Behold! The Salad Dog!

Mustard, chopped onion, green relish, sport peppers...

Pickle spear, tomato slice, celery salt...

Lettuce, cucumber, green pepper...

... kitchen sink.

Oops! Forgot Hotdog and Bun. You can catch a glimpse of the hotdog if you look very carefully.

The signature definition of the Salad Dog or “Meal on a Bun”.

Byron's Hotdogs
1017 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago

This style isn’t as rare as you might think as there were several places in the past that used to serve them; Tasty Dog in Oak Park, Tast-e Hast-e (both RIP )...

Not common by any means.

In the past I would eat the salad first and then dig into the traditional hotdog but yesterday I decided to eat it all at once. Grabbed it in my fist, squeezed it a bit and proceeded. It had an abundance of mustard that kept squeezing out, all over my hand. Salad dressing?

All the ingredients were fresh and I meant to get a picture of the cold table. She would put the dog in the bun and work straight down the line. One after another (... after another).

To quote Johnny Depp in Chocolat...

Very Good... but not my favorite

Used to be on Milwaukee.

Photos borrowed from a discussion on Facebook (and then previously from the web probably).

... and while I was there I couldn’t resist getting...

I present to you...

DOGZILLA!!!

A half pound custom Vienna hotdog made only for Byron’s.

It was actually a tasty frank. Of course there was none of the delicate balance of the traditional hotdogs we know and love.

Afterwards it was pointed out to me that this is a regular Vienna product.

Big Wally, one half pound of premium beef pleasure in a natural casing made by Vienna Beef.

The 1/2 pound natural casing jumbo is a regular production item sold in a 10 pound case to any Vienna Beef retail vendor. You can also purchase them by the piece at our Factory Store located on Damen and Fullerton which is open to the public.

Byron's and Hot Doug's were the only two Chicago stands selling that monster. Martino's in Milwaukee also sells that dog and calls it "The Granddaddy"

I had opted to get just the Traditional Hotdog toppings. It was hard enough to bite as it was. You kinda had to gnaw from side to side.

More of a novelty really.

Panther in the Den wrote:... and while I was there I couldn’t resist getting...

C6369BE6-1CF0-404E-B520-731AF7EEDD2E.jpeg

C0BD04B2-F18C-4DF6-AB5A-6BC88242BFC8.jpeg

I present to you...

DOGZILLA!!!

A half pound custom Vienna hotdog made only for Byron’s.

I'd rather a double dog: should be the same amount of casing in half the volume of dog. (volume=length*π*radius^2; surface area=length*π*2*radius, so if the length is the same you can get 4 times the volume of forcemeat with twice the radius, meaning only twice the casing -- note assumes hot dogs are cylinders)

JoelF wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:... and while I was there I couldn’t resist getting...

C6369BE6-1CF0-404E-B520-731AF7EEDD2E.jpeg

C0BD04B2-F18C-4DF6-AB5A-6BC88242BFC8.jpeg

I present to you...

DOGZILLA!!!

A half pound custom Vienna hotdog made only for Byron’s.

I'd rather a double dog: should be the same amount of casing in half the volume of dog. (volume=length*π*radius^2; surface area=length*π*2*radius, so if the length is the same you can get 4 times the volume of forcemeat with twice the radius, meaning only twice the casing -- note assumes hot dogs are cylinders)

I think most dogs available at stands are 8/lb or 10/lb providing the delicate balance we know, expect and love. There are jumbo dogs available (1/4 lb?) but...

This is a monstrosity beyond anything I’ve ever seen. I think I remember Daisy Brand used to have unsmoked jumbo dogs that you would have to gnaw through but I think they were 1/4 lb (maybe 1/3) too.

I ordered it as a novelty and in the interest of research. I’ve done it and probably not again.

I remember someone here mentioning they always order a double dog. One to savor the sausage solo and the other for the sandwich as a whole.

This is a great idea and one I might do in the future.

Panther in the Den wrote:Behold! The Salad Dog!

I believe the traditional nomenclature is "dragged through the garden":

"a Chicago-style dog was best described by 'The Frugal Gourmet' - Jeff Smith - as being a salad on a bun or 'dragged through the garden'"

nsxtasy wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Behold! The Salad Dog!

I believe the traditional nomenclature is "dragged through the garden".

For an uncommon style this has to be where the phrase came from.

Panther in the Den wrote:

JoelF wrote:I remember someone here mentioning they always order a double dog. One to savor the sausage solo and the other for the sandwich as a whole.

This is a great idea and one I might do in the future.

That wasn't someone, it was GWiv.

Vienna Beef natural casing dogs from 12/1 to 6/1 use a sheep intestine and offer that distinctive snap. However, dogs and Polish from 5/1 and larger use a hog intestine. Steaming or simmering a hog intestine product results in a chewy product. To get a hog intestine product to properly snap requires char grilling or deep frying. It's protocol to cross cut the ends and score the top and bottom of the dog prior to char grilling or deep frying.

CSD

chicagostyledog wrote:Steaming or simmering a hog intestine product results in a chewy product. To get a hog intestine product to properly snap requires char grilling or deep frying.

I've become enamored with Joseph's Finest Meats hot dogs, larger diameter pork/beef in hog casing. I've found if I keep the simmer below 155° the casings are more tender, though not like sheep casing, with a pronounced SnaaaaaP and burst of molten meat juice.

Grilled hot dogs are, of course, delicious, though I've never deep fried a hot dog. I may have had a Ripper once or twice but memory is hazy due to being intoxicated at the time.

chicagostyledog wrote:Steaming or simmering a hog intestine product results in a chewy product. To get a hog intestine product to properly snap requires char grilling or deep frying.

G Wiv wrote:I've become enamored with Joseph's Finest Meats hot dogs, larger diameter pork/beef in hog casing. I've found if I keep the simmer below 155° the casings are more tender, though not like sheep casing, with a pronounced SnaaaaaP and burst of molten meat juice.

Chicagostyledog's post reminded me I had not grilled a Joseph's dog in a while and yes, of course, they were delicious grilled.


Hot dogs, count me a Fan!

Thanks, CSD. I think your post about different types of casings explains why I like some andouille sausage brands (which I use in red beans and rice, gumbo, etc.) better than others.