Gourmet frankfurters

[John]

Two brands of hot dogs that I haven't gotten around to trying are Niman Ranch and Lobel's. Both are considered gourmet franks, and quite expensive. I am having my wife order both for my upcoming birthday (she can't believe this is what I want for a present).

I was wondering what your opinions are of these, as both are available in New York. Niman Ranch's fearless franks are available at Citarella's and D'Artagnan while Lobel's are available at their store and maybe elsewhere.

I'd like to know what you think of these before I sample them. I've heard that the Niman Ranch dogs are beefy, smoky, and not as spicy as Nathan's or Sabrett. Also lower in fat and hormone free (whatever that has to do with taste). As for Lobel's they are $14.95 per lb and suppossedly made for them by an old Austrian butcher.

The only dog I've had that was ever referred to as a gourmet dog was Usinger's Angus Frank. Looking forward to finding out if these two are really good, or just marketing hype. Usinger's is the real deal. Oh, the Niman Ranch franks are served at a place called Sparky's in Brooklyn.

[tautog]

I thought the Niman Ranch was quite good but not quite worth the tariff. They are a large dog that plumps when you cook it. Not very spicy but think it might be a good fryer though.

[bernieberman]

Applegate Farms has a natural casing hot dog, nitrate free, made from beef and pork and is just great. I'd recommend trying it also.

[Suzanne F]

Hot dogs being one of the major food groups (along with steak, bacon, kimchi, and Mrs. Dash), we've had many discussions of their relative merits. One you might want to look at is this one on Supermarket Hot Dogs. Or just do a search on "hot dogs;" you'll only get 15 pages of results .

[John]

I got the Niman Ranch franks from a D'Artagnan's warehouse in Newark, and the Lobel's franks via mail order. I sampled these two "gourmet franks" along with a Nathan's that I defrosted from my freezer.

Niman Ranch: 6/lb $8.25 per/lb natural lamb casing; pinkish in color.

Lobel's: 9/lb $14.95 per/lb artificial (collagen?) casing; dark red in color.

Nathan's: 9/lb $9.99 for 3 lbs natural sheep casing; light brown in color.

All 3 franks are all beef. I brought a pot of water to boiling, shut off the heat, and simmerred the franks for 10 minutes. Then I finished them off on on a griddle, heating them on low heat for 15-20 minutes. The 2 "gourmet dogs" were taken out of the refrigerator 2 days after purchase; the Nathan's frank was out of the freezer (bought a month ago) and wrapped in foil to defrost in the refrigerator for 2 days. When I defrost frozen franks, I usually leave them out and cook them as soon as they defrost. Sometimes I just defrost them in the microwave. I think leaving them in the refrigerator for 2 days made them a tad dry.

My observations. First the Niman Ranch dog. A tough casing; similar to Boar's Head and Grote & Weigel. A good flavor, a bit on the mild side. Indistinguishable from any decent beef frank. Not worth the price. Less fat and hormone free, but this doesn't matter to me; I just focus on taste. All in all, a decent beef dog that doesn't stand out. Again I suspect that a lot of it's popularity is due to the Niman Ranch name.

Lobel's was similar. A less tough casing (which I prefer) and a good beef flavor. I think I preferred the flavor to the Niman Ranch dog. Maybe a little smokier, maybe a little spicier. But slightly better in my opinion. Definitely not worth $14.95. If you didn't know what you were tasting, you would probably say it is good; better than average, but not better than the best examples of a kosher style frank that is available in the New York/ New Jersey area.

The Nathan's dog that I had was drier than it would be if it wasn't frozen and then left in the fridge for 2 days. I wish I would've had one straight out of the package from the Supermarket. The one I had was more similar to the Lobel's than to the Niman ranch. But a little spicier. And a little better. A fresher sample would've definitely been considerably better.

