Few foods are as important to this city as hot dogs.
That’s part of why it’s no surprise that when we cover storied sausages, we get a lot of feedback from readers. In the past few days alone, I’ve received so many emails and social media messages about my recent list of the four best hot dogs made in Chicago.
[ Who makes Chicago’s best hot dog? Food critic tries 21 to find out. ]
Most were positive; I only received one claiming all Chicago hot dogs were terrible and that I had obviously never been to New York, because only that city knows how to get it done. (For the record, I did live in New York for a bit, and they have excellent hot dogs too.)
A number of readers questioned how I could forget about their favorite hometown wiener, or had other queries I’d like to expand on. Let’s dig in.
The most popular question I received was whether I had tried Romanian Kosher Sausage Co.
I get it. The old-school operation at the corner of North Clark Street and West Touhy Avenue is a treasure.
[ How the world-famous sausage gets made at Romanian Kosher in Chicago ]
I did try the shop’s 8:1 all-beef hot dogs and quite liked them. In most parts of the country, Romanian would probably be the best hot dog in town. But they didn’t make my list because they were skinless and weren’t as juicy as the ones sold at Makowski’s. Had I made a top 10 list, Romanian would be there.
This gets to another point I’d like to make: All of the locally made hot dogs were good.
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Of the 21 hot dogs I tried, none of the options were terrible. In fact, I added in a popular national hot dog brand to see how it would perform, and every single one of the local options ranked higher. Chicago has some talented sausage-makers.
Besides Romanian, a few more that nearly made the cut were Joseph’s Finest Meats, Gene’s Sausage Shop, Bobak’s Sausage Co. and Daisy Brand hot dogs, made by the Crawford Sausage Co.
When it comes to hot dogs, Chicago is a bit spoiled for choice. But instead of offering a ranked list of all the very good options, I decided to only write about the ones that left me stunned.
You do. As mentioned in the feature, while you can purchase hot dogs at Makowski’s Bridgeport factory, the smallest size is a 5-pound box. While way more than you’d need for a weeknight meal, this is a great excuse to throw a party and showcase your excellent taste in sausages. Obviously, I’d love to see Makowski’s offer smaller portions, but that’s only going to happen with enough demand.
As I mentioned briefly in the feature, Chicago’s oldest hot dog brand is probably David Berg, which started in 1860. It’s now owned by Vienna Beef. I didn’t include it in my tasting because Vienna Beef only produces it occasionally these days. Because I couldn’t guarantee its availability, I decided not to include it.
nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
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