Rutt's Hut (with pictures!)

[Kobi]

Had an (as always) standout trip to Rutt's last night. I am from one of those "families who have been going to Rutt's for three generations" crews, so I have been indoctrinated with all that is Rutt's for a long, long time. The place never dissapoints, neither in food nor ambiance. This trip I had two rippers, both with mustard and the amazing home made relish, and we split chili, onion rings and fries with brown gravy. An awesome dinner, as always. Pictures to follow (taken on cell phone, sorry).

- KOBI

[Josefinajoisey]

Twice a year we would have to go to the cemetaries of my ancestors, and the 'carrot' my parents would dangle in front of me and my brother would be a trip to Rutt's Hut.

I don't know what the deep psychological implications this has in relation to death and rippers (get it..RIP....)...but I'll leave it to the posters here.

[CoolPapaBell]

We were visiting friends in North Jersey. Well versed in food, they knew exactly where White Manna was when I demanded we go there. Sonnova bleep, the place is closed until July 11. Like I said, they knew the grub in the area and Rutt's Hut was one heck of a consolation prize. We got the ripper. I also had as good of a cheap fried fish sammich as I've ever had--the fried oyster. They should try to make po-boys out of their fish sandwiches.

Also the onion rings were some of the best I've ever had.

Edited July 9, 2006 by CoolPapaBell (log)

[NJ2FLA]

I will be in town this week and this is for sure a stop for me!

[Benzee]

Hello all ,

We visited Rutts Hutt on the 2005 Jersey Hot Dog Tour hosted by myself and John Fox .

Excellent Dogs and always worth the trip .

Next Hot Dog Tour is Sept 16th in New Jersey

Email me for more info

benzee95@hotmail.com

Benzee

I will be in town this week and this is for sure a stop for me!

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[PicnicChef]

Mommy and her first boyfriend used to make out in the parking lot of Rutts. Call me crazy, but their dogs make me want to do the same...

[Anonymouze]

Christine's crazy...Christine's CRAZY!

Maybe it's the size of the hot dogs... or their soft moist pink meat or... nevermind I don't want to traipse into the "food porn" category.

Yeah Rutt's Hutt is good all year round if you can stomach their delicious doggies.

[Josefinajoisey]

Speaking of eyes...one of the guys behind the counter has the most amazing peepers I've ever seen. Almost distracts me from my rippers and relish!

[jo-mel]

We were visiting friends in North Jersey.  Well versed in food, they knew exactly where White Manna was when I demanded we go there.  Sonnova bleep, the place is closed until July 11.  Like I said, they knew the grub in the area and Rutt's Hut was one heck of a consolation prize.  We got the ripper.  I also had as good of a cheap fried fish sammich as I've ever had--the fried oyster.  They should try to make po-boys out of their fish sandwiches.

Also the onion rings were some of the best I've ever had.

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They have fried oyster sandwiches?

I've been to Rutt's Hutt only once, and I honestly couldn't see what was so special about the hot dogs. (OK -- you can run me outta here!)

But if they have fried oysters, then I want to go back!!

[JrZyChris]

I had my first "Rutt's Hutt" experience on Sunday, on the way home from the city. I didn't think I was going to like the hot dog but it was delicious!!! Also, it was not what I expected. I figured it was going to be like a "Hot Grill" - bunch of people on line and a lot of yelling going on but we sat in a dining area and were waited on. I'd love to go back and try some of the other food as well.

[jtphjl]

I may be just getting old -- but has anyone else noticed the Rutts Hut relish has lost its bite - the tartness seems to have been replaced by sweetness ... or could it be a change of mustard???

[Batard]

I may be just getting old -- but has anyone else noticed the Rutts Hut relish has lost its bite - the tartness seems to have been replaced by sweetness ... or could it be a change of mustard???

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This was all the excuse I needed, so I jumped in the car and headed over to Rutt's to investigate. While waiting for my wellers I asked if they had ever changed their relish recipe. The old guy at the fry station laughed and told me they haven't changed the recipe for 80 years. I'm not 100 percent sure I believe them -- the relish sure seemed tangier 30 years ago -- but then again maybe it's me that's changed.

