John

I am assuming that the Costco near you boils/steams their dogs as does Superdawg. Even if the brand is the same (which I believe it is) there might be a slight difference in taste. Reasons for this could be the freshness of the dogs, length of cooking or other factors. I know of places in Jersey that use the same dog, but prepare it differently, so there is a big difference in taste. But if the dogs are prepared the same way and are the same brand, they should, for the most part, taste the same. The New York places that griddle cook the Sabrett dog have slight differences. Sometimes one is grilled longer than another. I hear that Papaya King is one of 10% of the accounts with Marathon (Sabrett) that get their dogs refrigerated rather than frozen. This might account for a small difference in taste. But if you are familiar with this brand, you can easily identify it. You might want to take a bite of a dog at Superdawg w/o the condiments or just order one with mustard only to better compare it to the dog at Costco. Another thing I do is casually look in the garbage bin. My friends think that I'm crazy, but I've found boxes with the hot dog brand identified. When I went to a place in Jersey that I mentioned earlier (which uses Hofmann's from Syracuse) I tried to do this. This particular eatery maintains that the dogs are made by them. All of the garbage is put in sealed black bags and tied, so that you can't tell. I remember a few years back when I posted about New York hot dogs and some of the hot dog joints claiming to have dogs made just for them. Fat Guy happenned to be walking past a Papaya King or Gray's Papaya and saw them getting a delivery. The boxes were clearly labelled Sabrett. About a year ago Ed Levine of the New York times contacted me. I spoke with him numerous times and gave him information for an article he wrote about this subject. I believe he did an article a few years back where he discovered the source of the famous Katz's Pastrami. I think he spoke with 2 owners on separate occasions. One said that they made the pastrami while the other one laughed and said they bought it from a supplier, but didn't identify who it was. Ed found out that it was Empire National.

I received some more information from my friend. As some may know, Vienna Beef owns and produces David Berg, another popular Chicago hot dog. The difference between the 2 is the spicing profile. DB's are much more spicy than VB's. Best Kosher has a meat plant in Chicago where they produce their hot dogs. Among their brands are Best Kosher, Sinai 48, and Shofar. Shofar, incidentally, was made in Linden, N.J. for years. It is probable that the same meat is used for all 3 brands, but again, the spicing is different. Shofar is still available in Jersey (at Restaurant Depot and a few carts) and is mild for a beef dog. Best Kosher and Sinai 48 have more flavor and spice. In Chicago Sinai 48 can be found at kosher meat shops, kosher caterers, kosher restaurants, Jewish school food services, and Superdawg. This dog is also served at Costco for $1.50 with a drink. Sam's Club serves the Best Kosher dog. Both are 1/4 pound. Here in Jersey, Costco serves the 1/4 pound Hebrew National. Superdawg buys their product from Best Kosher, as does Costco and Sam's Club (in Chicago), which sell way more dogs than Superdawg. At Marathon (Sabrett), the person in charge of private label told me that it is very labor intensive to produce a special recipe. This is rarely done. It is easier to make the dogs in different sizes, and with different casings, but Marathon has 2 recipes; one for all beef, the other for beef and pork. Anyone using their dogs get one or the other. I also know the plant manager at Best Provisions in Newark, N.J. They make my favorite all beef dog. This company began in 1938. They make quality beef products including hamburgers, roast beef, corned beef, and pastrami. In fact, their roast beef, corned beef, and pastrami are sold at Wegmans under their (Wegmans) label. That's how good they are. Best makes a frank from all beef; a mixture of choice and lean beef with their own spicing. The recipe has been the same since 1938. They make dogs in all different sizes and either skinless or natural casing. But only one recipe is used for all the hot dogs that they produce, including the private label dogs for Pathmark, the ones they made for McCrory's (now out of business), and everyone else that uses their dogs. That hasn't stopped many places from claiming that they "use a special recipe frank" from Best Provisions. It simply isn't true. Again, I think that people do this to create a sort of mystique surrounding their product. Next time you are in a Costco, sample a Sinai 48 dog from the snack bar. Then have a Superdawg. If I haven't already bored you to death, let me give you an example of one place that does have a special recipe frank. There is a very popular roadside hot dog stand in Union, N.J. It is the Galloping Hill Inn, a/k/a Peterson's. In business since the 1920's, they serve hot dogs, hamburgers, gyros, chicken, shrimp, sandwiches, etc. Beer also. Their dogs were supplied by Gaiser's, a local German butcher shop. A very good German style beef and pork dog with a casing. When the current owners bought the Galloping Hill Inn in 1988, they kept everything the same. Shortly after, Gaisers was sold. The owners of the Galloping Hill Inn were afraid that the hot dogs would be different. The new owners of Gaisers wanted very much to supply GHI with dogs, so they kept on one of the old employees and promised to make the dogs to the same recipe. For whatever reason, the dogs did not taste the same. The new owners of the GHI, who had the recipe, went looking for a hot dog producer to make the dogs for them, hoping that they would taste the way they did before Gaisers was sold. Since GHI sold (and still does) a couple of thousand hot dogs daily, several companies, including Sabrett, jumped at the opportunity to make the dogs according to the original recipe. GHI finally settled on Grote & Weigel from Connecticut. Grote & Weigel already provides a number of Jersey hot dog establishments with their Griddle Franks. But they are the common recipe used by the company, while GHI's franks are made to the original Gaiser's recipe. I happenned to find the Grote & Weigel distributor in Jersey. They will sell you any of the franks that they make including the one for the Galloping Hill Inn. If I were to open my own place, I could have these same dogs supplied to me, but I would probably be encouraged not to reveal that they are the same dog used by the GHI. If you were to go to Galloping Hill and asked the identity of the frank, you would be told a number of things. I tell people I know to do this. And they have been told from the employees to the owner any number of things. Most of the time it's "we serve a beef and pork frank" without giving away the source. Or they say that they get it from a secret source. They even claim to make it themselves on occasion.

