All the Hot Dogs

In case you missed any of the latest hot dog news, here's a recap-


Gilbert's Craft Sausages
Gilbert's is a new company out of Wisconsin doing high quality natural casing (technically a "beef collagen co-extrusion casing") dogs and sausages, cured with beet juice and celery powder rather than nitrates or chemicals. They also taste great. The awesome folks at Gilbert's were kind enough to send me a case of stuff to experiment with for Serious Eats.


Here's my Chicago-style take on Gilbert's all-beef Froman dog. Neon relish, homemade pickles, mustard, pickled serranos, onions, tomatoes, yellow mustard.

Read more-
Hot Dog Of The Week: The Froman from Gilbert's Craft Sausages


Last week I tried out Gilbert's Shabeergan Brat (steamed in beer then finished on the grill) and the South American-style Catalana pork sausage (piled into a grill-toasted Torta with avocado, grilled jalapeno, and mexi-mozz) both also really really good.


As for now they are available in select stores in the Wisconsin area, as well as Costco stores across the midwest (and via mailorder). Hopefully we'll see a local distributor soon.. Wegman's would get my vote.

Read more-
Hot Dog of the Week: Grilling the Catalana and Shabeergan Brats from Gilbert's Sausages
Gilbertssausages.com
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Sandy's Pimento Cheese Dog
Ate this last summer in South Carolina. Easily in the top 2 or 3 hot dogs I've had in the south. Pimento cheese should be the next big thing.

Read more-
Hot Dog Of The Week : Pimento Cheese Dog from Sandy's Famous in South Carolina
twitter.com/SandysFamous
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Otto's Sausage Kitchen
Caroline went to Portland and came back with these hot dog pictures. This is place is the real deal, an old school German butcher shop that makes their own franks and wursts and grills them in front of the store. Looks amazing.


Read more-
Hot Dog of the Week: Otto's Sausage Kitchen in Portland, OR
ottossausage.com
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Memphis Taproom
Chau has already sung their praises here on DFF, but I have to agree that Memphis Taproom might serve the best hot dog I've ever eaten in Philadelphia, partly due to the fact that they use Best Provisions natural casing all-beef franks from New jersey, one of the best in the country. Known to hardcore hot doggers as the legendary Syd's Dog, you can also find this frankfurter at The Garage in north Jersey.


Read more-
Hot Dog of the Week: Memphis Taproom Beer Garden in Philadelphia
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Scott Dogs
As you might have heard Memphis Taproom has some competition coming with Scott Schroeder's hot dog cart in the works featuring hand-made dogs from La Divisa Meats and Detroit Chili which If you've never had it is probably the best thing in the world. High hopes for this one.

Read more-
Meal Ticket: SPTR's Schroeder to start doggin' it
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Hot Diggity
Last but not least is Hot Diggity, a brand new hot dog joint opening on South Street in Philadelphia sometime in the near future. The dogs are awesome, grilled Sabrett dogs on Liscio rolls served in ten (or more) different varieties. Oh and I should also mention that I illustrated the menu, in the form of ten giant hot dog paintings that will be hanging in the shop.


I've tried all the dogs and they are delicious, especially the Saigon Fusion which if you closed your eyes you might think you were eating a real Banh Mi. The fries are also OUTSTANDING. More info to come as the opening progresses...

Read more-
Meal Ticket: Hot Diggity! opening on South Street
Naked Philly: Hot Diggity Respecting The Dog
Hotdiggity on facebook

New Prints!

New hot dog prints!!

•Yesterdog
Super cool hot dog place in Grand Rapids, Michigan that's been there since the 70's. No burgers and trying to order a "plain hot dog" might get you kicked out. Big thanks to photographer Mike Donk for tipping me off and sending awesome photos.

• Blackie's
Old School Connecticut hot dog joint, one of many featured in the documentary A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour. Blackie's will also be selling these prints at the restaurant in a few weeks!

• Rolf's Pork Store
Mind blowing traditional German sausage shop in the middle of Albany. Hand made frankfurters, kielbasa, ring bologna, everything smoked in house. Amazing.




• Fricano's Deli
Awesome sandwich spot in Austin, Texas. Great sandwiches and a bunch of signature dogs including Chicago style and the Reuben Dog. They also do specials every once in a while like a pretty damn authentic Venezuelan Dog. The Reuben dog as well as a few of my other prints are available for sale at the Deli itself, thanks guys! My buddy Garrett Morlan has also done some awesome posters for them, which I'm fairly sure are also available to purchase.

All of these and more are available at hawkkrall.net.


•Taco Prints
Also - these limited edition prints are only available at LATACO.COM! Only a few left!
lataco.bigcartel.com

La Copine

 

Nikki Hill from Barbuzzo and her sweet babe Clare Wadsworth are starting a sweet supper club soon and kindly asked me to help out with my crow quill penmanship.

