Grab those buns, it’s National Hot Dog Month!

Get to grillin'! Photo courtesy of flavourfish/stock.xchg

Okay, so July is also American Beer Month*, National Ice Cream Month and…what? Yes, it’s also Bikini Month (I’m not making this up…someone else already did). Sounds to me like we should just call it Awesome Barbecue Month, but—oh right—May already has that distinction (the “awesome” part is up to you). Plus, mushing ‘em all into one category wouldn’t allow us, as Chicagoans, to really celebrate the hot dog the way it deserves to be celebrated.

Perhaps the one of the most unpretentious, iconic foodstuffs of all time, the hot dog is an American staple at baseball games, picnics and barbecues alike. Chicago ranks 5th in the country for hot dog consumption, but we know we’re the only city that does a dog right: with yellow mustard, dark (read: radioactive-looking/fluorescent) green relish, sport peppers, dill pickle spear, chopped raw onion and tomato slices, topped with a dash of celery salt and served in a poppy seed bun. And it better be all beef.  (See how other cities and countries top their dogs)

 Mentioned as early as 9th century B.C. in Homer’s The Odyssey, sausage is one of the oldest forms of processed meat known to man. The hotdog as we know it today is likely an amalgam of European sausage types, with a distinct German pedigree. The first (known) U.S. hotdog stand selling “dachshund sausages” on milk buns was opened on Coney Island in 1871. It only took until 1893 for the dogs to make their way into ballparks…and dare I say, our hearts? Okay, too corny—arteries is probably more accurate anyway.

Classic Chicago hot dog / photo by roadfood.com

But who cares about history when you’re hungry? Pick up some hot dogs and get grillin’! Or, if you shouldn’t be lighting charcoal on your third-floor balcony, there’s likely to be a hotdog stand within a stone’s throw of your apartment. Here are a few of the better-known contenders:

• Jimmy's Red Hots—4000 W Grand Ave. "Give us a test, ours are the best," is the long-standing slogan of this Humboldt Park mainstay. Greasy fries, cheap polish sausages, what more can you ask for?
• Hot Doug’s—3324 N. California Ave. An insane number of imaginative sausages, or “encased meats,” as the slogan reads. If you’ve never been to Doug’s, check out the menu (make sure you also see the specials); if you’ve been there twice in the past week, this is the perfect excuse to go back for thirds. [Note: Hot Doug's is closed for vacation until July 5th. Be patient, you will be rewarded...Also, Time Out Chicago is hosting a contest to design your own Hot Doug's Dog; submit your ideas and Doug Sohn himself will choose a winner and offer their dog on his menu for a week. ]
• Jim’s Original—1250 S. Union St. As long as we’re adding sausages to the list, Jim’s deserves more than a mention, as the original home of the Maxwell St. Polish. Check out Jimmy’s history here (It’s a good read, albeit poorly formatted)
• Weiner’s Circle—2622 N Clark St. It’s loud, there’s no bathroom and you’ll probably get yelled at by the trash-talking staff, but they do have some of the best char-dogs around. And you want to talk about “open late”? Stumble in before 4am Sun-Thurs or 5am Fri/Sat—just make sure you speak up or you’ll be standing there hungry and empty-handed.  

The Weiner's Circle / photo by roadfood.com

• Gene and Jude's—2724 N. River Road (River Grove, IL) Okay, so it's a little west of the city, but I still remember my first trip to Gene and Jude's as being revelatory. I was probably about 9 yrs old at the time, but the memory of that first visit sticks with me almost 20 yrs later. Also check out Polk and Western Hot Dogs (749 S. Western), the site of the original Gene and Jude's.
• Portillo’s—These era-themed restaurants are everywhere in the suburbs, but only one location in the city: 100 W. Ontario. No matter, they make a durn good chocolate cake shake to wash down that Maxwell St. polish with, and it’s a good place for family dining.
• Brasserie Jo—59 West Hubbard. What? A French Brasserie serving hot dogs? Well, usually it might not be the most instinctive choice, but in honor of Hot Dog Month, the restaurant is serving French-style hot dogs (with mustard on a baguette) for $1 every Monday between 5pm and 7pm. Not bad!
  
  Seriously though, there’s probably a hotdog place on your corner, or the next corner over. I’m sure you’ve passed it a hundred times. Today’s the day you go in and say “One dog, with everything.” You won’t have to travel far for this celebration.
  
  *or at least it has been for the past 7 years
  

  For more info: 

  • Visit the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council for more facts, trivia and stats
  • Check out Hot Dog recipes
  • Head to Brasserie Jo (59 West Hubbard)for French-style $1 dogs on Mondays, from 5pm to 7pm
  • See Time Out Chicago's roundup of everything you've ever wanted to know about Chicago hot dogs.