John, I know you are a maven in this area but this is not accurate. If you check out the FAQ on their web site, you can get the full story. This issue is also addressed on the often-aired Hot Dog Show on PBS. It's a proprietary recipe made exclusively for Superdawg and while it is all-beef, it is not Kosher. =R= ← Ronnie, I checked out Superdawg's website. In the history section it is mentioned that Maurie and Flaurie formulated their own recipe when they opened in 1948. That is their claim which I will address. I have a copy of the Hot Dog Show which I just finished watching. The segment on Superdawg does not address this issue. I have read elsewhere and heard from people in Chicago that Superdawg uses Sinai 48 franks. I believe this to be true. A guy that I correspond with who is from Chicago and owns a hot dog stand, told me that Superdawg uses this frank. This man has a successful business and knows many people in the industry. He also teaches a course on opening your own hot dog business. There was an article on a website that I can't open which I found on google (acweb.colum.edu/users/agunkel/homepage/food/superdawg.htm) where the author is quoted as saying about Superdawg, "The whole concoction is heaped on 2 classic bases: the Sinai 48 Kosher dog......" and then the quote ends. After I read your post, I e-mailed my friend who confirmed that Superdawg uses Sinai 48. He also told me a lot of things about Superdawg. Unfortunately I don't have his permission to post the e-mail. Or to give his opinion or review of Superdawg. But I can say that the original owners, Maurie and Flaurie retired a few years ago. Their son now runs the operation. I can also say that prior to 1955 Superdawg served Vienna Beef. They did not formulate their own recipe. They have been serving Sinai 48 for quite awhile. I will try to find further proof. I have read that they use this frank in a couple of places which I will try to locate. I have a lot of experience with hot dog owners claiming that either they make their own franks, or have them made specially for them. This is untrue the great majority of the time. I have documented this on Egullet in the past. Papaya King, Gray's, and Katz's use the same recipe Sabrett dog, even though they claim they have their own special recipe. Katz's sometimes claims that they make their own dogs. Papaya King says they have their own recipe from Marathon (owners of Sabrett) which adds a secret spice. This was refuted by a couple of Sabrett distributors, a guy whose father delivered these Sabrett franks to every place in the city that used them, and the person in charge of private label at Marathon who I spoke with personally, and who thought that I was going to open my own place. Just a few weeks ago I went to a place that claimed they make their own dogs. I asked where the sausage making equipment was, because there was none on the premises. The owner then said that they were made by family members at a pork store. I sampled the dog and thought that it tasted remarkably similar to a dog made in Syracuse. I thought that it was more than a coincidence when I saw an article at the restaurant stating that the owner's family was from Syracuse. The next week I called the company and found out that they supplied this particular hot dog establishment. Many people want you to think that their dog is special and that you can only get it there. That is why they claim to make it themselves or have it made to a "special recipe". In a few instances, this is true. And I can give you examples. But the great majority of the time it is false. I can give you many examples of this also. Owners have told me where they get their dogs, and then I hear them telling customers that they make it themselves. I guess it's the nature of the business.

