What are sport peppers?

arclite · Aug 30, 2015

64Driver said:
Y'all are forgetting the poppy-seed bun!

Poppy seed isn't a requirement, Neither are tomatoes and as discussed, sport peppers are requested.

Mustard, relish, onion, pickle (and to a lesser extent celery salt) are the most universal toppings.

Tomatoes seem to be more prevalent on the northside. On rare occasion you see sauerkraut.

Some stands use poppy seed buns, some don't.

Even an all-beef dog isn't required. It's only been in the last 20 years when Vienna/Dave Berg and Hebrew National became the dominant sausage style did all-beef become a thing. You can still get Leon's, which is a pork/beef dog sometimes referred to as the "gentile dog", at some of the older stands around the city.

Then there is the delicious Superdawg, which is not a Chicago hot dog. It's a Superdawg. And Maxwell Polish...

sorry for the hijack. I really like my Chicago dogs.

martyleach · Aug 31, 2015

I cannot imagine having french fries on my hot dot. Urp!

Ron_L · Aug 31, 2015

arclite said:
Poppy seed isn't a requirement, Neither are tomatoes and as discussed, sport peppers are requested.

Mustard, relish, onion, pickle (and to a lesser extent celery salt) are the most universal toppings.

Tomatoes seem to be more prevalent on the northside. On rare occasion you see sauerkraut.

Some stands use poppy seed buns, some don't.

Even an all-beef dog isn't required. It's only been in the last 20 years when Vienna/Dave Berg and Hebrew National became the dominant sausage style did all-beef become a thing. You can still get Leon's, which is a pork/beef dog sometimes referred to as the "gentile dog", at some of the older stands around the city.

Then there is the delicious Superdawg, which is not a Chicago hot dog. It's a Superdawg. And Maxwell Polish...

sorry for the hijack. I really like my Chicago dogs.

Don't forget the Char Dog :thumb:

arclite · Aug 31, 2015

Ron_L said:
Don't forget the Char Dog :thumb:

Oh yes, with Merkt's cheddar fries on that order. :thumb:

64Driver · Aug 31, 2015

arclite said:
Poppy seed isn't a requirement, Neither are tomatoes and as discussed, sport peppers are requested.

Mustard, relish, onion, pickle (and to a lesser extent celery salt) are the most universal toppings.

Tomatoes seem to be more prevalent on the northside. On rare occasion you see sauerkraut.

Some stands use poppy seed buns, some don't.

Even an all-beef dog isn't required. It's only been in the last 20 years when Vienna/Dave Berg and Hebrew National became the dominant sausage style did all-beef become a thing. You can still get Leon's, which is a pork/beef dog sometimes referred to as the "gentile dog", at some of the older stands around the city.

Then there is the delicious Superdawg, which is not a Chicago hot dog. It's a Superdawg. And Maxwell Polish...

sorry for the hijack. I really like my Chicago dogs.

I grew up in the city on the south side, guess it's a poppy seed area since just about every place had them. Not all, but definitely most. I agree it's not a requirement, but usually when someone describes a true Chicago dog, poppy seed buns are mentioned. Even the classic Vienna beef "Chicago hot dog" poster in most joints shows a poppy seed bun. Over the years, new places try to put their spin on it to stand out, but I grew up on the topping pictured. To each their own though....

arclite · Aug 31, 2015

64Driver said:
I grew up in the city on the south side, guess it's a poppy seed area since just about every place had them. Not all, but definitely most. I agree it's not a requirement, but usually when someone describes a true Chicago dog, poppy seed buns are mentioned. Even the classic Vienna beef "Chicago hot dog" poster in most joints shows a poppy seed bun. Over the years, new places try to put their spin on it to stand out, but I grew up on the topping pictured. To each their own though....

I get what you mean. I was a teenager the first time I went to the old Demon Dogs and freaked out that they didn't have tomatoes as a topping. It's surprising how much variation is out there for such a Chicago staple.

batboy · Sep 1, 2015

This is the perfect thread to hijack. My wife recently fell in love with Chicago style hotdogs (she's a NY/NJ girl who grew up on dirty water dogs), and I would like to make her my best rendition of a Chicago dog.

So far I have the sport peppers, Chicago-style relish, mustard, onion, celery salt, and tomato. Looking for poppy seed buns locally. Remembering that I want to stay authentic, what type of pickles and hot dogs should I buy, and how should I cook the dog?

