Oh yeah, we’re doing this again.
Since we’re gluttons for punishment (and also just, ya know, gluttons in general) we at UrbanMatter have undertaken the grueling process of ranking one of the most prized, cherished, and hotly-contested foods on any good Chicagoan’s menu: the hot dog.
For the uninitiated, a Chicago-style hot dog is comprised of the following: yellow mustard, white onions, so-bright-it’s-almost-neon green relish, a pickle (spears only, please), sport peppers, celery salt, and tomatoes, all atop a beef hot dog snuggled inside a poppyseed bun.
Sounds great just thinkin’ about it, huh?
How Do You Make a Chicago-Style Hot Dog?
What is the Best Way to Cook a Chicago-Style Hot Dog?
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While the average Chicagoan is familiar with the condiments of a Chicago-style hot dog, many individuals are unfamiliar with the process of cooking one. To avoid a soggy and unappetizing dog, you should avoid cooking it in the microwave. Grab a pot and fill it with water.
Next, increase the heat on your stove to medium and boil the pot of water. Once the water is boiling, decrease the heat to a low setting and drop the hot dog in the water. Cook it for a total of 5 minutes on the stove.
Once the Chicago hot dog is finished, grab a plate and place a dry paper towel on it. Next, remove the cooked hot dog from the pot and place it on the plate. Prior to popular belief, it’s important to cook or steam a bun to prevent your Chicago hot dog from getting cold while it’s being assembled.
Grab a steamer basket and drop it into the pot and cook the hot dog bun for a total of 2 – 4 minutes. Once the hot dog and bun are cooked, it’s time to assemble the condiments. First, drop the hot dog in the cooked or steamed bun.
Next, add the mustard, neon green relish, diced onions, tomatoes, pickle, sports peppers, and celery salt to the Chicago-style hot dog. The tomato wedges should be added vertically between the hot dog and the bun to prevent it from falling. Also, drop the pickle directly next to the hot dog in the bun.
Prior to making a Chicago hot dog, you will need an all-beef dog and a variety of other ingredients. You will require a poppy seed bun, 1 dash of celery salt, 1 tablespoon of neon green relish, 4 tomato wedges, 1 pickle, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon of diced onions, and 2 sports peppers.
How Many Calories is a Chicago-Style Hot Dog?
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The average Chicago-style hot dog has a total of 350 to 370 calories per serving. A majority of the calories in this recipe can be attributed to the beef hot dog and bun. A standard beef hot dog is around 180 calories. On the other hand, a traditional poppy seed bun is close to 110 calories per serving. The tomato wedges on a Chicago hot dog feature close to 30 calories while the sports peppers include around 20 calories.
The dill pickle only adds a total of 5 calories to the recipe. While a Chicago-style hot dog is not the healthiest recipe, it is healthier when compared to an average cheeseburger. A standard quarter-pound burger served with a bun, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, and American cheese is 450 calories or higher.
What Are the Best Beef Hot Dogs to Buy?
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An authentic Chicago-style hot dog is made with an all-beef kosher hot dog. Unlike other types of hot dogs that may include other types of meat and protein, a kosher-style hot dog is only assembled with all-beef. Most Chicago hot dogs are made with a Vienna Beef dog.
Vienna hot dogs are classically seasoned with a variety of spices and are confined in a casing. Reputable restaurants in Chicago will boil or steam the hot dogs prior to serving them. To obtain a burnt flavor, you may also char-broil your Chicago-style hot dogs on a grill.
What Are the Best Types of Pickles to Place in a Chicago Hot Dog?
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To achieve a zesty flavor profile, a classic Chicago hot dog should be assembled with a kosher spear. Unless you’re a tourist from a different city or area, you should become familiar with proper pickle edicate. Although a large number of people choose to place a pickle directly next to their hot dog on the plate, this is not the proper way to assemble the dish.
The proper location for a kosher pickle is between the all-beef hot dog and the poppy seed bun. Removing the pickle from the kosher Chicago hot dog will substantially change the flavor profile of the traditional recipe.
Why Can’t You Put Ketchup on a Chicago-Style Hot Dog?
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If you have taken a trip to Chicago in the past, you have most likely become familiar with the unspoken rule of never placing ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog. A standard Chicago hot dog can only be embellished with yellow mustard. While this culinary rule may seem unreasonable, we promise it’s based on logic. The conventional recipe for a Chicago-style hot dog includes relish.
This condiment is used to add a sweet flavor profile to the savory dish. Since a classic Chicago hot dog includes relish, it would be unfathomable to add ketchup to this recipe because it would make the hot dog too sweet. In addition, relish has less grams of sugar when compared to ketchup. Adding ketchup to this dish would merely increase the amount of calories you’re ingesting.
What Kind of Peppers Are Used on a Chicago-Style Hot Dog?
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The classic Chicago hot dog is constructed with sports peppers. These green chili peppers are pickled in vinegar to give them a sweet flavor. These peppers will vary in size from an inch to an inch and a half. Sports peppers are usually 5 times more spicy when compared to a jalapeno pepper. These chili peppers are the most prominent flavor on a Chicago hot dog.
