The Hot Dog

Ingredients

• 4 natural-casing beef hot dogs, Nathan's, Sabrett, or Vienna Beef; snapping casing essential
• 4 soft split-top hot dog buns, steamed until just warm and yielding
• New York style
• 4 tsp yellow mustard
• 120 g sauerkraut, drained
• 60 g white onion, finely chopped, for onion sauce
• Chicago style
• 4 tsp yellow mustard
• 4 tsp neon-green sweet relish
• 60 g white onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• 4 dill pickle spears, one per dog
• 8 sport peppers, two per dog
• 1 tsp celery salt, divided across four dogs
• 4 poppy seed buns, soft, steamed; substitutes the plain bun for Chicago style
• Detroit Coney style
• 240 g beef chili sauce, loose, no beans; spooned hot over the dog
• 4 tsp yellow mustard
• 60 g white onion, finely chopped
• Sonoran style
• 4 strips bacon, one strip per dog, wrapped spirally
• 60 g cooked pinto beans
• 60 g white onion, grilled
• 4 tsp mayonnaise

Method

1. 1
   Steam the buns over simmering water for 60–90 seconds, or wrap in a damp cloth and warm briefly. The bun must be soft and yielding — a bun that resists the tooth fights the dog.
2. 2
   For Sonoran style only: wrap each dog in a single strip of bacon, spiral fashion, and grill over medium heat, turning, until the bacon is rendered and the dog is heated through. For all other styles: grill, griddle, or steam the dogs until heated through and the casing is taut. This is where the dish lives or dies — a natural-casing dog must be cooked until the casing snaps taut and resists the finger; press gently with a fingertip and feel it spring back firm. A split or burst casing means the heat was too high or too prolonged.
3. 3
   Nest each dog in its bun. For New York: stripe with yellow mustard, top with drained sauerkraut and onion sauce. For Chicago: apply yellow mustard, sweet relish, chopped onion, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, and two sport peppers; finish with a dash of celery salt. Do not add ketchup. For Detroit Coney: ladle hot chili sauce over the dog, stripe with yellow mustard, finish with chopped raw white onion. For Sonoran: apply mayonnaise, spoon cooked pinto beans alongside, add grilled onion.
4. 4
   Serve immediately. On the first bite of a natural-casing dog the casing should produce an audible, clean snap — this is the definitive sensory confirmation that the dog is of premium quality and correctly cooked.