The hot dog I made for myself today

[Fat Guy]

At lunchtime today, I was faced with half of yesterday's Pain Quotidien baguette and no cheese or anything else of obvious interest to put on it. Then I noticed that I had two Hebrew National frankfurters in the fridge, and I got to thinking.

Hebrew National frankfurters aren't the best, but they're pretty good. I actually like the spice mixture very much, and of course they're all beef (and kosher; they answer to a higher authority), but they have no casings. So to get them to be as tasty as possible, it helps to cook them long and slow in a skillet, to create a casing-type effect. I split them lengthwise today, in order to increase the surface area that was to become crusty, and also in anticipation of the flat surface of the baguette.

I remembered that in Paris -- where the frankfurters are awful -- I had seen the neat trick of taking a baguette and piercing a hole through its length, then slathering the frankfurter in mustard and sticking it in there. I thought about using my honing steel for the same purpose, but I decided to go with a lengthwise split of the bread in order to have a more even hot-dog-to-bread distribution.

I cut the bread in half crosswise, put a little moisture on the outside surface, and put it in a 400-degree oven for about five minutes. Then I split the pieces lengthwise and put them in for another minute or so. Next, I slathered Dijon mustard on the two surfaces of each split baguette piece. I put a crispy frankfurter on each, cracked open a bottle of Red Hook ESB, and enjoyed it all very much.

[Holly Moore]

Sounds good.  Have never encased a dog in a baguette.  Will have to try that.  Only concern would be the hot dog to bread ratio, especially if the dogs were 8 or 10 to a pound.

I've been importing various Usinger frankfurters and wieners for the past few months.  By far the best seasoning of any dogs I've chomped, anywhere.  Some of them are available four or five to a pound which might work better with a baguette.

[Fat Guy]

These were the 1/4-pound dinner franks (a/k/a four to a pound in hot dog parlance). And just so you have a frame of reference, the Pain Quotidien baguette is a chewy ancien-style sourdough baguette, not one of those cottony baguettes you'd find at a supermarket (or most so-called bakeries for that matter). I used the Bornier brand of Dijon mustard.

Usinger's http://www.usinger.com/ probably makes the best commercially available franks anywhere. The only ones I've had that were better came from butchers that made them on premises. Have you tried Vienna Beef http://www.viennabeef.com/ , though? They're a pretty close competitor. I also think the Sabrett natural casing franks are pretty damn good. They're made by Marathon Enterprises, with plants in the Bronx, NY, and East Rutherford, NJ, which as I understand it from research done by another eGullet member (see John's excellent sleuthsmanship in his posts on the thread at http://www.egullet.com/ib3....4&t=140 ) also does private label production for Katz's Deli, Gray's Papaya, Papaya King, and others.

[Jinmyo]

When I eat a hot dog it is generally just that: one hot dog. I find that the right proportion of meat and/or stuff (sauerkraut, for example) for me is attained with a flour tortilla wrapped tightly around it. Usually though its just a slight swipe of Maille Dijon.

I use the President's Choice label from Loblaws, all beef.

Fried (if I'm going to do onions as well) or just micro-waved.

[Holly Moore]

one hot dog. I find that the right proportion of meat and/or stuff (sauerkraut, for example) for me is attained with a flour tortilla wrapped tightly around it.

What you are starting to describe is an "Oki-Dog" as sold by Oki Dog in LA (860 N. Fairfax Ave) - but a tad more garnished:  a flour tortilla wrapped around two hot dogs, pastrami, cheese and chili.  Takes two hands and a back up change of clothes to eat an Oki Dog.

[Fat Guy]

They put pastrami on hamburgers in Utah.

[Jinmyo]

Wow, Holly. Thanks. An Oki-Dog. Sounds more esoteric than a "hot dog".

Pastrami will improve many things.

[tommy]

as i've said before, two words:  fritos on a hotdog.  

i'll say no more until everyone tries a "fritodog."

when will you people get it???????

[Jinmyo]

Sorry, "tommy". I've known about these for about ten years having read about them in a book on chiles. I haven't been down the "chip" aisle in a grocery store in a long time but I'll look for some Fritos the next time I have a chance. Okay?

[tommy]

Sorry, "tommy". I've known about these for about ten years having read about them in a book on chiles. I haven't been down the "chip" aisle in a grocery store in a long time but I'll look for some Fritos the next time I have a chance. Okay?

how does one completely avoid the "chip aisle" for "a long time"?