Depending on the vinegar and brand, a single sports pepper will vary in spiciness from 10,000 to 20,000 Scoville Heat Units. In some cases, this type of green chili pepper may earn a spot on the scale that is above 20,000 Scoville Heat Units.
These are 24 of the best hot dogs in Chicago, ranked. Where does your favorite Chicago hot dog stand lie?
24. Wrigleyville Dogs
3737 N Clark St #3809, Chicago, IL 60613
Found just north of Wrigley Field and directly across from the Metro, Wrigleyville Dogs is a drunk Chicagoan’s dream, landing it a solid spot in our list of the best hot dogs in Chicago.
23. Duk’s Red Hots
636 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Duk’s Red Hots is a Chicago-style hot dog stand that has been proudly serving Vienna Beef dogs since 1954 (back pre-lawsuit when the name was Donald Duk’s).
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22. Flub A Dub Chub’s
3021 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657
The Chicago-style hot dog & burger emporium you’ve dreamt about in a subterranean hideout with a no-frills, retro vibe.
21. Fred & Jacks
7600 S Yale Ave, Chicago, IL 60620
Old School at its finest, this Auburn Gresham joint offers excellent Chicago hot dogs and is well worth a drive to the south side.
20. Big Guy’s Sausage Stand
7021 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn, IL 60402
The name says it all – Big Guys serves up massive Chicago hot dogs that are just as delicious as they are huge.
19. Fat Tommy’s
3031 W 111th St, Chicago, IL 60655
One of the best Chicago hot dog stands on the southside, Fat Tommy’s will have you chowin’ down in bliss.
18. George’s Hot Dogs
1876 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
A family has been running this Chicago-style hot dog joint since 1948, and they ain’t stopping now.
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17. Hot “G” Dog
5009 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
In addition to offering damn fine Chicago-style hot dog, this north side staple is also serving up a bevy of wild hot dog creations like duck sausage, a Guinness Beer Brat, and more.
16. Chicago’s Dog House
816 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
This Lincoln Park number has been cooking speciality Chicago-style hot dogs since the summer of ’09. And when we say specialty, we mean it – kangaroo dog, anyone?
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15. Jim’s Original Hot Dog
1250 S Union Ave, Chicago, IL 60607
A primarily Polish sausage serving joint, Jim’s Original Hot Dog has been in operation since 1939, not counting a brief relocation in the early 2000s. UIC students, rejoice!
14. Mustard’s Last Stand
1613 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201
Though not located in Chicago proper, Mustard’s Last Stand is a classic none-the-less, and totally worth a day trip to Evanston for the jumbo dog alone.
13. Morrie O’Malley’s
3501 S Union Ave, Chicago, IL 60609
A stone’s throw from the new Comiskey Park (no, we will not call it by its new-new name, sorry y’all), Morrie’s is a straight-up classic. Go ahead, try and change our minds.
12. Original Jimmy’s Red Hots
4000 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60651
Not to be confused with the aforementioned Jim’s Original, Original Jimmy’s is one of the west side’s premier Chicago-style hot dog stands. And that’s just a fact.
11. Devil Dawgs
Multiple Northside Locations
You know what they say: you can’t resist the devil. Or, apparently, his hot dogs.
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10. Portillo’s
Multiple Locations
Presented without commentary.
9. Red Hot Ranch
3057 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 | 2072 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Red Hot Ranch offers Chicago hot dogs that are cheap, easy, and good.
8. Wolfy’s
2734 W Peterson Ave, Chicago, IL 60659
A family spot through and through, Wolfy’s iconic sign – and equally iconic food – has been a north side go-to for Chicago-style hot dogs since ’67.
7. Byron’s
1701 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640 | 1017 Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613
With locations on both Lawrence and in Irving Park, Byron’s services one of the best hot dogs in Chicago. Hell, the head chef has even served them to the Obama’s.
6. Superdawg
6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646 | 333 S Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090
That sign, that building, and those damn hot dogs. Superdawg is a veritable Chicago landmark at this point.
5. Weiner’s Circle
2622 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
Perhaps best known for their char-dogs, red hots, and a loving slew of verbal abuse. And Poochie. Don’t forget about Poochie.
4. Dog Haus Biergarten
2464 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
A new addition to the Chicago-style hot dog scene, we knew this LA transplant had the potential to end up a favorite. Now here it is, 4th on our list with some of the most creative hot dogs we’ve ever seen.
3. Fatso’s Last Stand
2258 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 | 1982 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
If we could eat a char-dog from Fatso’s every day for the rest of our lives, trust us, we would. No questions asked.
2. Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots
7242 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60636
We’ve said it once and we will say it again, Fat Johnnies is one of the most underrated Chicago-style hot dog stands in the entire city of Chicago, hands down.
1. Gene & Judes
2720 N River Rd, River Grove, IL 60171
And now, for the piece de resistance, Gene & Jude’s. Though yes – we do know that this Chicagoland staple is a little bit on the edge when it comes to Chicago city lines, we maintain that Gene & Jude’s is the best Chicago-style hot dog we’ve ever had in our lives. And that’s just that.
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