Laz, Superdawg does not have it's own proprietary recipe. They use a Sinai 48 dog that is available from Best Kosher of Chicago.

I've never done a side by side comparison of Dietz and Watson and Boars Head. Or Thumann's. I've heard that Thumann's is pretty popular in Philadelphia. One of the more popular hoagie joints there uses this brand. They also make the best beef/pork frank. Best Provisions out of Newark also makes quality beef products. Franks, burgers, pastrami, corned beef, and roast beef. I don't know if they are available in Philly, but just this past week I learned from the plant manager at Best that the private label pastrami, roast beef, and corned beef sold at Wegman's is from Best.

Sounds great! I am also planning to grill some Best hot dogs (Syd's 5 to a lb natural casing) that will be accompanied by a couple of Pilsner Urquells.

This past Sunday we went to 9 places, including Maui's. For me and everyone else except Pete, it was the first time. They serve 2 dogs; a German style dog containing beef, pork, and veal, and a veal dog or bockwurst which contains veal and pork. I had both. The veal dog was fairly mild, and shaped like a regular hot dog, rather than a fatter sausage, which is what you usually get when you order a bockwurst. The German style dog is the one that they sell the most of. You can get them with a variety of homemade toppings, which were enjoyed by the team. Since I've never had this dog before, I had it with just mustard. Both dogs have a natural casing and are prepared on a griddle. The German dog was prepared the right way, spending enough time on the griddle. Good snap and texture. The taste was fine, but again, a little on the mild side. It is a quality dog using quality meats. I remarked that it tasted just like Hofmann's of Syracuse. Hofmann's products are available at Wegmans. I then spent awhile talking to Maui, the owner. When I asked about the dogs, he told me that they were homemade. When I expressed doubt that they could be made on the premises (since you need to have sausage making equipment) he told me that they were made at a nearby pork store by his brother, who is using the same recipe that was passed down by their grandfather. I asked him about using a meatpacker, which I had read about somewhere. He told me that they were considering doing that at the start, but opted to have the dogs made at a pork store. Afterwards, I spent some time reading the articles about the place that were posted on the outside. It turns out that his grandfather was from Syracuse, and used a plant there (Hofmann's?) to make his dogs. So that accounts for the similarity in taste to Hofmann's. Some of my fellow S.W.A.T. members think there is a possibility that the dogs are indeed Hofmann's. Maui also told me that he ships his dogs all over the world. People order them from his website, which I'll try to find and post.

We will definitely be going to Maui's. We aren't told much as far as when we will be hitting what particular places in order to keep it a secret. The goal is to go somewhere and have an idea of what the normal experience is. People have contacted me (usually the owner) and asked if or when we were going, and even requested that we go a certain day when the owner/manager will be there in order to give us top of the line treatment. This would give them an unfair advantage and sort of defeats the purpose. I mean, what good is it if we go and get better treatment and a better dog, they get a good writeup, and then the reader goes and gets subpar service? But that said, Pete has told us some of the places that we will be going to. It is based on popular, established places as well as reader recommendations. We have gone to new places (J's Beef) and fairly new places (Amazing Hot Dog). Since space in the column is limited, only a fraction of our comments gets printed. The Munchmobile does a different food every week and devotes most of it's attention to that. There is a small column on where we went, and there will be a bigger one at the end of the year. I have a lot of comments about each dog, but as I said, not everything goes into print. I'll be happy to share some of them after the series runs. But a few places I did not like; and my comments were not included, making it seem that all my opinions are positive. This was not the case. And someone else, whose comments are mostly critical, had some good things to say about a few places that weren't included. But Pete does a great job picking the places and reporting on them. I will tell you that I've been to most of these places many times, and know what to expect. Sometimes we are recognized, and sometimes not. One particular Italian Hot Dog restaurant that I have been critical of for their stinginess with peppers (sometimes throwing on only 1 or 2) made sure to pile em on when they recognized us and knew that they would be reviewed. But such is human nature. And we can only report on our experience on the particular day we visit rather than on past experiences. I'm sure when I go back next time, I'll get the same skimpy sandwich I've gotten in the past. But it's been great so far, and I look forward to going every week. Thanks for the pictures! I spoke via e-mail with the owner of Maui's a few years back. He claimed to make the dogs on premise, but I know this isn't true. I read an article somewhere that mentioned he uses a meat packer, but he wouldn't say who it was; only that it wasn't Hatfield. I'm surprised that the dogs are skinless. I know that Boars Head makes a beef/pork/veal dog that is used at Walter's in Mamaronek, N.Y. Maybe Maui's uses this dog. I'll try to find out.