[Jinmyo]

Uh. By not buying or eating chips (crisps)? I just walk by that and the soda pop aisle too. And the potted meats.

[tommy]

And the potted meats.

you, my friend, obviously don't know how to live.  

[Liza]

Dare I point out the similarities between Fat Guy's hotdog and a pig in a blanket?

[Mebutter]

I love the traditional Connecticut hot dog, with skins, on a toasted New England-style bun and a single line of mustard.

When I was a kid it was a Hummel's hot dog (made in New Haven), but now that I live outside of Middletown (in the middle of the state) the natural casing hotdogs most often encountered are Mucke's (from Hartford) or Grote & Weigel (from Bloomfield).

Connecticut's classic hotdogs are a blend of pork and beef, spicier than Boston's dogs but blander than NYC's all-beef. Natural casings, of course, for the snap when you bite down.

There are rabid fans of these hotdogs out there. I get more reaxs to a review of a hotdog stand than any other restaurant I visit. The Hummel folks told me once they shipped cases to frank-starved Connecticut snowbirds in Florida every winter.

[Fat Guy]

Bill, have you visited the Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield? I think those are some of the best dogs I've ever had, if for no other reason than the amazingly fresh handmade relishes that Gary Zemola turns out. I'm mostly familiar with Southern Connecticut hot dogs, but surely they're some of the best in the world. Super Duper gets its dogs from an old German wurst-maker in Stratford. I don't know where Jimmy's of Savin Rock gets its dogs, but they're also great -- though perhaps the golden age of Jimmy's is coming to a close. But I'd have to say historically Jimmy's is probably the pioneer of the split-down-the-middle-and-grilled dog. At least that's the place a lot of other hot dog places have been inspired by.

I don't consider Connecticut dogs to be bland, though I see your point about them being less aggressive than the all-beef New York dogs. But the Connecticut dogs are subtler, and the mix of beef and pork gives a much broader range of flavors. They're much more in the German sausage dimension than New York hot dogs which are sui generis.

[Mebutter]

Thanks for the info Steve,

No I haven't been to Super Duper Weenie but you can believe it's on my list now for that great name alone.

I think Jimmy's of Savin Rock uses Hummel's.

[Fat Guy]

Well, Bill, you simply must go to the Super Duper Weenie. Ask yourself, what would happen if a serious chef turned his attention to the question of the hot dog? He would no doubt begin with research: He would ask what makes a frankfurter good, what is the best way to cook it, what are the best condiments? He would either develop a process for making his own, or he would find an outside vendor to take a custom order and manufacture them to his meat, seasoning, and casing specifications. He would of course cook each in a consistent and professional manner. And he would precisely engineer and hand-make all condiments, applying them in thoughtful combinations to appetize the dogs by creating flavor and texture counterpoint. He would find great rolls, too.

There is such a man. His name is Gary Zemola, a Culinary Institute of America graduate and formerly the chef at Pasta Nostra, the Italian restaurant in South Norwalk, Connecticut. He began by selling frankfurters out of a truck in the parking lot of the Fairfield Lighting Center, in Fairfield, Connecticut, right off Interstate 95. He now has a small shop in that very same spot. He is in my opinion by a large margin the world's leading practitioner of the hot dog. When it comes to hot dogs, there is the Super Duper Weenie, and there is everybody else.

I just called and learned that the franks utilized at the Super Duper Weenie are made by Miller's Provisions, in Stratford. The rolls come from French's Bakery, also in Stratford. I recommend the "New Englander," with sauerkraut, bacon (a single strip laid down the split of the dog), mustard, sweet relish, and onion; the "New Yorker," with sauerkraut, mustard, onion sauce, and hot relish; and the "Chicagoan," with lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup, celery salt, pickle, and hot relish.

The only complaints I've ever heard about the Super Duper Weenie have to do with the purported blandness of the dogs (which I know you understand to be part of the identity and subtlety of Connecticut dogs and not a failing) and the emphasis on condiments (yes, you have to love condiments to love these dogs -- they're not the NYC purist dogs with just a schmear of mustard and a few strands of kraut; these are full-on heavily garnished dogs beyond what you'd see in the average Chicago doggery).

The fries are hand cut, a bit thinner than I like them but still superb. He uses salt and pepper on the fries.

