Wiener and Still Champion: Corn Dogs

LTH,

Chatting with Gus, aka GP60004, at the LTHForum Fat Tuesday party I was happy to hear he was in the process of testing corn dog batters for hand-dipped fresh, not frozen, corn dogs to place on the Wiener and Still Champion's regular menu. Happier still when he invited me, and a couple of others, to test hot dog/batter combinations.

Wiener and Still Champion Corn Dog



We tried two different combos, along with Gus's house made habanero sauce, and helped him narrow down things down, I preferred the first batter, though liked the initial crisp of the second a wee bit more. I also liked the way the actual dog retained it's juiciness and flavor.

It was my first time at Wiener and Still Champion, the fries were very good, Gus uses a twice fry method, cheese burgers, made on a grill, use Merkt's cheese, I was impressed with both quality and Gus's commitment. Gus also let us try his soon to be on the menu falafel burger, which was darn good, though I could live without the slice of processed cheese.

Falafel Burger


One full discloser note, Gus did not charge us for lunch, in fact graciously declined when offered, though we did take comprehensive notes on our impressions which we left with Gus.

If the test samples are any indication I'll be at Wiener and Still Champion for corn dogs on a regular basis.

Enjoy,
Gary

Wiener and Still Champion
802 Dempster
Evanston, IL
847-869-0100

Kudos to Gus! There are woefully few places that are serving house-battered corn dogs, and fewer places that have the patience to test and tweak recipes.

Please keep us posted re: the arrival of the corn dogs on the regular menu.

Best,
Michael

HI,

It was really quite a surprise what a difference in batter makes.

The first corn dog had a light dip of batter, which had the advantage of a crisp crust instead of cakey.

The second corn dog was a different batter applied more thickly, which soaked oil like a sponge. Initially, I thought it might be related to oil temperature until I tried the third corn dog.

The third corn dog batter was the same as the first with the introduction of chili's and applied more thickly. While I didn't taste the chilis, the batter didn't act as sponge like in trial 2 (which told me the issue was the batter and not the oil temperature) and was very good. It had a slightly more cakey texture because of the thickness, which was good though I liked the first variant the best.

The hot dog was the same in all trials and seems like the perfect choice. A bit garlicky with a fatty juiciness I really liked.

Until Wiener and Still Champion puts their corn dog on the menu, the only fresh dipped corn dogs are at Fat Willies. While Hot Doug's offers a corn dog, it is straight from the freezer. Otherwise fresh dipped corn dogs have been at various summer fairs making it a seasonal treat. I look forward to Wiener and Still Champions's corn dog introduction to their regular menu.

Thanks again Gus for allowing us to taste test the corn dogs!

Regards,

MikeG did a nice writeup of Gus' place here:

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6819

Full disclosure: I live 2 blocks away, and Gus has often invited me over to sample new/potential menu items, which he hasn't charged me for, but I usually try to leave something in the tip jar (when he remembers to leave the tip jar out on the counter).

Thanks to all that came and gave me their opinions.
Initially, I only planned on a few people coming out
but it snowballed and took on a life of its own.

I wanted to do a "corndog" for a while but put it on
the backburner because I couldn't find the right dog
for what I was trying to accomplish, until recently.
The natural casing dogs that I serve at the restaurant
didn't work. The batter didn’t stick to it and u really had to bite down hard on it. Not good for the kids. Plus, it was cost prohibited. Batter is good but still needs some tweaking based on the comments but it will do in the interim.

As an aside, the second batter was conceived out of the Evanston Luncheon at Jamaican Gate. A reformulation of the Festival that I really liked but it soaked up oil like a sponge.

Not sure when they will appear on the menu. I want to debut them for National Corndog Day. Yes, there is a National Corndog Day.

At first, thinking on doing them on certain days. Maybe on Sat and Sun to see how they go.

As far as the free lunch thing goes, It was basically a taste panel not a lunch. Plus, I invited people to come and sample so charging didn’t seem right. Some people did get other items and they were charged for them.

I’ll keep everyone posted and thanks again.

G Wiv wrote:Gus also let us try his soon to be on the menu falafel burger...

Gus,

Felafel burger is a great idea. Will you be offering tahini as a condiment for it?

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:Gus,

Felafel burger is a great idea. Will you be offering tahini as a condiment for it?

Best,
Michael

I was thinking something along the lines of a tahini mayo since tahini, by itself, is rather runny and would make the burger messy.

Now, Im a little apprehensive about having the Falfel burger on the menu since it is middle eastern and has no place at a hotdog stand. I might as well start selling Indian food. I am actually thinking of taking out the parsley, cumin and corriander and just flavor it with some other spices, ie garlic and onions to give it more of a middle of the road taste.

