Supermarkets in Britain tend to have a lower priced range of foods and a higher priced range (eg. Tesco value and Tesco Finest*) and a middle priced range.
I got to thinking about hotdogs and that distinctive hotdog taste. I love hotdogs but I am told, are made from the cheapest of the cheap bits of the animal. Does anyone make high class dogs from the best cuts?
Would it still taste like a hotdog or would it become something else by default?
I assume they would be worth a go because you may find something better. I never particularly liked hot dogs until someone gave me one made with *Han’s American Hot Dogs *. They are different enough from the general run of Aussie hot dogs that I love them. Skinless, no “Vienna” spices, just a different taste. I have no idea how “American” they really are.
I don’t eat them often, but I prefer those polish sausages made in large hot dog size. Costco sells them in the U.S. and they have a range of condiments available that you add yourself.
They do not taste like a typical hot, being a bit more spicy.
I do like chili dogs, often called “Coney Dogs”, but I haven’t had one for years.
The name Coney Dog refers to Coney Island Beach near NYC, a long existing amusement park, where the chili dogs were supposedly first concocted.
For me, the best hot dog is labeled “all beef”. These don’t have all the extra fillers and gunk found in the everyday common red hot type dog.
Any tube of meat using better cuts to create it will be called a sausage. I think you’d lose the hot dog taste as well.
I wonder about other cheap foods getting a makeover. SPAM, for example. If I pimped my SPAM, that would be pretty tasty.
So at what point would a hotdog become something else, when we leave out the lips and eyelids perhaps?
I usually buy Hebrew National brand All Beef hotdogs. They advertise that they “Answer to a higher Authority”. 
Gotta be careful when you order a coney. I remember a hot dog restaurant in Texas where when I ordered a coney dog, it was some disgusting thing with relish or sour kraut or something. When I complained, they told me I wanted a chili dog. Okay, I accepted. It was hot dog with some friggin’ chili and beans on it, not coney island chili sauce.
As for hot dogs, the Hebrew Nationals are definitely among my favorites. Nathan’s and Koegels are both excellent hot dogs, too.
Another vote for Hebrew National (if you don’t get the point of their slogan, it refers to the fact they’re kosher) and Nathans. Sabrett’s aren’t too bad, either.
I buy Hebrew National too. I figure if jewish people are ok with them they must be half way clean. Hot dogs are kind of gross though whatever the brand.
Yeah, I’ve run into that too. Coney style sauce is like chili, but definitely no beans.
Most of the time, if you order a chili dog, it has beans. There are two distinct schools of thought on chili. Some say chili is never made w/ beans and others say it’s not chili w/o the beans. If I make it as a sauce, for hot dogs or sloppy joe’s, there are no beans, if I make the “soup” then it has beans.
The Omaha Steak people offer a hoity toity hot dog called a “gourmet frank” that is pretty good.
Hebrew National for me to. I like hot dogs, and so far, I find Hebrew National the best.
I really like Usinger’s sausage. I’ve never had the beef frankfurters but I assume they are as good as their other sausage products and they ship anywhere.
I don’t know if you would consider them “gourmet”, but the highest end hot dog we buy for home use is Vienna. Of course eating out, it’s always Vienna at a true Chicago hot dog place. When we go to our other regular restaurant (Home Depot) they have Best’s Kosher Dogs - they taste really good when you’re following the husband around the store.
I’m always telling anyone that says they are headed to Chicago to make sure they eat some hot dogs while they are there. Deep dish pizza, too, of course, but ya’ GOTTA try the dogs in Chi-town!
A “gourmet hot dog” place just opened in DC. It’s called M’Dawg Haute Dogs, and the proprietor is a very well-respected “fine dining” chef in the DC area.
Among its offerings is a $20 Kobe beef hot dog.
I haven’t gone there yet. I won’t be trying the Kobe beef dog when I do.
Calling a chili dog with onions a “coney dog” is a Midwestern/apparently Canadian thing that has no roots in New York City.
There is still a boardwalk at Coney Island, Brooklyn and Nathan’s is the famous hotdog stand there. They don’t sell “coney dogs.” I imagine they do sell “chili dogs, with onions” but they are not iconic to the stand.
Another vote for kosher hot dogs, Hebrew National being the most prevalent brand here, also I like Morrison & Schiff very much. Not sure what you have in the UK, though.
A new gourmet hot dog place here in town:
*The Dogfather *
Slogan: “We’ll make you a hot dog you can’t refuse!”
Hmmm…no website. I think I’d better pay them a visit.
When I was growing up, there was a German butcher shop in my grandmother’s neighborhood. We considered it a great treat to buy their handmade hotdogs. They were the old-fashioned kind with a real “skin.” Usinger’s (mentioned above) makes a type that are essentially identical to the ones I remember.