Vienna Beef
Written by: adminA Chicago-style hot dog– as served in the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs– is a steamed or boiled all-beef, natural-casing hot dog on a poppy seed bun. The hot dog is topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt; but not ketchup.
The origin of the Chicago-style dog is a matter of debate, but they were served at 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Chicago-style hot dogs are boiled or steamed to a temperature above 170 degrees Fahrenheit (~77 degrees Celsius) before adding the toppings. They can also be grilled, though these are referred to as “char-dogs” in Chicagoland. The natural casing of the hot dogs provides a distinctive “snap” when bitten. The most common dog weighs 1/8 lb. and is made with Vienna Beef, although some vendors in Chicago use other brands.
Chicago-style hot dogs with all the toppings are sometimes called “dragged through the garden” because of the unique combination of condiments. Banana peppers are sometimes offered as an alternative to sport peppers. At Hot Doug’s, a unique “sausage emporium” in Chicago, they offer grilled onions or raw onions.
Some Chicago restaurants choose to associate publicity solely with the hot dog, even though they serve many other items, including the Maxwell Street Polish, gyros, Italian beef, and pork chop sandwiches. The Chicago-style hot dog is ubiquitous, so publicity gimmicks are often needed to attract customers to a restaurant. One of these gimmicks is Superdawg’s two giant hot dogs (Maurie and Flaurie) on the roof of the building.
In Chicagoland, there are more Hot Dog joints than McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Burger Kings combined.