To make a great hot dog takes more than using name brand beef. The spicing is probably more important. Although Nathan's, Sabrett, and Best Provisions of Newark do use quality meat for their franks and no fillers. All are smoked. And have a superior spice blend. I wanted to try Niman Ranch and Lobel's because I've heard so much about them. Just like I heard a lot about Usinger's a couple of years ago. And David Rosengarten picked Lobel's as the best example of an all beef N.Y./Chicago style dog. Plus a number of chefs supposedly prefer Niman Ranch.

These two dogs are good. But they did not live up to the hype. Not the way that Usinger's did. Head and shoulders above these. Again, just my opinion. Usinger's is also much more reasonable in price. By the way, my wife preferred the Niman Ranch (although she disliked the tough casing) and the Nathan's to the Lobel's. She did like all 3, but she too prefers Usinger's.

David Rosengarten also picked Schaller & Weber as his favorite German style frank. Baloney dog he called it. I was finally able to track this one down at a Kings. A very good frank. But not better than what I can get at 3 local German butchers in Union. And not close to Thuman's. My favorite frank in this style.

My conclusion is that perhaps the best beef frank on the market, and the only one worth ordering through the mail (unless you live far from NY/NJ) is Usinger's. I haven't tried Klements yet. Sabrett and Nathan's are very good, and spicy like Usinger's. Best's has a great flavor, and is less spicy than these. Good if you like the Vienna Frank (milder), Best's has more flavor without being spicy for those who don't like heavy garlic/paprika.

For beef and pork there is Thumann's. And then there is everyone else.

It was great to try these products. After doing so, I am even more convinced that I wouldn't be blown away by the $19.00 Kobe Beef dog. But I don't suppose it will prevent me from plunking down the money for one next time I'm in New York.

[John]

Correction: The Nathan's natural casing frank available at Costco and certain supermarkets comes 8 to a lb, not 9.

[Double 0]

This is old news, but my favorite hot dog is Black Bear (Shoprite brand) all beef 8 or 4 to the lb. They're the most reasonable ($2.99/lb on sale) and they are made by Deitz and Watson. I don't know if this is gourmet or not, but its my favorite beef dog.

[=Mark]

I'll have to second the Thuman's recommendation. Luckily my market sells them loose so I can purchase them fresh as needed and not get stuck with a months worth to go bad in the fridge until I'm in a dog mood again and don't feel like driving to the local Windmill.

[John]

Double O,

For awhile there, Black Bear was my favorite frank. The all beef, that is. Flavorful, smoky, with less garlic than Sabrett; a quality frank. I ate so many of them that I don't know if I got sick of them or if my taste changed. Taste can be fickle. I haven't had one in awhile, but recently I had a Dietz and Watson beef frank (the same as Black Bear) at a Stewarts in Clinton, N.J. and it was very good. I spoke with someone from the company, and I was told that they use premium ingredients and cook them the old fashioned way, hickory smoked. I think that gourmet is just a label.

Mark,

I don't know if you were implying that Windmill uses Thumann's franks, but they do not. Windmill uses a beef and pork dog made by sabrett. Not as good as Thumann's in my opinion.

Interesting note: The power went off where I live due to a downed power line. Almost had to get rid of the remainder of the Niman Ranch, Lobel's, Nathan's, and Thumann's franks that I had stored in my freezer. Luckily, we got the power back. Would've been a shame, as I spent a small fortune on the Lobel's (14.95/lb plus shipping).

[dbrociner]

John, could you post the information on Usinger's. How many, how much and phone number? I'm curious to try them. Also, where can you get the Best Provisions dogs that you speak so highly of? I live in Somerset County but am in Union, Essex, Morris all the time.

BTW, I'm still working my way through your top ten list that was printed in the NY Times Jersey section. Being from Elizabeth I was glad to see that you included Jerry's in your round up. But I have to admit that I was puzzled to see you included the Galloping Hill Inn (still Peterson's in my mind). I remember being about 8 years old and petrified about the midget who worked there. I was always afraid that if he touched my food that I'd never get any taller. Childish nonsense I know but a vivid memory none the less. And I never thought the dogs there were that good.