Anything for these guys.

Daily News

Check out this article in the Philadelphia Daily News about Drawing For Food and a bunch of other awesome Philly food artists - Mike Geno, Matt & Gina and also Martha Rich who Chau interviewed here a while back.

Great article overall although I cringed a bit at the gratuitous use of the word "foodie" (my hatred of the term a relic of my restaurant days, when it meant "those annoying people out there taking pictures of the bread, talking about Bobby Flay and pronouncing things wrong" which pretty much describes me now anyway).

We also talked about the "Best Of Philly" post that we did in 2008 and basically committed to doing another one, so watch for that in the near future. There's even a video where we ramble on about hamburgers and Chau draws an entire mural in about 5 seconds. Enjoy!

Daily News - How a hot dog led to their food blog

Daily News - Artists' food cravings become savory creations

Buy Our Stuff!!

Just in time for the holidays! Buy some awesome stuff made by us and/or stamped with the Drawing For Food seal of approval.

I've got a bunch of new giclee prints available including a brand new Philly Cheese Steak print and lots of new hot dog designs. Also highly recommended is Mark Kotlinkski's documentary A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour on DVD and a great deal for both the DVD and a sweet print of the artwork.

•Cheesesteak and Hot Dog Prints - $29 each from hawkkrall.net
•A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour - $7.99 from ctoriginals.com.


Chau has some amazing new prints on her site as well including the famous Smoke Monster in a giant poster size for $65 or mini-prints (great Idea Chau) for only $18.. printed by our wonderful friends at Silicon Gallery Fine Art so you can be assured these are pretty much the best prints you have ever seen in your life.

•Smoke Monster Prints - $65 / $18 from krischau.com


Then just released is this wild tote bag I designed for Philly blog Foobooz featuring an illustration of the bustling East Passyunk corridor. Great for carrying home your haul from Green Aisle and Tom's Meat Market.

Foobooz also has a bunch of new T-shirts for sale.Or for even more stuff with my art on it don't forget the Serious Eats reusable shopping bag and VendrTV wallet that I did this year.

•East Passyunk Tote - $15.00 from foobooz.com
•Epic Sandwich Shopping Bag - $10.00 from seriouseats.com
•VendrTV Wallet - $25.00 from vendrtv.com


Earlier this year Drawing For Food interviewed Martha Rich who among other things has been doing these amazing food paintings of cakes, pies, hamburgers, hot dogs, and I think a Filet-O-Fish. There's tons still available at reasonable prices.

Martha Rich original paintings, $100-$300 from cakeandlobster.com


I have this old Tim Gough print hanging on my wall of a hairy dude thinking about hot dogs and coffee. No longer available, but Tim has tons of brand new prints and shirts in his store that he screens by hand in his basement while drinking coffee and probably eating hot dogs. Free shipping until December 20th!

Tim Gough Prints and Clothing, $10-$32 from timgough.org


If you're looking for books related to food other than Bobby Flay's Gluten-Free Chipotle Mayo Christmas or an oversized coffee table book about cupcakes from the discount bin at Costco check out our wish list.

#1 on my list is Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin who is pretty much the Daniel Johnston of the culinary world. Watch I Like Killing Flies, a documentary about his restaurant and life and you will be an instant convert.

Next up is Carolyn Wyman's Great Philly Cheesesteak Book, a terrific guide to the history of almost every notable Steak spot in the Philadelphia area. I have this and love it. Only 11 bucks on Amazon. Another one I own and love is John T Edge's Fried Chicken- An American Story. 8 bucks and absolutely essential.

Or check out Hellbent For Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook which Caroline reviewed earlier this year for Serious Eats. Don't be scared by the cute cover... This is NOT the lame collection of "funny" recipes like "white trash mac & cheese with tater tots" from the backup bassist from Korn that you might expect. These are actual good recipes written by dudes in real black metal, thrash and grindcore bands like Amebix, Gorgoroth, Sepultura, Kreator, S.O.D., and Mayhem. Amazing.

Of course this list wouldn't be complete without a selection of hot dog gifts, so if you're dying to pick up a $7000 european hot dog cooker or a sweet retro Jimmy Buff's T shirt check out my Hot Dog Gift Guide on Serious Eats.

Rutt's Hut

Stopped at Rutt's at 9 in the morning on the way to 5 days of camping. Deep fried hot dogs with relish and cheese whiz washed down with breakfast Budweiser. Also corn on the cob.




The Bar / Dining room is pretty much the greatest place I have ever seen in my life. Once South Philly is completely gentrified I might just move to New Jersey and hang out here all day drawing hot dogs at the bar.



