Hot Dogs

I was over at my brother-in-law's house the other night for a summer favorite - hot dogs with all the fixings. They were cooked out on the grill and decked out with everyone's favorite condiments. Gareth's brother likes the traditional Chicago style - onions, tomatoes, mustard and cucumber, stating that if you ask for ketchup on your dog in Chicago, they give you a ketchup packet. His wife likes ketchup and pickle relish a classic combination (even in Chicago). Gareth likes ketchup and onions on his dog, but is also open to suggestion. He tried the tomatoes and cucumbers on one of his and thought it worked out pretty well. As for me, I am a cheesedog fan. I put two slices of American cheese in the bun and then put the hotdog in. I hold the bun closed for a couple of minutes so the cheese can melt a little. Then, I add ketchup and pickles like my sister-in-law.

As for the dog itself, Gareth and I are not entirely in agreement. He likes a smoked sausage while I prefer an all-beef dog in natural casing that you get from a meat shop. Given our options out in suburbia, a Hebrew National kosher all-beef dog is usually the best bet for me and my tastes. Although, I also have a tendency toward the Oscar Meyer cheese weenie despite my aversion to their weenies without cheese.

The smokes sausage we had the other night was pretty good once I got mine tricked out. So was the company.