American
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Seven precise toppings on a poppy seed bun — “dragged through the garden,” and absolutely no ketchup.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
The Chicago Dog is the most precisely specified hot dog in America, and that precision is the point. Yellow mustard for sharpness, neon-green relish for sweetness and color, chopped onion for bite, tomato for freshness, sport peppers for heat, a dill spear for crunch and acid, celery salt for seasoning.
The ketchup prohibition is not a joke. Its sweetness would unbalance the entire carefully calibrated system.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
- 1 Vienna Beef all-beef natural-casing hot dog (per serving)
- 1 poppy seed bun, steamed
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp sweet neon-green pickle relish
- 2 tbsp white onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomato wedges (roma tomato)
- 1 dill pickle spear
- 2 sport peppers (pickled peppers)
- Pinch celery salt
- Never ketchup
Method
- 1
STEAM THE BUNS: Steam buns 30–45 seconds until warm and slightly soft. Without a steamer, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 15 seconds.
- 2
COOK THE DOG: Simmer hot dogs in hot (not boiling) water 4–5 minutes until heated through and plump. Boiling bursts the casing and loses flavor.
- 3
BUILD THE DOG (in this order, and no other): Dog in bun, yellow mustard down the center, relish, onion, tomato wedges on either side of the dog, pickle spear nestled alongside, sport peppers on top, dusting of celery salt.
- 4
Eat immediately. The Chicago dog is an engineering achievement that should be consumed in motion, ideally at a ballgame.
Substitutions
- Chef's Tip: The relish matters more than you would expect. Vienna Beef brand neon-green relish is worth seeking out — its vivid color and sweet pickle flavor are correct for this application.
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