. The guys were never heard from again.

It was so bad that the rats and pigeons wouldn't even eat the left over scraps from the "haute dogs" that were in the dumpsters. Even rats and pigeons have standards!

Contrast this to Rutt's Hut, an old school Jersey hot dog legend. You can't even get across the parking lot without encountering pigeons who are so bold that they try to take bites of hot dogs from people who are walking to their cars. These pigeons are so brazen that they routinely shake down rats for lunch money.

Any faux "chef" would be appalled upon enetering this stronghold of American hot dogs. The decor hasn't changed since 1928. The only toppings you can get on your dogs would be mustard and Rutt's special relish. No kraut, no chili, no foie gras. If you ask, they not so politely tell you to go somewhere else. They stick to what made them a legend. Their loyal customers wouldn't stand for any frivolous changes. By the way, their relish is like no other and goes perfectly with their deep fried dogs. Created by an old German gentleman rather than some fancy pants "haute" chef. None other than the bambino himself, Babe Ruth, used to eat at Rutt's Hut.

While todays "haute" ballplayers perform on steroids and amphetamines, the Babe, a true American hero, did it on hot dogs and beer from Rutt's Hut.

I find articles like these amusing. And I realize there are people who like these things. I just enjoy poking fun at what I consider a pretentious trend. For me the frankfurter is what I'm looking to enjoy. When you have all these other things masking the flavor of the actual frank, you might as well use a cheap dog. I call these creations witness protection dogs because it's hard to determine their true identity. When I enjoyed a Roesller's dog at Rawley's some 11 years ago, I had it with mustard only. I focused on the taste, spicing, preparation, and how hot the dog was. Everything else is secondary. Today when you see a hot dog establishment reviewed, you rarely hear what brand is served, if it has a casing, if it's all beef or a beef/pork blend, how it's prepared, whether grilled, fried, heated in water, or some combination. Instead the focus is on the toppings and other secondary things such as cute nicknames for the different dogs. By and large, they have it backwards. If you don't start with a quality frank, it doesn't much matter what you do to it. If you do have a quality frank, it doesn't need more than a bare minimum of toppings that enhance rather than take away from the flavor of the hot dog. Not everything needs to be gussied up. I don't want a chef anywhere near my hot dog. With regards to hot dogs, less is definitely more.

Hello all ,
Thanks for sharing this John , an interesting read for sure .
Just tried the Original Slawsa that was sent to me and it is comparable to Mista Dales  as well
Are there any here in nY/NJ area that are similar ?
Besides making a visit to Rutts Hutt of course thanks
Benzee

The other day I stopped for a couple of hot dogs at a place I stumbled upon on the internet that I don't recall hearing about before. Sabretti's Hot Dogs in Hopatcong.
 
It's another of those places that specialize in various toppings. I'm more old-school myself, I just like the standards: chili, onion sauce, or sauerkraut, or sometimes just plain mustard.
 
Anyway, I had the two dogs and soda special @ $4.99. The dogs, Sabrett natural casing, were small, I'd guess 10 or 11 to a pound, but very well prepared, dirty water style (which is fine with me for this type of dog), hot and tasty. They offer two types of chili, regular and spicy wild boar (!). I opted for a regular chili dog and a kraut dog. The chili was mild, but tasty, the kraut was good too.
 
It's a small storefront type place, with a few small tables. Lake Hopatcong Park is just down the road, for a nice scenic lunch spot if you do take out.
 
They only offer a few other items, and no sides at all, except potato chips.
 
I'd go back if I was in the area, the dogs were indeed very tasty, but next time I'd get three dogs, I was still a little hungry after just two and no sides.
 
Here's the website with the various hot dog options etc.
http://sabrettis.com/
 
 
 

Wild Boar (!) chili indeed. Not something we see every day.

The website is very cute. The "get the fork outta here" is just backwards.

I stopped for lunch at Munce's truck by Rahway River Park in Rahway today, expecting to try out the Special Dogs that John Fox mentioned here a couple of months ago. The news is that they are no longer serving them. Stuart said his regular customers didn't like them and he was losing business. After an initial order of 50 lbs he didn't renew the order. Oh well, I had 3 of the regular dogs ( 2 kraut, 1 Chili, $2 each) and they were very good as usual.
 
Stuart told me I could probably still buy the dogs at the Syrena Polish deli on St. George Ave where he got them (he said it wasn't a problem divulging the name since he was no longer using them) . He mentioned they were a special 80/20 Beef/pork blend. 
  
They apparently are no longer making them. I say apparently because there was a real language barrier with the young Polish Girl at the meat counter and I couldn't really follow her explanation of what happend to them. Anyway, the only franks they had were large "picnic" style pork franks, thin 100% veal franks, and a Veal/pork blend stubby type frank. I bought 2 pounds of those, they look great (and only $1.99/lb!, as were the other two types), and I will try them over the weekend. But I was a little disapointed that I wasn't able to get the ones John raved about.

