Super Bowl Taste Test: Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Components of my Vienna Beef Chicago Style Hot Dog Kit

The Super Bowl Taste Test almost didn’t happen, because of last week’s bitter weather in Chicago. My order from Vienna Beef sat on the tarmac for days till I finally gave up and started planning an alternative attraction. Then, late Saturday afternoon, the Fedex man dropped a box on my doorstep. It was the Vienna Beef order, and in perfect condition: still frozen but just barely.

The Unboxing

Everybody should splurge on the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Kit at least once. It costs $41.95 (plus a reasonable shipping charge for a perishable item) and comes as either a 10-count natural casing Hot Dog Kit or 16-count Hot Dog Kit with skinless franks. You also get an equivalent number of their poppyseed buns plus celery salt, mustard, sport peppers and that legendary neon green relish. All you need to add at home is your own chopped onions, sliced tomato and pickle spear.

Char Dogs (notice how beautiful they crack open from the grill)

I ordered the natural casing dogs because the sausage itself was of primary importance for my Super Bowl Taste Test. I wanted to judge which was better: char dogs or steam dogs. I’d preferred the char version at Gold Coast Hot Dogs, but when I ordered the Vienna Beef rep informed me most Chicago hot dog stands steam, rather than grill, their product.

Steamed dogs, still delicious

The game itself was boring, so there was plenty of time to devote to the taste test. My tasters told me they probably preferred the char dogs but by the slimmest of margins; some wouldn’t even make a commitment. But the forensic evidence told the tale. The char dogs were on a platter placed under the steamed dogs, yet they were the first to disappear. At the end there was only a lone dog remaining—and it was steamed.

Now that this is out of the way, I need to find a way to make those poppyseed buns at home. (I’ve never seen anything like them in a supermarket.) Both King Arthur Flour and Serious Eats have recipes, and they’re quite different. This should be fun.

The finished product: Chicago Style hot dog, made at home