I love Czech Pilsners. For the longest time, only Pilsner Urquell was available in my area. Still one of the best, and I've found that the beer tastes fresher with the current distributor (they switched a few years ago). Czechvar is good, but a little mild for my taste. There are 2 that I like even better than Pilsner Urquell. Rebel, which is excellent; and my favorite, which I can't spell, but goes something like Vyskovske. Expensive, but worth it.

We will be going to the original. Have you been there? What did you think of the dogs?

They are open Monday. I'm not sure of their hours, but I know they're closed Sunday only and open in the evening at least until 8 and probably later.

Not open on Sunday.

Thanks for the great pictures, Jason. As I said earlier, I had one Chicago dog and one dog w/just mustard so I could taste the Vienna brand frank. It accounts for 80% of the dogs sold in Chicago. Good, but mild for a beef dog. Or at least mild compared to the beef dogs (Best, Usinger, Sabrett, Nathan's, Boars Head, Hebrew National) that I'm used to and eat most of the time. And I prefer brown mustard to yellow.

Extra large, which is coincidentally the same size I wear.

Tommy, 5? Do you realize the exposure this site has? At least 15 I'd say and I'd be one of them if it weren't so damned far! ← 5 people who post. a very small percentage of members post on egullet, and even less of that number are from NJ/NY/PA. since egullet is extremely "googe-able", it's certainly not going to hurt to have the place mentioned here. dollars to donuts people will start googling when they drive past it or hear about it, and they'll be reading these words right here. but yes, i was being a bit conservative with 5. but the 3 day limit is pretty tight, you must admit. over the next few weeks, we'll be seeing, i'm thinking, me, jason and rachel perlow, holly, hitmanoo, curlz, nuge, dbroc, ejebud and beth, all heading down. damn, that's way over 5 already. john the hot dog guy, any word on the giardiniera? it's my understanding that this is a very important part of the beef experience, and can make or break the thing. i suppose it's not hard to "source" this from wherever they get it in chicago, though. by the way, the website. ← Sorry, didn't ask about the giardiniera. I also forgot to add that there are pickles on the Chicago dog. From Vienna Beef.

I had overheard a conversation a while ago when someone mentioned a new place was to be opening that would be serving Chicago style hot dogs. I didn't give it much thought because there are places that attempt to serve what they call a Chicago dog. But they use pork hot dogs and throw a mixture of junk that hardly resembles what is made in Chicago. Today I happenned to be driving on St. Georges Ave. in Linden and passed by a place called J's Beef, Chicago Style Italian Beef & Sausage. I turned around and went back. When I went in, I found a large Vienna Beef sign. I had a chance to speak with Jack, the owner, and found out that he is serving an authentic Chicago style hot dog complete with Vienna beef hot dogs, onions, neon relish, yellow mustard, tomato wedges, sport peppers, and celery salt on a poppy seed bun. The dogs (skinlkess and 6 to a lb) relish, sport peppers, and celery salt are all from Chicago. Dogs, poppy seed buns, and relish are directly from Vienna Beef. I forget if the sports peppers and celery salt are. Italian Beef is also served, but it is made on premise rather than shipped in from Vienna. Soon J's will be selling Vienna Beef Dogs to the public. This is the same Vienna Beef Dogs sold in Chicago and not the different recipe dog sold at Targets. Jack was kind enough to give me a few Viennas to sample at home. While I was there, I had a Chicago dog and a plain Vienna with just mustard. The dogs come steamed or char grilled. I got mine steamed. The Chicago dog was minus onions as I hate them. I don't really like relish (except for Rutt's Hut unique relish) but I had it on the dog. I still am not crazy about so many toppings on a dog, but I liked the contrast between hot meat and cool vegetables. The bun was excellent; hot and steamed also. Sports peppers were very hot. Yellow mustard, a few small tomato wedges and the neon green relish. According to Jack, this is the only authentic Chicago dog in the area including Shake Shack in N.Y. For me it may be an aquired taste, but I think many will like it. He has only been open for 2 1/2 weeks but business has been great so far. The Vienna beef dog with mustard was ok, but a little mild. It had a sort of subtle spicing with a mild spice which lingered in the background that I couldn't identify. I know this dog is made from bull meat and brisket. Jack is from Chicago and grew up with Vienna. It's all he eats although he has sampled other dogs from Jersey. He thinks Sabrett is too spicy while Thumann's (mostly pork) is too bland. J's Beef 902 W. St. Georges Ave. Linden, N.J. 908-587-0105

I can't think of a better way to spend the summer. I would be doing a lot of this anyway, but now I don't have to drive (or pay). Looking forward to hitting some of the places that I've never been to. Mauis Dog House for one.