Gary, was it you that told me to add some liquid smoke to give it more of a char grill-smoky flavor? That is another idea I'm toying with.

gp60004 wrote:I was thinking something along the lines of a tahini mayo since tahini, by itself, is rather runny and would make the burger messy.

Now, Im a little apprehensive about having the Falfel burger on the menu since it is middle eastern and has no place at a hotdog stand. I might as well start selling Indian food.

I think felafel is one of those ethnic foods, like tacos and egg rolls, that have "crossed-over" to the point that they're pretty mainstream-American now. I still think it's a good idea. I'd be in line for a felafel burger with tahini mayo and hot sauce.

Then again, you could take a page from one of my favoirte Simpsons episodes, where Marge and friends are considering buying a felafel franchise:

Helen: Hmm, Pita. Well, I don't know about food from the Middle East. Isn't that whole area a little iffy?
Hostess: [laughs] Hey, I'm no geographer. You and I -- why don't we call it pocket bread, huh?
Maude: [reading the ingredients list] Umm, what's tahini?
Hostess: Flavor sauce.
Edna: And falafel?
Hostess: Crunch patties.
Helen: So, we'd be selling foreign...
Hostess: Specialty foods. Here, try a Ben Franklin.
Helen: [takes a bite] Mmm, that is good. What's in it?
Chef: [poking his head out of a window, looking of Indian origin] Tabbouleh and rezmi-kabob.
Hostess: [trying to cover-up] Uh, th-that's our chef... Christopher.

Best,
Michael

gp60004 wrote:Gary, was it you that told me to add some liquid smoke to give it more of a char grill-smoky flavor?

For those wondering (or waiting with anticipation), it appears that National Corndog Day this year is March 18, 2006. Apparently, NCD is always the first Saturday of March Madness (so it changes from year-to-year). I tend to think of the corndog as more of a summertime, county fair kind of treat myself, but those photos have me hankering for one now and have me glad that National Corndog Day is in March. I'll look forward to heading up to Evanston then.

Gus, having made corndogs in my own kitchen due to my inability to find a decent hand dipped product anywhere in town, I have learned that rolling the dog in baking powder before dipping it in batter does wonders at causing the batter to adhere to a dog with skin.

YourPalWill wrote:Gus, having made corndogs in my own kitchen due to my inability to find a decent hand dipped product anywhere in town, I have learned that rolling the dog in baking powder before dipping it in batter does wonders at causing the batter to adhere to a dog with skin.

Will

do you mean cornstarch instead of baking powder? I would think that would leave an aftertaste.

Actually, baking powder. I tried different variantions and found it held best. My corn dog batter is pretty spicy with lots of minced jalapenos, so I didn't notice an aftertaste.

Anyone that is interested, I plan on having the corndogs ready March 16th. The only catch is that it will not be called a Corndog but a Dipping Dog since it is hand dipped and corndog is somewhat of a generic term.

They will also be $2.25 less than what Fat Willy's charges.

gp60004 wrote:The only catch is that it will not be called a Corndog but a Dipping Dog...

Just so long as that doesn't mean they're 1/4" hard-frozen BB-shaped bits of corn dog

JoelF wrote:

gp60004 wrote:The only catch is that it will not be called a Corndog but a Dipping Dog...

Just so long as that doesn't mean they're 1/4" hard-frozen BB-shaped bits of corn dog

Don't fret Joel.

The'll be 8:1 all beef dogs.

I did think of the Dipping Dots angel. Guess i'll wait for the lawsuit.

Here's the Dippin Dogs™ version I tried yesterday.

I think Gus has tinkered with the batter recipe a little more since then. But, having a rough idea of what the food costs are, I have no idea how Fat Willy's can get away with charging $3.50

This seems like an appropriate time for a link to The Birth of Corndog.

Rene G wrote:This seems like an appropriate time for a link to The Birth of Corndog.

some "interesting" photos on that site.

Corndog interactive wrote:Corndog is a creature of magic and a force to be feared.

Now, Im a little apprehensive about having the Falfel burger on the menu since it is middle eastern and has no place at a hotdog stand.

I would love it if you served a Falafel Burger--or just a simple Falafel sandwich for that matter.

Don't worry about the Hot Dog stand issue. I seek out the falafel at Portifino's on Dodge in Evanston. I guess it is a pizza place, but the falafel is one of my favorite things on the menu.

roti2000 wrote:
I would love it if you served a Falafel Burger--or just a simple Falafel sandwich for that matter.

