I’ll venture a guess that the majority of the people who grew up in the '60s or later prefer them skinless due to the simple fact that this is what they most likely grew up with. Of course there are exceptions for people who grew up in ethnic areas or others where the snap was normal. Like it or not, most people got what their mom picked up at the grocery store, which was most likely Oscar Meyer, Armour, Ball Park, etc.
I’m happy with either as long as the taste of the dog is good. I would say that I would normally expect a skinless dog to be served unless otherwise noted. Natural casing I would expect to be “featured.”
I mean… Ever since I was a kid, I never liked Farmer John hot dogs. (I’ve never had a Dodger Dog, since I’ve never been to a baseball game.) There’s just something they put in them that I don’t like.
If you happen to find yourself in a Ralph’s, though, could you see if they still have the Private Select Old Fashioned Frankfurters? One of these days I’m going to win the lottery. Then I can buy a Skyhawk and fly down, visit a Bevmo and load up with sauce, and stock up on some of the stuff I can’t get up here.
Hm… I wonder how I’d transport a bunch of Tito’s Tacos and some pastrami sandiwiches from Sorrento Italian Market. Probably internally.
Recently my father-in-law picked up a package of Sabrett hot dogs instead of our family default, Hebrew National. They ain’t kosher, but they definitely have that natural casing “snap”, and not as much spice as the HN. A great, classic NY dog.
According to their website, it doesn’t appear that they make it west of the Mississippi, though.
Yes - good food and, uh, interesting location. It was also well-known as the hub of Gay hustlers and was busted by vice on a regular basis, but still fun to stop by. Many in LA also liked Pinks - but I thought they were overrated.
I prefer Hebrew National, on my grill in the backyard, just until they get that “slightly burned” look. Always a hit with visitors, even those from Germany (who know their way around 1000’s of variations of hot dogs/sausages). But only get the thick, regular sized hot dog from Hebrew National (4 to a pack), not those wimpy skinny things.
See, I do like the taste of the Hebrew Nationals, but because of their kosher rules, they don’t come in natural casings. If there were a Hebrew National in natural casing, they’d be neck-and-neck with my Vienna dogs.
I also tend to prefer the 6- or 8- to a pound dogs to the thicker ones. For me, a hot dog should be in a thinner sheep casing, not a thick hog casing. That’s part of what makes them "hot dog"s to me (that, and the emulsified meat texture of them.)
I remember my dad, who came from Milwaukee via Chicago, buying only kosher hot dogs, even though our family isn’t Jewish (we’re Austro-Hungarian).
I grew up eating Chicago-style hot dogs (with the poppy seed buns) and still love them. A good dog has to have natural casing, so far as I’m concerned.
Now I divide my time between Russia and Canada. In Moscow, I can get imported German Wurst of all kinds, which is cool. In Toronto, I’ve looked in vain for kosher hot dogs; all I kind find in my neck of the woods (along with the regular supermarket fare) are halal dogs, most of which are made with chicken.
Maybe I need to search downtown, or spend some time in other ethnic neighborhoods…
When I was around eight, I loved hot dogs with Cheez-Whiz and Heinz Sandwich Spread. A couple of dogs like that and a bowl of Cream of Mushroom soup was my ideal lunch … until one day, I puked my guts out in front of the diner where we’d stopped to eat. Kind of put me off the stuff … like, to this day even…
…Teachers getting thrown out of 3rd story windows for not giving out “A’s”, little old ladies being bashed on the head for their Social Security checks… No, that doesn’t bother me.
But you know what* does bother me? You know what really *makes me sick to my stomach?
Is watching you, stuff your face with those Hot Dogs! Nobody, I mean* NOBODY *puts ketchup on a Hot Dog!
I’m going to have to send some of you suffering souls packages of Queen City brats and metts from Cincinnati.
Incidentally, Cincinnati chili from Skyline makes a great chili dog (coney). I don’t care for it when its put on other foods or by itself, but its flavor along with minced onions, mustard and finely shredded mild cheddar cheese is a damn fine chili dog!
Where the hell do you even get the room to put all that stuff? :dubious:
An aside on the chili dog: The only chili that belongs on a hot dog is Cincinnati-style. Any chili with beans /definitely/ has no place on a hot dog (and I’ve unwittingly ordered chili dogs that have came with such).
It’s actually not all that much stuff. It’s only the tomato and pickle spear that add bulk to your standard dog (which to me is mustard, onions, relish). And the pickle spear doesn’t need to be eaten as part of the dog (you could have it on the side), and it’s hardly unique to Chicago. Here’s a Buffalo dog from Ted’s, for instance. Fully dressed is mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, onions, relish, pickle spear.
Here’s a standard dog from Gene and Jude’s, one of Chicago’s iconic hot dog stands. Note the lack of the extra crap a “Chicago dog” supposedly has. This is a Portillo’s dog, which is pretty much a to Vienna Beef’s specs “Chicago dog,” although they don’t (thankfully) use that stupid neon-green relish that Vienna Beef sells.
See, I’ve tried to do this at home with a fairly standard bun, and the result is a bun that tears apart at the bottom, which makes me sad as all of the condiments fall out.
Speaking of things that make me sad, I am very disappointed with the paucity of fresh onions on dogs here in NY. You ask for onions at a cart and you get this weird red onion relish stuff. It ain’t bad, but it also isn’t what I’m looking for when I ask for onions on my dog.
The standard bun here is Rosen’s. I don’t know whether they’re much different than, say, a Wonder Bread hot dog bun, but they do seem not to be cut quite as deep, now that you mention it. I’m sure there must be other brands that work as well.
The interesting thing about enipla’s link is how many of those dogs in the gallery are skinless dogs. Even this one with the skyline in the background. As I said before, it’s becoming harder and harder to find natural casing dogs in the Chicago area.
You didn’t steam the bun. Even if you microwave the hotdog, you should steam the bun. Dry bread breaks. I use one of those circular screen racks to cover the boiling water and place the bun upside down (split side down) and slightly open. Check after 15 secs to see if it’s soft but not soggy. If you like real cheese (ie not from a can) on your hotdog, put that on the bun first. It will help keep the bun together.
