flipChicago-Style Hot Dog
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Why this dish? Anita O'Day was born and raised in Chicago, a city that tops her list of places. The Chicago-style hot dog, sold from street carts, is the city's iconic snack — the one you grab quickly between gigs, overloaded with toppings and 'never with ketchup.'
A beef sausage in a poppy seed bun, piled high with yellow mustard, green relish, onion, tomato, pickled sport peppers, and a pinch of celery salt: the most baroque and tangy version of the American hot dog.
In Chicago, kid, the hot dog is serious business — and woe to you if you put ketchup on it, they'd look at you sideways! You want it 'dragged through the garden': yellow mustard, green relish, onion, pickle spear, and that celery salt on top. You grab it from the cart on the street corner, standing on the sidewalk, and that's my whole city in one bite — tangy, loud, no manners.
- •Vienna-style beef sausage — 1 (main filling)
- •Poppy seed hot dog bun — 1 (support)
- •Yellow mustard — a squirt (acidity)
- •Green relish — 1 tbsp (sweet-sour)
- •Raw chopped onion — a little (sharpness)
- •Tomato — 2 wedges (fresh acidity)
- •Dill pickle spear — 1 wedge (acidity)
- •Pickled sport peppers — 2 (tangy heat)
- •Celery salt — a pinch (signature aroma)
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
A beef sausage in a poppy seed bun, piled high with yellow mustard, green relish, onion, tomato, pickled sport peppers, and a pinch of celery salt: the most baroque and tangy version of the American hot dog.
Why this dish? Anita O'Day was born and raised in Chicago, a city that tops her list of places. The Chicago-style hot dog, sold from street carts, is the city's iconic snack — the one you grab quickly between gigs, overloaded with toppings and 'never with ketchup.'
In Chicago, kid, the hot dog is serious business — and woe to you if you put ketchup on it, they'd look at you sideways! You want it 'dragged through the garden': yellow mustard, green relish, onion, pickle spear, and that celery salt on top. You grab it from the cart on the street corner, standing on the sidewalk, and that's my whole city in one bite — tangy, loud, no manners.
Ingredients (period version)
- Vienna-style beef sausage — 1 (main filling)
- Poppy seed hot dog bun — 1 (support)
- Yellow mustard — a squirt (acidity)
- Green relish — 1 tbsp (sweet-sour)
- Raw chopped onion — a little (sharpness)
- Tomato — 2 wedges (fresh acidity)
- Dill pickle spear — 1 wedge (acidity)
- Pickled sport peppers — 2 (tangy heat)
- Celery salt — a pinch (signature aroma)
Ingredients
- All-beef sausage — 1 per hot dog (main filling)
- Poppy seed hot dog bun — 1 (support)
- American yellow mustard — to taste (acidity)
- Pickle relish (green) — 1 tbsp (sweet-sour)
- White onion, chopped — 1 tbsp (sharpness)
- Tomato — 2 wedges (freshness)
- Dill pickle spear — 1 strip (acidity)
- Pickled peppers (or sweet pickled peppers) — 2 (tangy heat)
- Celery salt — 1 pinch (signature)
Method
- Poach the sausage in simmering water (not boiling) for 5-7 min — never grilled, Chicago-style.
- Steam the bun briefly to make it soft.
- Place the sausage in the bun.
- Garnish in order: yellow mustard, green relish, onion, two tomato wedges, pickle spear, pickled peppers.
- Finish with a pinch of celery salt. Serve immediately, no ketchup — that's the rule.
How it was made : The Chicago-style hot dog was established during the Great Depression: for a few cents, street vendors offered a sausage 'dragged through the garden' of vegetables, a complete and cheap meal. The ban on ketchup and the use of celery salt became city identity markers.
The contemporary twist : Present the tray on vintage newspaper with a handful of fries, 1940s street-stand style.
Anita O'Day · Charactorium
