Sausage vendors in the late 1800s hawked their spicy wares on the streets of New York and Chicago. But who really invented the first hot dog as we know it is lost to antiquity, in spite of conflicting claims. It might have been at a Giants baseball game at the New York Polo Grounds, or in St. Louis, Mo. However, this German sausage in a bun caught on quickly and its popularity remains unchallenged.
The origins of the chili dog are equally murky. A logical choice for the birth of the chili dog would be Texas, chili capital of the world, but this is not substantiated. What is known about the chili dog is that the basic blueprint is a wiener in a bun topped with some kind of chili.
The chili dog is one of those foods that sparks controversy everywhere. Should the chili have beans? No beans? Should it be a straight chili sauce, or the same thing one would eat from a bowl? Should a chili dog have only chili on it, or should it also feature ketchup, mustard, onions, kraut and even cheese? The possibilities are as endless as those who favor this spicy treat.
Chili sauce is available canned, or recipes are available online. Chili sauce is a much thinner chili, with small tidbits of ground beef, flavored largely with salt, pepper, chili powder and paprika. A canned chili for eating from a bowl usually has larger chunks of meat and may be flavored with tomato and other spices.
Fast food restaurants, such as Krystal and Sonic, both feature a chili dog on their menus, as indeed, do most drive-in burger places. The chili, wieners and toppings are individual to each establishment. This writer prefers a “garbage” dog with chili, kraut, onions, mustard ketchup and a little dill relish if the bun will accommodate it. Chili-only dogs are tasty, too.
When nothing but a savory, hot, spicy hot dog will do, adding some chili makes it just a little better.