Read my full, official Rutt's Hut article over at Serious Eats.

Rutt's Hut
facebook page
417 River Road
Clifton, NJ

Artist Series : Martha Rich

Hot Damn, Martha Rich. I love this ladies work, subject matter, and hanging out with her. Martha's paintings of food make me hide in my house with a bag of Mcdonald's or make me want to eat frosting out of the can, the really really pink kind. Plus her drawings of ladies hit a special soft spot of mine when it comes to the lady subject matter of vintage underwear. So basically Drawing For Food might be Martha Rich's biggest fan.






DFF:Whats your favorite deadline snack?
MR:When I am on deadline I forget to eat.

DFF: Whats your favorite food to paint?
MR: cakes, lobsters, weeners

DFF: Whats your favorite meal in Philadelphia?
MR: Special #8 at Cafe Nhuy. I am still exploring. Being in grad school often means eating from trucks. I like the Magic Carpet Truck and the Buttercream truck. Philly needs more awesome food trucks!

DFF:Pudding Pop or Pudding cup?
MR:Fudgicle

DFF:Whats your " I'm gonna impress" Dish?
MR: Either Scrumptious Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup or Roasted Chicken Breast wrapped in Pancetta with Leeks and Thyme (both from Jamie Oliver whose cookbooks I LOVE!)

DFF: HOT DAMN Martha Rich

www.Freedomwig.com
www.cakeandlobster.com

Hot Dog Of The Week Update

Just in case you thought Drawing For Food was getting quiet in the Hot Dog department... here's a roundup of Hot Dog Of The Week articles from the last few weeks.


Michigans • Plattsburgh, NY

"Michigans" aka "Texas Red Hots" are a distinct regional style of hot dog specific to the northeastern corner of New York State and also spilling into Vermont and Montreal - although in Montreal the sauce is quite different.

A Michigan Hot Dog is a bright red natural casing frank, on a unique quasi new-england roll, with chopped onions, yellow mustard and a healthy dollop of "Michigan sauce" - related to Detroit Coney sauce but evolved over 90 years into a unique local tradition.


Clare & Carl's, Mcsweeney's, and Gus's Red Hots are the big three but there are stands all over the area, many of which claim to use some version of the super-secret original Michigan Sauce recipe of Mrs. Eula Otis, who moved to Plattsburgh NY from Detroit in the 1920's and opened a Hot Dog stand with her husband, but apparently also worked at competitor Clare & Carl's where she left behind a different version of the recipe.

A fascinating legend possibly involving some sort of hot-dog love triangle, complete and utter nonsense, or some combination of the two which is usually the case with regional food folklore.





I was up there this winter and unfortunately Clare & Carl's was closed as Plattsburgh is basically a frozen ghost town until May. We did stop at Gus's where the sauce is super thick & definitely unique.. the further north you get the "greek hot dog sauce" seems to taste less and less like chili, with more of an allspice/ cinnamon / clove taste to it.

Also can't forget to mention that Gus's has some amazing gravy fries and a delicious fried perch sandwich - fish pulled right outta Lake Champlain a few hundred feet away.

•Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - Plattsburgh Michigans

•Michigan Hot Dog facebook page
A great place for recommendations on out of the way spots.

Clare & Carl's
open 11am - 9pm, roughly May through September
4729 NY-9,
Plattsburgh, NY
(518)561-1163

Gus's Red Hots
3 Cumberland Head Rd
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 561-3711

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Bark • Brooklyn

Finally made it to Bark, Brooklyn's artisinal hot dog boutique which lays it on a bit thick with the shabby-chic environmentally friendly retro diner-vibe, but wins with some of the most amazing looking hot dogs I've ever seen.




Maybe the biodegradable plastic cups and reclaimed amish barn furniture have the park slope eco-yuppies feeling less guilty about devouring 3 or 4 lard-basted Hartmann's franks covered in bacon and maple syrup braised baked beans. But when you're done pondering the cognitive dissonance, you're left with classic american hot dogs executed at a level that's hard to find anywhere else. Also, great onion rings, washed down with local Brooklyn beer and/or 24 oz cans of Bud Light.

Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - Bark

Bark Hot Dogs
474 Bergen Street
Brooklyn NY 11217

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Johnny's Hots • Philadelphia

The hot dogs are fine, but the thing to get at this stand on the side of the road along the northern edge of Delaware Ave in Philly are the Hot Sausages on a fresh Liscio roll, with some longhots or covered in sweet pepper hash. Also available is the infamous Philly Combo on either hot dog or sausage.



Johnny's Hots is open from 4:30am til 3pm every day but Sunday. Standing room only.. and apparently also a great spot for cheesesteaks.

Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - Johnny's Hots

Johnny's Hots
1234 N Delaware Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 423-2280

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