[GoodEater]

I don know for certain, but, I think the health department has stepped in and the sauce is being kept refrigerated instead of being left out to properly ferment.

The same thing has happened at Johnny and Hanges. The sauce just isn't the same as in the old days.

Fear of lawsuits and the need to protect us from ourselves has led to the loss of flavor of the sauces. They should give us a choice of "safe" or "flavorful" and have us sign a waiver that we won't sue if we get sick.

This is the same deal as getting unpasteurized milk cheeses- which were banned for years. The powers that be don't understand and appreciate that some of us are willing to take some chances when it comes to eating.

Edited February 14, 2009 by GoodEater (log)

[Batard]

I don know for certain, but, I think the health department has stepped in and the sauce is being kept refrigerated instead of being left out to properly ferment. 

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Assuming that they really didn't change the recipe, that seems as plausible an explanation as any. Well, at least the mustard hasn't changed.

[John]

I think the mustard did change. I was debating this on another forum with one of the owners of Rutts Hut. He showed me one of the gallon jars of mustard last time I was there. I forget the brand name (it's one I never heard of), but 4 or 5 years back I asked one of the guys at the counter what brand of mustard they used. He started to tell me but stopped when one of the owners walked by who told me the mustard was homemade. This isn't true. Later I saw the plastic containers. It was Gold's Dusseldorf mustard. I don't know how recently they began to use what they're using now. Perhaps this accounts for the change in the taste of the relish.

Another interesting fact. Rutt's Hut fries their hot dogs in beef tallow. They won't tell you this. They say it's vegetable oil. I found out from 2 different sources (who absolutely would know) that beef tallow is used. Which is probably why Rutt's dogs taste better than the other North Jersey places that use the same Thumann's dog made for deep frying. These places include Hiram's, Libby's, Goffle Grill, Johnny & Hanges, Pappy's, the recently closed Hot Dog Heaven, Eagan's (closed a few years ago) and quite a few others.

[Batard]

John, I saw your posts over at Munchmobile a few minutes ago. You're talking about co-owner John Karagiorgis.

When Munchmobile confronted Karagiorgis with the question about whether their mustard was really Gold's Dusseldorf, John responded: "Absolutely false. He is mistaken. Who is this guy? We use Old Granddad's Mustard. We order it from Rhode Island. It comes to us on pallets from Rhode Island. I challenge him to come in here and look at the packing slips.''

And then you walked into Rutt's and found the Gold's mustard containers. Mr. Karagiorgis is perhaps a bit disingenuous about how he runs the business or the products he uses. I wouldn't put changing the relish past him, either. Even if the recipe is the same, and for me that's now a big "IF", he might have a different manufacturer making it for him with cheaper ingredients.

[John]

Batard,

Mr. Karagiorgis never responded to me, but I did accept his challenge to come in and look at the packing slips, which he refused to show me. We had sort of a friendly debate for a little while. The mustard is not from Rhode Island. Mr. Karagiorgis claimed that it used to be, but the plant moved, or something similar. I mentioned to him that I saw with my own eyes containers of Gold's Dusseldorf, which he denied and which I assumed that Rutt's still used. He finally showed me the container. It is not Gold's. As I said, I forget the name, but it wasn't Old Granddad's either. I forget what he said about that. Maybe they changed the name as well? Who knows.

Many owners of hot dog restaurants (not all) like to claim that they make their own dogs and condiments when this is not true. Others claim that theirs is a proprietary recipe when I've found this to be untrue as well. I can give numerous examples. Take what they say with a grain of salt.

[John]

I don know for certain, but, I think the health department has stepped in and the sauce is being kept refrigerated instead of being left out to properly ferment. 

The same thing has happened at Johnny and Hanges. The sauce just isn't the same as in the old days.

Fear of lawsuits and the need to protect us from ourselves has led to the loss of flavor of the sauces.  They should give us a choice of "safe" or "flavorful" and have us sign a waiver that we won't sue if we get sick.

