Los Angeles has a new dog hotspot!

We actually had a very nice time.  Chris and Amy are great!

We went to Fab and then to The Stand.

Chris or Amy will write about it, I'm sure.

mar52


I happened to be at Fab the day Guy Fierro was filming and I'm also going to be there today!  It's going to be a Roadfood get together!

I find it funny that they sell an Oki Dog but call it a Fairfax... which is the street where one of the Oki Dogs is located.

I've heard that the hot dogs there are all beef (Thurmann's) and that they use a pork mix for the Rippers.

 
You are correct although this place sells more rippers than grilled dogs. Both are Thumann's. Just like Crif Dogs in NYC, Fab's offers a beef dog for those who grew up on it and/or have not aquired a taste for the deep fried ripper. I'm surprised that Mr. Fabrocini, after admitting to me that the ripper is mostly pork, would come on this forum (9/10/08) and claim that the ripper is only 20% pork. In fact his breakdown of the percentage of ingredients is the same that appeared in the erroneous New York Times article. How do I know that the article is erroneous? For one I know the plant manager at Thumann's. Secondly, all you have to do is look at the pale color of the dog itself and taste it to know that this particular dog is more than 20% pork. Here in Jersey if is often referred to as a bologna dog. I can only conclude that Mr. Fabrocini is being misleading for whatever reasons. Or he forgot our correspondence and is reverting back to what was printed in the New York Times. I would think that he would be more familiar with what he is serving his customers.

John Fox, I made the mistake of calling Joe's dogs all beef and he was very quick to respond with "...it should be noted while we do use all beef dogs, the ripper is not all beef.  It is a beef and pork dog especally made for deep frying...." I don't know if he was misleading about the percentages to others but he sure as heck made sure I knew that the rippers weren't all beef.

John Fox, I made the mistake of calling Joe's dogs all beef and he was very quick to respond with "...it should be noted while we do use all beef dogs, the ripper is not all beef.  It is a beef and pork dog especally made for deep frying...." I don't know if he was misleading about the percentages to others but he sure as heck made sure I knew that the rippers weren't all beef.

Don't be misled. Joe serves more than one dog. The all beef, as I mentioned, and the beef/pork. While the beef/pork is made for deep frying, Joe is wrong about the percentage. He posted that the rippers were only 20% pork after he conceded to me that he was wrong about the percentage. I don't know why or what his motivation was. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the "rippers" are mostly pork; at leat 3/4 or more.

I invite Joe to come on here and respond. While I admire a Jersey guy bringing an example of our high quality dogs to another part of the country, I don't understand why he would either be misleading or ignorant about what he is serving. Sadly, this is all too common in the hot dog industry. And it casts bad reflections on the honest and forthcoming people who own and operate hot dog establishments.

I don't understand why anyone would mislead with the percentages.  Someone who doesn't want to eat pork won't eat 20% or 80%.

John, you are certainly correct about the color of the pork dog.  Chris had a Ripper and it was a strange shade of pale.

This particular dog is served at many places in New Jersey. I've asked the people who own/manage these places about this dog just to see their response. Many don't even know. They say it is a beef/pork dog. I've been told it's 50-50 as well as mostly beef. Even in the case of the Grote & Weigel griddle frank, which is slightly more than 50% pork, many restaurants serving it claim it is mostly beef or even all beef. I think they do this because they fear some would be turned off by the high percentage of pork, or else think it is an inferior dog.

I e-mailed Joe some time back and he said that he was aware of the fact that the ripper is mostly pork and that he would correct his site. I happen to know people at Thumann's and was taken on a personal tour. I was told that the griller is about 3/4 pork, 1/4 beef and that the pork percentage is slightly higher for the ripper or deep fried dog. Joe was aware of that in our correspondence, then if you look up thread he mentions that the ripper is 60% beef! It seems that this was in response to Ellen's post where she stated that 80% pork is too much for her.

I don't know why Joe would mention the erroneous percentages after telling me he was aware of the fact that the ripper is mostly pork. Which it is. I can say that with 100% certainty. There are dogs out there that are close to 100% pork. Don't be scared off. If you like it, eat it.

John Fox, I'm not doubting what he said to you is what you're stating...I was just saying that he was very quick to make sure that I knew the Ripper dogs were not all beef and did contain pork...he never gave me a percentage figure though. It would be nice if he came on here and cleared it up. I'm sure you're accurate...it seems like you definitely know what you're talking about with them.

...and yeah, they are very pale/pink.

I sent him a message. I'm sure he'll come over here and give us the low-down.

Short answer from Joe:
"The company I get my rippers from claims that they are 60% beef, 20% pork and 20% semolina protein."

He had a bit more to say...but I think I'll hold off on that. Basically saying that if one cared about not eating pork then they shouldn't be eating hot dogs and should opt for a bowl of granola instead.

If someone cared about not eating pork then they shouldn't be eating hot dogs with pork. If Joe thinks they shouldn't be eating hot dogs period, then why does he offer a beef hot dog? There are people who love hot dogs but won't eat pork. Maybe they should have a granola bar rather than a beef hot dog at Fab's.

Did you ask Joe why he told me in an e-mail that he knew the ripper was mostly pork and said he would correct the website?

I don't know who told Joe that the rippers are 60% beef, but they are wrong. If indeed someone told him that. Only thing I can think of is that maybe someone from the company doesn't want a competitor trying to reproduce their dog. I also can tell you that I personally know a Thumann's distributor and have an e-mail where he talked to me in depth about the product. I saved his e-mail. I wish I saved Joe's. Also there are several families that own Rutt's Hut. Rutt's uses the same recipe dog as Fab's. One owner, who was forthcoming, told me the dog is mostly pork and at Rutt's it is fried in beef tallow rather than vegetable oil. I'm mentioning this here because this guy didn't care if I posted it on a forum. I respect people who will give me info (such as the brand of dog used) and then request that I don't post it. I always keep this info confidential and will not post it. But this is really no secret.

I was at a function in New York where I met one of the owners of Crif Dogs. He freely admitted to me that the inspiration for their restaurant was Rutt's Hut and that they use the same dog for deep frying that is MOSTLY PORK.

Bottom line is that the ripper served is mostly pork with some beef and some cereal grains. If you like it, eat it. If you don't eat pork, you won't eat it. That is why Crif's and Fab's offers a beef dog. Rutt's Hut and most of the Jersey places that serve the ripper only offer this one dog. Johnny & Hanges is an exception. They started serving a beef dog in the last few years.