Ken,
         I found out they switched back when I stopped by last Saturday. Stu wasn't there, but the guy working for him told me. When I first had one of the dogs, Stu told me they were all beef. I told him they weren't as they were much too mild. I went to Syrena and spoke with the one guy there I could understand. The dogs he sold to Stu were the all veal franks. I don't know why he told you they were 80/20 beef/pork. He told me they were all beef until I went and verified it with Syrena. He had them make a smaller dog for him. He first was using their regular 8/1 veal dog, then had them make a 9/1 that is the same recipe. I've bought the veal franks and they are the same as what he used. I even got a few from him and compared them side by side. I've had all three from Syrena and I like the veal franks best. I would have guessed they were beef/pork. Stu said he wouldn't use a dog with pork because too many of his customers won't eat pork.

The pork franks and the pork/veal franks are $1.99 per pound. The veal franks are $2.99. Still a great price and very good dogs. I'm glad the cat is out of the bag so now others can enjoy these franks.
 
Another real good butcher dog I found is on Chestnut Street in Union. J&D Polish Mini Market is a small deli next to Mr. Sub and down the street from Carmens Bakery. They have a chicken dog they import from Chicago which I have no interest in, but an excellent veal/pork frank they get from a butcher in Bloomfield called Winding River. It's thick; about 1/3 to 1/2 pound and very good. They get their kielbasa from the same place. It was good as well. I just sampled a piece cold.

Sorry for the double post. Can't delete one of them.
 

Thanks for the additional info John. I'm not sure why Stu said they were 80/20 beef/pork. My guess is he just wasn't that concerned with the details since he wasn't serving them anymore. Next time I'm in the area, I'll definately pick up a pound or two from the Syrena Deli.  The prices are fantastic.
 
Thanks also for the tip on the Polish Deli near Carmen's Bakery. Although Carmen's is about 15 minutes away from me, it's the best Italian Bread in at least a 10 mile radius, so I go there every month or so, along with a side trip to Lioni's Factory outlet for fresh Mozz. 

Hi All Did any one here eat the hot dogs at the Meadowlands Racetrack recently under the new owner?
They are much better tasting and thicker then old ones..I was told they were Nathans. I've never seen Nathans that thick..Any one have any information on these Nathans dogs?
Thanks Dan

Dan Bono


Hi All Did any one here eat the hot dogs at the Meadowlands Racetrack recently under the new owner?
They are much better tasting and thicker then old ones..I was told they were Nathans. I've never seen Nathans that thick..Any one have any information on these Nathans dogs?
Thanks Dan

Sounds to me like the Nathan's Dinner Bell franks. Some of the Shop Rites sell them in New Jersey:
http://www.shoprite.com/pd/Nathans-Famous/Dinner-Beef-Franks/16-oz/636906917045/
 
 

Hi David I think your right on about Nathans Dinner franks. Some one at the racetrack said something a 4 per lb.
Problem is I haven't seen them in any my Shop Rites here in New Jersey.
 
Thanks Dan

I went to the new Rt 22 location of Charlies Italian Hot Dogs yesterday for lunch, as I had made several errand stops along Rt 22. Even though I had a pretty good idea where it was,  I drove right past the small strip mall it's in and missed it. Those of you who have ever driven on that stretch of Rt 22 in Union know what that means. A scary process of making two U-turns from the left lane of Rt 22 to loop back to that location. Look for the large vertical roadside sign that says "Hot Dogs", the store itself is hard to spot.
 
Even at that, it's a small strip mall, the entrance of which is about 30 feet before a heavily used right turn into a major shopping center, meaning that even though you have your right blinker on, people traveling at 50 miles per hour 10 feet behind you think you are turning into the shopping center and don't expect you to brake and turn 30 feet sooner. Not a fun process.
 
Anyway, I got there shortly before noon. There's only about 5 tables and they were all taken (a good thing, I guess, it means they are doing some business), so I got my order of a double Italian Hot Dog to go. Service was quick and made to order. A little expensive, $7, about a dollar more than most places, but reasonable enough.
 
As for the meal itself, I give them a pass on the fact that the potato discs were soggy, that's probably becuase I did take out, even though it only took me about 10 minutes to get home. My preference is potato chunks rather than the thick discs served here, but that's just a matter of taste. There were certainly plenty of them, and I cut them up to make chunks anyway. It was noticeably light on peppers and onions, but what there was was fine. Nothing to complain about on the dogs, natural casing Sabrettes done right. The bread was excellent and fresh, it held up nicely rather than falling apart.
 
I haven't been to the Kenilworth location in years, so I can't compare it to that, but all in all I'd rate it a notch below the Jimmy Buffs in Kenilworth, which is only about 5 minutes from Rt 22. My favorite within 1/2 hour of my house is still Big Blues in Linden.
 

Yup, it's right in just about the worst area of RT22 with the center island and people driving across three lanes to exit or u-turn.  Hairy!