This is the same deal as getting unpasteurized milk cheeses- which were banned for years.  The powers that be don't understand and appreciate that some of us are willing to take some chances when it comes to eating.

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Well said. Another thing that bugs me is the hysteria concerning trans fats. For years we consumed products containing trans fats. And foods fried in lard or beef tallow. Growing up we ate all sorts of things that today are not considered "good for you." Yet there were so few overweight kids compared to today. That's because we were out playing baseball rather than sitting behind a computer playing video games. I feel that the consumer, not the government, should decide what we eat. I choose to eat what tastes good. Hot dogs or french fries fried in lard or beef tallow. Coke with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. Many remember years ago when McDonald's fried with beef tallow. The fries tasted better.

The last thing we need is intrusive government. Hot dogs are not health food anyway. What's next? Government mandating that all hot dogs be made from poultry rather than beef and pork? Many school districts already have banned hot dogs from the cafeteria. I'm sure glad I grew up when I did.

[njduchess]

John:

I just have to give you a quick correction. Without getting too technical on the subject, the things you are talking about are saturated fats - not trans fats. You are correct that they have become the devil and they are not - in moderation, of course.

Transfats were created in the lab, taking an oil that is liquid at room temperature and turning it into a solid. It increases shelf life and it's cheap. AND it's bad for you. This is the hydrogenated stuff. Beef tallow, animal fat, and butter are not transfats.

Marie

[John]

Thanks for the correction.

[Andrew Fenton]

I feel oddly compelled to pick nits... first, there are naturally occurring trans fats. But the ones at issue are artificial, of course.

Second, I find it interesting, John, that both of the examples you give of the government deciding what we eat (corn syrup in Coke, McDonalds no longer frying with beef tallow) are in fact examples of decisions made by the companies, not government mandates.

About Rutt's: I can't say that I'm too upset about them following food safety procedures. It's not just an abstract fear of lawsuits, it's a fear of people getting sick.

Edited February 15, 2009 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[John]

Andrew,

I never said that the decisions made by McDonald's and Coke were government mandates. The decision to ban trans fats in New York was government mandated. Again, I think consumers have a right to eat what they want without government interference. I don't smoke, but I don't agree that it should be banned. People know full well that certain things are not healthy, but they, and not the government should decide.

In 80 years I don't know of one person who has gotten sick from eating hot dogs at Rutts or fries prepared in beef tallow. Why ban it now? No one has to eat there if they don't want to. Just let me (and the owners of Rutt's Hut) have the choice, not some beaureaucratic do gooder.

[Andrew Fenton]

I never said that the decisions made by McDonald's and Coke were government mandates. The decision to ban trans fats in New York was government mandated. Again, I think consumers have a right to eat what they want without government interference. I don't smoke, but I don't agree that it should be banned. People know full well that certain things are not healthy, but they, and not the government should decide.

You said:

I feel that the consumer, not the government, should decide what we eat. I choose to eat what tastes good. Hot dogs or french fries fried in lard or beef tallow. Coke with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. Many remember years ago when McDonald's fried with beef tallow. The fries tasted better.

Since all the examples you gave followed your statement about the consumer vs. the government, I thought they were connected. Evidently they weren't; my apologies.

In 80 years I don't know of one person who has gotten sick from eating hot dogs at Rutts or fries prepared in beef tallow. Why ban it now? No one has to eat there if they don't want to. Just let me (and the owners of Rutt's Hut) have the choice, not some beaureaucratic do gooder.

We're not talking about the tallow (which I agree is fine). We're talking about leaving sauce out and unrefrigerated (if that is indeed what they did; I don't know.). This isn't an issue about cliched "bureaucratic do-gooders", it's about food safety.

[John]

Thanks for clarifying. I've been to Rutt's many times; as for the relish, they leave it at the counter in tin or steel containers for you to put on your dogs.

[John]

The relish is either slightly cool or room temperature. I'm sure what isn't put out on tables or the counter is refrigerated.