CraigC · Sep 1, 2015

Sure look like Serrano chilis. Just like the ones in Cave Creek Chile Beer.

Dillo_Duster · Sep 1, 2015

Ron_L said:

those look great!

Shagdog · Sep 1, 2015

batboy said:
This is the perfect thread to hijack. My wife recently fell in love with Chicago style hotdogs (she's a NY/NJ girl who grew up on dirty water dogs), and I would like to make her my best rendition of a Chicago dog.

So far I have the sport peppers, Chicago-style relish, mustard, onion, celery salt, and tomato. Looking for poppy seed buns locally. Remembering that I want to stay authentic, what type of pickles and hot dogs should I buy, and how should I cook the dog?

I couldn't tell you what pickle... that's Ron_L's specialty (I hate 99% of pickles) But as far as the dog goes... Its gotta be all beef. Hebrew National is a solid choice..

LYU370 · Sep 1, 2015

batboy said:
This is the perfect thread to hijack. My wife recently fell in love with Chicago style hotdogs (she's a NY/NJ girl who grew up on dirty water dogs), and I would like to make her my best rendition of a Chicago dog.

So far I have the sport peppers, Chicago-style relish, mustard, onion, celery salt, and tomato. Looking for poppy seed buns locally. Remembering that I want to stay authentic, what type of pickles and hot dogs should I buy, and how should I cook the dog?

I like Claussen kosher dill spears. You don't want a sweet or spicy pickle. For onions, make sure it's white or yellow onions. Never red onions. Hot dogs, all beef - Vienna, Hebrew National, etc. As for cooking, bring some water to just under a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Then add your dogs and let them heat up for about 15 minutes.

Here's a site I found that seems to have some good info...

http://www.hotdogchicagostyle.com/makeyourown.php

Ron_L · Sep 1, 2015

We like Claussen pickles as well, but I've been making my own fermented dills and those are fantastic :-D

Andy nailed it will the choice of hot dogs, except we steam ours and put the buns in the steamer for a few seconds before building the sandwich.

Ron_L · Sep 1, 2015

CraigC said:
Sure look like Serrano chilis. Just like the ones in Cave Creek Chile Beer.

Yeah, they do look like serranos but are lighter in color. They also look like Tobasco chiles but are a little bigger. It is a different variety called the Sport Pepper (Capsicum Anuum). You can buy seeds to grow your own...

http://amzn.com/B001P6EMC0

landarc · Sep 1, 2015

Yuppers, sport peppers are a variety all to their own

batboy · Sep 1, 2015

CraigC said:
Sure look like Serrano chilis. Just like the ones in Cave Creek Chile Beer.

From the awesome HotDogChicagoStyle.com website that LYU posted:

What exactly is a Sport Pepper?
A "sport pepper" is actually a pickled Serrano pepper. The quality and heat vary considerably so we'd recommend staying away from any canned Serrano's you may find in the Tex-Mex section of the grocery store. Most Italian Deli's carry sport peppers.

thickstrings · Sep 2, 2015

At least on the west side, buns must be poppy seeded, steamed, and a slice of cucumber in addition to the dill pickle, tomato, green sweet relish French's yellow mustard, onion and celery salt ...hot fries all wrapped up in the same paper and in a small sack, sports are optional......Portillo's, Mickeys...Grew up and lived there for 55 years... alas, I have moved and am in Elvis country 10 years now, ...a culinary waste land.....odd, this is my 1st post...but I feel strongly about Chicago dogs ..oh yeah, has to be a Kosher beef dog...Don't even get me started about Italian beef...p.s . Deep dish isn't pizza.. I suppose I will now have to introduce my self properly..

Ron_L · Sep 2, 2015

We usually add the cucumber, too, and have poppy seed buns (Rosen's) but this last time we had some buns fresh from a local bakery so we used those instead.

Maylar · Sep 2, 2015

So I bit the bullet and ordered peppers from Amazon. Can't find poppy seed buns anywhere.

thickstrings · Sep 2, 2015

If the buns are steamed, you can, shake some poppy seeds on them and they sorta stick......just for effect...

arclite · Sep 2, 2015

A kosher dill is a safe choice for pickles, although I order mine without pickle, as it can overpower the rest of the dog.

What are sport peppers?

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