Nancy and I made a stop at George's (formerly Petridi's) in Bayonne today-originally a cart from the twenties, it's on Broadway and 25th in downtown Bayonne.  Dirty water Sabrett's, 10 to the pound I'd say??, but they were quite hot and juicy and we had them with their tasty chili.  $1.90 each, they were pretty good value.  While not a 'destination' stop, we were in the area to see The Great Gatsby so decided to try them.  Hours later and there isn't any 'echo' taste, which to me says something.

I didn't know Petridis was gone or changed their name. I was there only once; in 2006 with the Munchmobile. One of the guys on the panel grew up in Bayonne and Petrides was his favorite place. When we went the dogs were lukewarm and had lost flavor and snap from sitting in the water too long. There were 2 very young girls working there who seemed indifferent. I was told that this was an aberration and could believe it. Glad to see that you had a good experience. Was surprised to find out that my mother, who grew up in Jersey City had been to Petrides in the 50's.

Boulevard Drinks is fairly close by and in my opinion is one of the very best hot dog joints in the state. Out of over 100 different hot dogs sampled (we went to 87 places), Boulevard Drinks was voted 2nd best hot dog overall.

A great hot dog blog by the Hotdogman, Rob Merlino. Rob has provided the best coverage we've had on the Annual New Jersey Hot Dog Tour. There's a link to it somewhere on the site listed below. Rob profiles and reviews hot dog joints all over the country. Two New Jersey Hot Dog legends (Rutt's Hut and Jimmy Buff's) were visited today and will be featured in July in honor of National Hot Dog Month. Watch for it and enjoy this fantastic blog.

http://hotdogstories.com/
PS   I don't know why all my posts are showing up twice. I wish the moderators would fix this.

Petridis just changed the name, same owners.  And the young gal didn't know anything about what she was serving-I asked how many dogs per pound, she didn't have a clue.  Boulevard is indeed a better place (which we visit whenever we go to the historic Loews theater in Journal Square) but we were in downtown Bayonne anyway so we thought we'd give it a shot.

Petridis has been serving hot dogs in Bayonne...since the 1920s.

First from a cart on West 25th street (just off Broadway) to a very tiny walk-up (more than walk-in) storefront...a few doors off Broadway.

Up until the move to the corner of Broadway (current location) you could always count on them being as good as a hot dog from Boulevard Drinks.

Something did happen with the move. Different atmosphere & hit-or-miss hot dogs & service...with mostly teens at the counter that didn't know much about hot dogs.

George is the grandson of the original owner. I haven't been there in quite some time ...since Boulevard Drinks is always a hit.

I hope the name change is a good sign for Petridis. It's about time to get back to the quality of what I remember....years ago.

Ken. 
 
 If returning to Charlie's on #22 in Union, no need to take your life in your hands trying to make that turn into the place if traffic is bearing down on you from behind. Note that the back of Charlie's abuts to the parking lot of that huge shopping area containing Walmart, Home Depot, etc. Hence, merely pass Charlie's, go a little bit, make a right onto Springfield Road, go up a bit, turn right into the shopping center parking lot, and drive to the rear of Charlie's. Or, just go down Springfield Rd. from Kenilworth in the 1st place and turn into the shopping center lot.
 
  Happy Motoring, 
 
  The Bear

The Board of Health closed the kitchen of Charlies Pool Room in Alpha and it has to stay closed until it is brought up to code. Those of us at Hot Dog Nation are trying to help them out.
 
Perhaps the most unique hot dog spot in the country. An iconic institution that has been unchanged for years. Now they are being given a hard time by the health dept. with all kinds of frivilous regulations. The place is clean and no one ever got sick from eating a hot dog there.

Help us save Charlies. You do not have to be a member of Hot Dog Nation to help. Send donations to Charlie's Pool Room, 1122 East Boulevard, Alpha, NJ 08865

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2013/05/charlies

The Board of health closed Charlie's Pool Room kitchen and it has to stay closed until it is brought up to code. We at Hot Dog Nation are trying to help them stay open.
 
Perhaps the most unique hot dog spot in the country. An iconic institution that has been unchanged for years. Now they are being given a hard time by the health dept. with all kinds of frivilous regulations. The place is clean and no one ever got sick from eating a hot dog there.

Help us save Charlies. You do not have to be a member of Hot Dog Nation to help. Send donations to Charlie's Pool Room, 1122 East Boulevard, Alpha, NJ 08865

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2013/05/charlies

I know there must be at least a couple of contractors who are regular visitors and friends of Charlie's Pool Room. It would be nice if they could take a look at what has to be done and perhaps roll up their sleeves foe Joe and John. Let's get this done.  Hang in there, boys!
 
  The Bear

I'm glad my message posted as I got notification of Screenbear's response although my post and his response are not showing up when I log in. Holler if you see this post please.

It's on. 
 
  The Bear

Still can't see it. Guess I have to contact the moderators.

John I have some equipment they may be able to use. Call me for a list. I would be happy to donate.

Great. I spoke with Joe this morning. He will be in touch.