One last thing: when you go to Charlie's in Kenilworth do you always get the Italian dog or do you sometimes get the sausage? I've heard that the sausage there is excellent.

[John]

Usinger's has a website, usinger.com. I prefer the beef wieners or the Angus franks. Same recipe, but the Angus meat is a little juicier and tender.

The Best Provision dogs with the natural casings are only available at their factory in Newark. I like the 5 to a lb that are served at Syd's. This is an excellent all beef dog. Simmer it in water, then put it on the outside grill.

I've heard about the midget at the Galloping Hill Inn. A lot of people were terrified of him. It's important to note that the dogs served when you went (prior to 1988) were different than the dogs served since 1988. The original owners (the Hampps) used a dog from Gaiser's deli on Morris Ave that was peppery and spicy for a beef and pork dog. The new owner switched to a Grote & Weigel dog. Less spicy, but meatier. All a matter of taste. I like the current dog. Many like the original.

At Charlie's, I always get the double Italian Hot Dog. The sausage is very good.

[Holly Moore]

I keep my freezer pretty much stocked with Usingers natural casing beef franks and beef wieners. Second what John has to say about their quality. But don't stop with their hot dogs.

Their fresh brats are as good as I've had. Same for their liverwurst, though for a while a guy was making his own in Reading Terminal Market that was better, but he's gone. Awfully good summer sausage, landjaeger, and all their sliceable sausages.

And I say this after spending a few minutes in the dank basement of their plant watching workers in foul weather gear and hip boots, sorting out mountains of fresh casings (intestines). My definition of Hell on Earth.

[Fat Guy]

For awhile there, Black Bear was my favorite frank. The all beef, that is. Flavorful, smoky, with less garlic than Sabrett; a quality frank. I ate so many of them that I don't know if I got sick of them or if my taste changed. Taste can be fickle.

John, I am almost certain that the Black Bear franks themselves have somehow changed. When you originally recommended them, I bought a pack and thought they were the best or among the best I'd ever had in that style. They became my standard for a short time, and then all of a sudden I stopped really liking them. I've recently purchased the all-beef natural-casing Black Bear franks twice and haven't enjoyed them very much. I doubt it's likely that we'd both develop idiosyncratic tastes along the same timeline, so I bet something has changed in the real world.

[John]

Steven,

Very interesting. I never considered the possibility that these franks may have changed. Just thought it was my own taste. But I do remember the first few times eating these dogs. As good as anything I've tried. Now, they taste different to me. A small hot dog manufacturer (Schmalz's Provisions) makes a beef and pork frank that I thought was excellent; second only to Thumann's. Recently I had it, and it wasn't as good. Thought it was just me, but then I found out from a relative of the owner that occasionally they change the formula. I'm guessing that this may have been what happenned to Black Bear.

My taste can be fickle, and my taste in hot dogs is often subject to my mood; whether I feel like something more or less spicy, grilled, deep fried, or whatever. But I can usually identify a certain brand blindfolded. And it's odd that Black Bear went from being one of my 2 favorite all beef dogs to one that I don't really like anymore.

[guajolote]

Awfully good summer sausage, landjaeger, and all their sliceable sausages. 

Add good bacon to the Usinger's list.

[John]

Just make sure that you cook the fresh bratwurst enough. Boil it for awhile until there is no red, then grill it. First time I had fresh brats, there was still red in the middle. Lucky I didn't get sick.

I repeated the comparison with the Nathan's, Lobel's, and Niman Ranch franks. Simmered in water for 10 mins, then cooked them outside on the grill. This time the Nathan's dog wasn't left in the fridge after being defrosted, so it wasn't dry like last time. Same results; Nathan's tasted better to me. But the anticipation was half the fun.