Hot diggity dog

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Chicago Hot Dog is probably the most popular menu item at The Flying Weenie.

Topped with mustard, onion, tomatoes, dill spear, relish, sport peppers and celery salt - or anything else the customer wants, according to the menu - this is a hot dog to sink your teeth into, and then some.

Owner John Martin serves countless Chicago Hot Dogs every day - even though he's never had one.

“I don't like all the topping,” Martin says. “I prefer plain hot dogs. That's when you can really taste the meat.”

Good meat is what makes a good hot dog. Of course, this iconic food is littered with tales of being made out of anything but meat - a long-standing fear that launched Bruce Kraig's career as a hot dog historian.

“People have always been worried about the meat that's in their hot dogs,” said Kraig, professor emeritus at Roosevelt University in Chicago. “It's such a fascinating topic.”

Kraig's book exploring the ancestry of the popular food - “Hot Dog: A Global History” - was released by Reaktion Books in 2009. His latest publication, “Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America (AltaMira Press; Nov. 20, 2012),” focuses on the cultural side on the bun.

Partnering with photographer Patty Carroll, the pair explore the hot dog's place in our society, from the metal carts so popular in New York City and Chicago, to iconic restaurants like Pink's Famous Hot Dog in Los Angeles.

“Hot dogs are our look into American culture,” Kraig said.

Think about it. Hot dogs are a staple of backyard barbecues, county fairs and sporting events. After all, you can hold a hot dog with one hand. They are precooked, so they're fast to prepare and are affordable in large quantities.

“It makes sense to have them at public events,” Kraig said.

Take baseball, for instance. With the season under way, fans are filling the stands with trays of nachos, soft pretzels and, of course, hot dogs.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels' concessions sold 113,000 hot dogs during the 2012 season - and we aren't just talking about your traditional wiener. The Kernels' menu includes the 1/2 pound foot long, the jumbo hot dog, corn dogs, mini corn dogs - even veggie hot dogs.

New to this year's lineup - gluten free hot dog buns. Jessica Fergesen, the Kernels' director of corporate sales and marketing, said the new food was added “so individuals with wheat allergies can enjoy a hot dog at the game.”

Martin's menu at the Flying Weenie includes hot Italian sausage, Polish sausage, a chili dog, a chili cheese dog and a bacon cheese dog.

“I think everybody likes a good hot dog, but a lot of people haven't had a good one,” Martin says.

There's a difference, he says, between real hot dogs and those you buy in a pack at the store.

“I've had people come in only having a generic hot dog,” Martin says. “They try one, they taste the difference and they come back.”

Just as important as what people choose to put in their bun - pork, beef or vegetarian - are the items that top it. Sauerkraut, relish, chili - even apples, as evidenced by the Washington State Hot Dog recipe (below) that pairs hot dogs and cheddar cheese with Granny Smith apples.

“What's on hot dogs, traditionally, is cultural by region,” Kraig says.

From yellow mustard and grilled onions in New York City to the coleslaw-covered hot dogs of the southern states, the way we cook, top and eat our hot dogs says a lot about where we live. That's why Kraig says no self-respecting Chicagoan will top a hot dog with ketchup.

“This is an abomination; it destroys the flavor,” he says. “You have to be able to taste the dog.”

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WASHINGTON STATE HOT DOGS

• 8 hot dogs, 8 to a pound
• 1 tablespoon (or more) brown or Dijon mustard
• 3 Granny Smith or other tart apples, thinly sliced – the peels may be left on
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese – a Washington State cheese is best

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place hot dogs in a baking dish. Spread with mustard. Spread apple slices over the hot dogs and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until apples are tender. Sprinkle grated cheese over top of dish, replace in oven, and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Makes 8 hot dogs.

Recipe adapted from: Dorothy Dean, “These Recipes for Hot Dogs May Please,” Seattle Spokesman-Review, June 20, 1951. It appears in Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America by Bruce Kraig and Parry Carroll (AltaMira Press; Nov. 20, 2012).