Haute Dogs Recipes for Delicious Hot Dogs, Buns, and Condiments

“Not just another pretty novelty item, this is a serious book about taking a household favorite and making it worthy of prime-time.”

—Retailing Insight

The New York Style Hot Dog

Place of Origin: New York City / Other Names: Dirty Water Dog, New York Dog

Few cities are as synonymous with the hot dog as New York City.

The history of the hot dog in New York was, for a time at least, the history of the hot dog itself. Heck, it is rumored that the word “hot dog” was coined at a Giants game—the New York Journal’s Tad Dorgan, a cartoonist, needed a cute and memorable name for the handheld treat that the crowd seemed to eat up (in reality, the term was used long before it was ever seen in a Dorgan cartoon). At a time when “hot frankfurters” and “red hots” were common terminology, the hot dog quickly became a street cart favorite, with the large Jewish immigration to New York in the late 19th century fueling the love for the characteristic all-beef dog.

New York Style Sautéed Onions (page 156)

Classic bun

All-beef hot dog

Spicy brown mustard

Sauerkraut

Prep: Make sautéed onions according to the recipe.

Assembly: Split open a classic bun. Panfry an all-beef hot dog on a flattop; during the last minute of cooking, lightly toast the bun (see page 17). Place the dog in the bun. Add a slathering of spicy brown mustard to the dog. Top with a handful each of sauerkraut and sautéed onions.

Kitchen Notes: Thick with tomato paste and spices, New York Style Sautéed Onions are something special. Sabrett sells their Sautéed Onion Sauce online if you’re craving the real deal. Spicy brown mustard pairs well with all-beef dogs.

Dirty water what?

Dirty water dogs are so named because they are stored in hot water bins in streetside food carts—throughout the day, small amounts of juices and fat slowly leak from the dog, making the water cloudy.