Chicago-Style Hot Dog
An all-beef frank in a poppy seed bun piled with mustard, neon relish, onion, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt. No ketchup, ever.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total
- 20 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
The Chicago dog took shape during the Depression, when street vendors piled a frank with enough vegetables to pass as a meal for a nickel. Locals still call it a dog dragged through the garden, a nod to the tomato, onion, relish and peppers stacked on top.
Two rules hold the whole thing together. The frank has to be all-beef with a natural casing for the snap, and ketchup never touches it. Everything else, mustard, neon relish, onion, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and a dash of celery salt, goes on in a specific order that every Chicago stand follows.
Chicago-Style Hot Dog is one of the best hot dogs from around the world.
method
Bring a pot of water to just under a boil and slip in the hot dogs. Heat for 4 to 5 minutes until plump and hot through, keeping the water from boiling hard or the casings split.
Steam the buns over the same pot in a steamer basket, or in a dedicated steamer, for about 30 seconds until soft and warm.
Nestle a hot dog into each bun.
Draw a zig-zag of mustard across the top, then a line of bright green relish, then a scatter of chopped onion.
Tuck two tomato wedges along one side of the dog and a pickle spear along the other.
Finish with two sport peppers and a pinch of celery salt. Do not add ketchup.
chef's tips
- Skipping ketchup is not optional in Chicago; it is the one rule every local stand enforces.
- Look for natural casing franks specifically; that snap when you bite is the whole point.
- Steaming the bun, not toasting it, keeps it soft enough to hold all seven toppings without tearing.