He makes several other items a cut above what you'd find at a diner: Soups from scratch (no commercial soup base or anything like that), tuna port sandwiches, grilled cheese, So-Cal-style burgers, etc. These are nice, if beside the point. His chicken fingers are the best I've had, though, if you care about such things as chicken fingers. And there are some nice daily specials of the thinly sliced roast beef variety.

Go as soon as you can to 306 Black Rock Turnpike, in Fairfield, Connecticut, right off I-95 Exit 24. Beware there is an unusually complex, treacherous, and poorly labeled rotary that stands between you and the Super Duper Weenie. Think of it this way: If you're coming from New York, heading north, you take the right exit off the highway and it throws you into the rotary. Facing in the semi-northerly direction of the highway, the correct road for the Super Duper Weenie would be at approximately your ten o'clock. If you take the road to the left of that one, you'll get sent back under the highway. Wrong direction. Once you make the correct choice of roads, though, the Super Duper Weenie will be almost immediately on your left.

For more information and a menu, visit the Super Duper Weenie Web site. When you go, after you have tasted the fare under the veil of anonymity, do me the favor of mentioning to the esteemed Gary (the guy with the American flag bandana adorning his head) that I sent you.

[Holly Moore]

I'm one of those who feels SuperDuper over gunks their hot dogs.  Got them listed SuperDuper Weenies at HollyEats.Com  Click on the menu pic there to see a readable version of the menu.

I prefer Rawley's, also in Fairfield, and exit or two closer to NYC (and Philadelphia).  Feel the dogs and the place have more character, meaning grease, grime and a gruff owner behind the grill.  Rawley's at HollyEats.Com

[Fat Guy]

Super Duper definitely gunks its dogs to the max. It's just that if you accept the heavily gunked dog as a legitimate school of hot dog making, Super Duper is the best in that school. And since I do accept that, and in fact I think the high-condiment school represents extreme mastery of the craft when done right because it has the greatest potential for awfulness as well as the greatest potential for excellence, I am a super duper fan of the Super Duper Weenie.

Rawley's, it's a great place too. But it's certainly a different style. Those dogs are fried-plus-grilled. I don't think the dogs themselves are on par with Super Duper. And they're jerks there, though that does contribute to the grungy authenticity factor. But I'm willing to make room at the top for both places. Fairfield is certainly an epicenter of hot dog greatness, just feel that the epicenter of the epicenter lies closer to Super Duper.

[Holly Moore]

I am more of the Shaker than Victorian aesthetic.  I prefer their simple purity of form and function every time over the garish excess of the Victorians and those who highly garnish hot dogs.  

As I recall though, my problem with Super Duper Weenie was not the idea of the garnish itself, but rather the massive quantity of garish they slathered on.  My NY style hot dog was aswim in the onion sauce and other ingredients, so much so that the dog itself was overpowered into oblivion.

[Mebutter]

this is wonderful! I'm getting dizzy from hunger. I've got to get a roadtrip going.

I hope, Steve, you find (or have found already) a printed use for your Super Duper description...Great, passionate writing that deserves to be framed and hung proudly over the counter.

[=Mark]

Down here on the shore we have a local chain called the Windmill which bills itself as "Gourmet Fast Food."  Their hotdogs are produced on contract fron Sabrett with their own formulation.  They have a crisp skin and are heated on a large griddle till they split.  They don't add any condiments unless you want chili or cheese.  They provide a condiment station that has Guldens brown mustard, Heinz Catsup (Don't freak, they also sell burgers...), Sweet pickle relish, sweet pepper relish, hot pepper relish and diced onion and heated saurkraut.

They also do a kickin' boneless ribeye steak sandwich!

Now have to go get one...

[Fat Guy]

Bill, if I could get all this stuff in print do you think I'd have like 2000 posts on eGullet from the past six months?!?!?! I've had my Super Duper Weenie query rejected by some of the most prestigious publications on the planet!

[Mebutter]

Don't worry. A super duper passion for a Super Duper Weenie has got to be rewarded somehow or there is no justice in the universe.

[Peter B Wolf]

Just wanting to let you know, it does not really matter if they are called Frankfurter, Wiener or Hot Dog, but there are many that are : "Pure bred Dogs, many are served on poor bread, others come with poured Mustard, some are pure beef, the ones I like are Haute Dogs"