Don't worry about the Hot Dog stand issue. I seek out the falafel at Portifino's on Dodge in Evanston. I guess it is a pizza place, but the falafel is one of my favorite things on the menu.

I might have to go to Portifino's to check that out. I heard thru the grapevine that the owners are looking to sell the restaurant.

The Falafel burger will be on the menu. It actually taste pretty darn good even with the slice of processed cheese. Gary's picture doesn't do it justice though. I'll try to get up some better pics.

I can beat Gus to the punch on this one.

Falafel Burgers!

Note that there are pix from early in Gus' product development process; the final product might be a little different.





They're very tasty.

No financial relationship, but Gus feeds me in exchange for tasting notes, and I try to leave a little in the tip jar, when he remembers to put it on the counter (lately he's been forgetting to put it out).

[I will work for food.]

I might have to go to Portifino's to check that out. I heard thru the grapevine that the owners are looking to sell the restaurant.

Their falafel sandwich isn't as good as Pita Inn's in my estimation, but they score points since you can get fries with them!

I would have to concur with Michael/eatchicago that felafel is reaching the point of being a crossover food.

After spending some time in Europe, I have always thought that an outpost of the Netherlands-based Maoz chain would do great in a place like Evanston.
http://www.maoz.nl/index.html

A friend (generally not much of an online person) sent me an enthusiastic update on Gus' corn-based endeavors:

I meant to tell you--I went to The Weiner and Still
Champion on Dempster on Saturday, and the man does
indeed dip his own corndogs, in a slow, loving fashion,
I might add. They are SO good! And he told me that he
serves them every day of the week, so now I know where
to go for a quick fix anytime. That's a cool little
place--on a Saturday afternoon there was a very
typical Evanston clientele: a crazy guy who looked
like he'd been there all day, standing at the counter
chatting up the owner; a bunch of basketball kids; and
a table of old-school looking punk kids. Very cute.
And, of course, the Cubs game on a crappy old TV.

So... (cough) was anyone here the "crazy guy"?

Wasn't me, but I think I've been there when the crazy guy was around ...

I can attest to the greatness of the dipping dogs.
My staff and I at the record store next door eat our fair share each week!

LTH,

Gus, aka GP60004, invited a few LTHers to Wiener and Still Champion for dipping sauce product testing, soon as I heard habanero I was in. We taste tasted 5 french fry dipping sauces with mixed results, which is why he is product testing in the first place, but the general consensus is the house made 5-Pepper Relish, with bonus pepper, was a straight up winner, or is that wiener.

Hot dog with 5-pepper relish, habanero sauce and Merkts cheese.


Natural casing Vienna Hot Dog w/5-pepper relish


Gus takes product testing seriously.


No comment


Naked char Polish


Enjoy
Gary

OK, I'll take Mike's suggestion and add here that the falafel sandwich is an on-menu item. Other off-menu items generally become on-menu at WASC if they pass muster with tasters.

LTH,

Wiener and Still Champion strives to live up the Still Champion aspect of its name, to this effect Gus, the owner, is constantly innovating, experimenting and generally pressing the fried foods envelope. Last week I attended an informal tasting of LTHers, press and regulars to try out new W & SC potential menu delectables.

Brown sugar glazed habanero dusted bacon, fatty bacon crisp with a moist delectable glaze, sweet punching up to fruity habanero heat. Yin/yang, point/counter point. My Homer Simpson like dream is to be in a lush forest where the trees yield brown sugar glazed bacon instead of leaves, fruit, nuts or other non essentials.

Brown Sugar Glazed Habanero Dusted Bacon



Wiener and Still Champion Bacon Cam



Gus does a hell of a corn dog, lightly crunchy lightly sweet batter, juicy dog, hand dipped moments before you order. Lovely as the W & SC corn dog is, Gus went a step further and dipped a 10-inch Polish which, with batter, rounds out to an even 12-inches. Twelve inches of wiener might seem like bragging to most, but Gus, or should I say Ed Fisher, has the goods. The Big Dipper is named after LTHer Gleam, aka Ed Fisher.

The Ed Fisher, 10-inch Hand Dipped Polish Sausage



Shown with two Deep Fried Chili Balls



Chuck Sudo has a nice piece on the tasting on Chicagoist as does Andrew Huff on Gapers Block

I can just see strolling up to the counter and ordering a pound of Brown sugar/habanero bacon with a side of country fried gyro and a double Ed Fisher. Or, should I say, strolling up to the counter and leaving in an ambulance straight to the hospital for a date with destiny or, at the least, an appointment with my cardiologist.

Enjoy,
Gary