Oh, Hot Dog!
It seems as if every country in the world has their version of a hot dog. In the United States, it seems as if every city has their classic hot dog. The Chicago dog, the Seattle dog, the Coney dog and the New York-Style Dog, the Detroit Coney, and the Minnesota corn dog - to name just a few. But the list can go on. And on. But why are we so obsessed? And how did the hot dog come to be American?
The History of the Hot Dog
Legend has it in the first century AD a dude named Gaius (Emperor Nero’s cook) stuck a knife into a roasted pig that wasn’t completely cleaned, and an intestine fell out. He obviously tried filling it with meat and spices and grilled it - because why not? The sausage spread its way throughout Europe where we can all agree the Germans perfected it. German immigrants then brought the wiener, what they called dachshund sausages, to the streets of NYC around 1860. It was a perfect lunch or snack for the working class as it was cheap and hand-held. Originally they were served bunless but with a white glove so people wouldn’t burn their hands on the hot meat. The story goes that a vender ran out of gloves one day but was set up near a street vender serving bread, and et voila, the hot dog was born.
Where does the term “hot dog” come from?
Frankly and simply: discrimination. As we all know, new groups of immigrants to the United States are lesser than those that were “here first.” German immigrants were often accused of using dog meat in their wursts so “dogs” began to be synonymous with sausage. Another story says that people referred to the long, thin franks as dogs in reference to the Germans also introducing the dachshund breed to the States (the classic question of which came first: the breed or the sausage?).
If the hot dog is from Germany, why is it synonymous with American Culture?
It wasn’t too long before hot dogs were served at baseball games and backyard barbecues across America. How did they get there? It’s a long answer, but seems to happen quickly and simultaneously across the US, as most trends do. But in this case, the trend was here to stay.
Coney Island became the hub for hot dog stands in 1875. Charles Feltman, opened a stand at Coney Island, which eventually became a restaurant. He’s also credited for inventing the classic elongated bun that was hand sliced to order. Charles convinced the president of the Prospect Park Railroad to extend the rail line to Coney Island. Hordes of people looking for summer fun or a leisure afternoon flocked to Coney Island and his new restaurant where, at his peak, he sold 40,000 hot dogs a day.
One of his hired bun-slicers, Nathan Handwerker, a Jewish-Polish immigrant, opened his own hot dog stand later on and sold his dogs for 5 cents cheaper than his competitor. To settle disputes of who was the most patriotic, Nathan began to hold hot dog eating contests for immigrants on Independence Day (Fun fact: the tradition is still going on to this day. Competitive Eater Joey Chestnut holds the record for 75 hot dogs in ten minutes!). (Another fun fact: It’s hard to beat a Nathan’s hot dog. Great snap. Great salty flavor.) Nathan’s became the Coney Island obsession and hot dogs became all the rage nationally, associated with summer and family outdoor activities.
As for baseball games, the classic fare was supposedly introduced at the St. Louis Browns games. German immigrant Chris von der Ahe was a store owner in St. Louis and expanded his business by adding a saloon in the back. He noticed people coming in for a pint after baseball games and bought the bankrupt St. Louis Browns franchise in 1882. He set the ticket price at 25 cents, hoping people would spend their money on beer and food. It’s believed he was the first to sell hot dogs at ball games.
Hot dogs became popular in American homes for quick dinners or family barbecues, making their way to even the classiest of events. In 1939, the Queen of England made her first Royal visit to the White House. The Roosevelt’s hosted the picnic and served hot dogs on the menu(!).
What’s in a hot dog?
Nose to tail eating has been all the rage. Why does the hot dog get an upturned nose? The answer depends on what brand or type of hot dog you’re eating.
The precooked hot dogs found in packages? Those are made from basically anything that’s left once the cuts are butchered off the animal. They usually cook the rest of the pig, cow, turkey, or chicken to allow all the tougher bits to break down and kill bacteria (the longer the meat is exposed to air, the more bacteria grows). This meat is then emulsified with salt, seasonings, preservatives, water, and binding agents (words like “pink slime,” “mechanically separated meat” or “reconstituted meat” can give these hot dogs a bad rap - but think of it as more of a homogeneous farce and less like ground sausage). Next the meat is stuffed into either natural, collagen, or cellulose casings (the natural sheep casings give it a firmer texture with a great snap) and hung in a smokehouse.
All beef Kosher hot dogs don’t have any by-products, fillers, or artificial flavors and usually don’t have natural casings as Kosher casings are expensive. These hot dogs may be deemed “healthier” but they still have the same preservatives that the classic meat tubes have.
No, hot dogs are not healthy and may be linked to diabetes or cancer. But neither is bacon, ham, any processed foods, or being exposed to UV rays. Moderation, folks.
Okay, enough history. How about a pop quiz?
What city eats the most hot dogs?
It’s Los Angeles. We had to be going somewhere with this.