The Munchmobile trips will be featured every Friday in the Ledger. There will actually be 2 excursions. The regular Munchmobile, which will highlight a different food each week (hamburgers today, donuts next week, subs the following, etc.) and have different people going each time, and the S.W.A.T. dog team, which will only review hot dogs, and be made up of the same people. Today's ledger just briefly mentioned the S.W.A.T. dog team. Our pictures and profiles will be in next week's paper. Starting next week, they will have a separate column recapping our adventures. We will be going to close to 70 hot dog joints this summer.

Never had a Yocco's dog, but hear that they are referred to as Yucco's.

Bagel Spot on Morris Ave. in Union.

The menu was the same for Valentine's Day. They just presented you with a written one at your table. Normally White Castle does not have written menus. I am not in the hot dog business, I'm just a hot dog fanatic who is familiar with the many hot dog joints and their products. I've been to Swanky Franks in Norwalk a few times. I believe they are closed currently due to a dispute between the current owners and the people who own the property. They use a beef and pork Hummel frank from New Haven. It is quite popular in Connecticut. It is deep fried at Swanky's. For a quarter extra, they will split it and cook it on the griddle. Many of the places in Connecticut that use this frank deep fry and then finish it off on the griddle. Mac's Canteen, Merrit Canteen, Danny's, and others prepare it this way. The frank itself is flavorful and spicier than the usual beef and pork blend. I think this particular frank tastes best at the Glenwood Drive In in Hamden Conn. They use a long 5 to a lb frank and charcoal grill it. I've been to a dozen or so places in Connecticut and the Glenwood is my favorite along with Rosco's Big Dog on Franklin Ave. in Hartford. They use a Thumann's Griddle Frank and cook it on a griddle and serve it on a buttered New England style bun. They also have a variety of quality homemade toppings like Amazing Hot Dog. Their franks come in either a 6 to a lb size (standard) or the bigger quarter pound size. If you are in Connecticut, I suggest checking out these 2 places in particular. Two others that I've heard are good, but haven't yet been to are Top Dog in Cos Cob. and Chez Leonard. I don't remember where Chez Leonard is located (I can find out), but it is a hot dog cart serving Hebrew National dogs with a collagen casing. They are also known for gormet toppings. Top Dog serves a grilled (griddle) natural casing Sabrett dog. Connecticut is partial to beef and pork dogs (Hummel, Grote & Weigel, Mucke's, Martin Rosol, and others) but these last 2 places serve a good New York/New Jersey style all beef dog. What this has to do with Elizabeth, I don't know. I tend to get carried away with hot dogs. Sorry.

The White Castle on Elmora Ave. and Westfield Ave. is where I took my wife for Valentine's day. They had a great deal; waitress service, tabelclothes, reservations, special printed menus. It was a scream! Especially since my wife thought that we were going somewhere expensive.

The White Diamond on Bayway Ave. is no longer there. White Rose on 1st Ave. in Roselle is superior to White Diamond and White Mana. Same meat supplier and burgers cooked the same way, but the burgers have more meat than White Diamond. Get the large bacon cheeseburger. In my opinion, the best fast food hamburger in Jersey.

No, I didn't switch the caps, but the kosher coke did taste sweeter to me both times I compared the 2. Maybe it's less carbonated than the high fructose version and that makes it seem sweeter? I was surprised that the kosher coke, which I would assume costs more to make because sugar is more expensive, was actually cheaper.

I've heard about the Coke for Passover before, but never came across it untill about 2 weeks ago. I made an effort to find it this year and found a Shop Rite in Elizabeth, N.J. that carries it. I bought a 2 liter bottle and a 1.5 liter bottle of the regular Coke without the sugar. After the bottles were cold enough, I compared the 2 versions side by side. I was disappointed to discover that I actually prefer the coke with the high fructose corn syrup. Probably because I've been drinking it since 1985. The kosher coke tasted a little too sweet for me.