While you might think Los Angeles is known for tacos, food trucks, or celebrities, they also have a rad hot dog scene as well. We took ourselves on a little hot dog tour while in LA (can I say best day ever?).
The classic hot dog restaurant of Los Angeles: Pinks!
It’s the iconic pink painted building with at least an hour-long queue (it’s part of the appeal!). There’s a reason Pink’s is famous, not just because they have dogs named after celebrities (ahem, the Martha Stewart dog) but because they serve good snappy hot dogs (although in my opinion, the bun is a liiiitle dry). Fun fact: Pink’s opened the same year Eleanor Roosevelt served Queen Elizabeth hot dogs at the White House. Started by Paul and Betty Pink as just a push cart serving 10 cent hot dogs, they served just 100 hot dogs a day. When their landlord increased the rent of the land their cart was on, they took out a bank loan and purchased the property. Eventually, they built the hot dog building that still stands today. Because of their proximity to Hollywood studios (Paramount, Disney, and Universal) they attracted both celebrities and people needing a quick (or not so quick) bite. Their restaurant has cameos in many films and TV shows (Hell’s Kitchen and Nathan For You, to name two). Endearingly, it’s still run by the same family and is still the most well-known hot dog joint in LA.
Los Angeles is a melting pot of different cultures and people influencing both the city and the food scene. And hot dogs are no exception.
Did someone say hot dog burrito? The Oki-Dog is a Japanese hot dog inspired by an Okinawan snack and a favorite in the LA punk rock community. Two hot dogs, mustard, chili, pastrami, and American cheese wrapped up in a flour burrito.
Then there’s the Korean hot dog, battered and served on a stick. Americans would call it a corn dog - but for these dogs, there’s almost no rules. At Two Hands, the filling can be either sausage or cheese or a combination (all beef, mozzarella, cheddar, half cheese/half beef, spicy beef, or a vegan dog), then they’re dipped in a sweet batter made with rice flour, then sometimes dipped in something crunchy (like potatoes cubes, crushed ramen, crispy rice puffs, or panko), fried, and finally dusted with sugar or Hot Cheetohs powder, and drizzled with sauces like ketchup, mustard, or spicy mayonnaise. They’re a lot sweeter than corn dogs (similar to a pronto pup) and the breading has a little more chew and texture to it thanks to the rice flour.
The Sonoran Dog aka the Danger Dog aka the nemesis of the LA Health Department. Originally from Mexico, this bacon wrapped hot dog is grilled (not steamed or boiled) with caramelized onions, ketchup, mayo, sauteed bell and jalapeno peppers. Why doesn’t the health department like this? Most of these hot dogs are served from carts that aren’t always registered (mostly because it’s expensive), raw pork can cause food poisoning, it’s illegal to serve street hot dogs in LA that aren’t boiled or steamed, and carts are heavily scrutinized to make sure they’re up to code, yada yada yada. (I personally think the more street food the better. Street food is one of the best parts about traveling internationally, and most cities in the US are really missing out.) Carts have finally been allowed to serve on the streets of LA, but not in all (read: busy or touristy) areas.
Wienerschnitzel: A hot dog chain that doesn’t disappoint.
Wienerschnitzel is a hot dog franchise in the west and southwest of the United States. The buildings are notable with their A-frame style roofs, painted yellow with red trim and a drive thru that goes through the building. Their all-beef hot dogs are individually packaged in white cardboard boxes that surprisingly keep the hot dog intact - no shmushed bun, no sloppy chili dripping over the sides. The buns, soft and steamed with the perfect squish of white bread, hold up well to the toppings. The dog itself has a great snap and good flavor. We ordered a variety including the chili cheese, a Chicago, and the junkyard (chili, a slice of American cheese, grilled onions, mustard, and french fries).
So why hot dogs?
Why anything?
When we were doing research for Los Angeles, I practically begged Jamie to go to Pink’s and somehow three of us spent all day touring LA looking for hot dogs, donuts, and grafiti. To me, hot dogs are the perfect food - they’re handheld and (sometimes) easy to eat, they’re (usually) inexpensive, hello umami bomb, and even a bad dog is still a good dog. (I do have to add that a good hot dog is the same as any good sandwich: it just needs to have a good bun and good meat. After that, it’s pretty easy to not screw up. And yes, I agree with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a hot dog is a sandwich.)
I like to think food is a bridge between people - when shared, you really start to understand who someone is and get a glimpse into their lives and their culture. In this case the hot dog is that bridge. German immigrants brought hot dogs over, sold it on the streets to the working class, and somehow it’s now part of the culture with variations on variations of influences from other people and places that tell their story. A hot dog is the same whether you have money or not, you still have to wait in line (although I assume some people have people for that), and it’s a food that is so versatile, you can put almost anything on it and it works.
To say this all quickly, it’s no wonder the hot dog is America’s favorite: it’s cheap, salty and meaty, served quickly, easy to eat on the run, and you can make it your own.