Mega Meat Dogs: a.k.a. The Gut Bomb

I have been on a diet since the beginning of March.  Nothing fancy or faddish in nature.  I am not drinking wheat grass smoothies and getting espresso enemas.  It has just been counting calories, watching portion size, and working in some exercise.  I haven't changed what I eat a bit and I am almost 30 pounds down.  Looking good if you ask me.  But, one of the big secrets to good dieting is to not deprive yourself.  If you want something, eat it.  Just don't eat five of them.  This leads me to our post today: the Mega Meat Dog.

I have wanted a hot dog for awhile.  I also had come chili sauce stored away in the freezer.  As I was tooling through the BBQ pages in Facebook, I saw someone make a creation like I am about to show you.  The minute I saw it, I decided this was going to be a splurge dinner one day after I mowed the lawn.  Something to reward myself.  So, I give you, the Mega Meat Dog.

First, I bought two pounds of ground pork from my butcher and one pack of kosher beef hot dogs from the local grocery store.  I also had some bacon lying around as well.

Next, I took the ground pork, placed into a large mixing bowl, and incorporated three tbsp of BBQ rub for pork.  You can use whatever you have on hand.  I used Oakridge Secret Weapon Pork and Chicken rub.  After the pork was ready, I took a decent sized ball of meat, about three ounces, placed into a quart sized plastic bag, and mashed it flat.

Then, I cut open the bag, placed the hot dog in the middle, and wrapped the pork around the hog dog.

If that wasn't enough meat product, I then took two slices of bacon and wrapped that round the outside of my pork encased hot dog.

I lit my smoker and brought to 300 F and placed some hickory in the ash pan.  Then, I placed these meaty delights on the top rack to cook.

While these were cooking away, I retrieved the chili sauce from the freezer and warmed up on the stove top until hot and bubbly.  For good measure, I finely diced a sweet onion to use for a topping as well.

45 minutes later the bacon was crispy and the ground pork was cooked.  Time to bring these gut bombs inside and assemble.

No standard hot bog buns here.  They could be too small and easily torn.  I needed something that could hold Megadog and some chili as well.  Therefore, I purchased some nice sausage rolls to encase these treats.

I spread some chili sauce on the bottom of the roll along with some diced onion, then I nestled a bacon wrapped, pork encased, beef hot dog on top.  Oh, and I threw some corn on the side to make my place look somewhat healthy.

After one, I was stuffed.  Hope had a half.  The Mega Meat Dog even took its measure of the youngest.  Ty could only manage one and a half of these decidedly non-vegan treasures.

The bacon was perfectly crisp.  The ground pork was seasoned nicely and developed a nice smoke flavor.  After each bite, the hot dog within added a nice finish that only a previously kosher dog can do.  The chili sauce only added to the meat party going on inside this bun.  If I had only made some slaw for the top of this hybrid dog.

This creation will be a very rare treat around the Three Dogs household.  Once or twice a year perhaps.  The Mega Meat Dog even scared my carnivore wife.  Maybe, you will see this symphony of meat entered into a future "Wrapped in Bacon" category at a future NEBS event.  Don't shy away, I suggest you give this recipe a try when your inner caveman is yearning for some meat.  Or, when you have been on a diet and deserve a little treat.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Restaurant Review: Franktuary - Pittsburgh, PA (Lawrenceville Location)

Over the last couple of years, the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has evolved into something I never expected to see.  There are many options, ranging from high end bistros to your garden variety food truck.  This is most evident in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh where there has been a revitalization project that has transformed the community.  The main drag, Butler St. is paved with cafes and numerous dining options.  Hope and I have decided to sample some of these new eateries this past weekend.  Our plan for the weekend was a trip to Franktury for a late lunch, then an evening of binge watching season two of House of Cards to cap off the day.

Franktuary has three locations listed: Downtown, Lawrenceville, and a mobile location that operates during the warm weather months.  The menu has a nice selection of beers and mixed drinks to start and a variety of gourmet hot dogs to sample.

The inside is nice.  Not too loud and family oriented, at least during the 4:00 pm hour.  The bar and restaurant have a nice combination of brick and wood.  The wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable.  Off to a good start for sure.

As you scan the menu, you have a choice of New York beef hot dogs and New Zealand grass fed beef, as well as fish and veggie options.  You get to choose your bun: potato, whole wheat, millet, and romaine lettuce for the Paleo crowd.  You can choose from different condiments and toppings, as well as different house combinations.  To top it off, they offer soups and chili, appetizers, and fries.  In addition to your plain ketchup dunking french fry, they offer various varieties of Poutine.  Poutine is a French Canadian offering of fries covered with cheese curd and gravy.  More on Poutine here.

After scanning the menu, we placed our order with our friendly and very helpful waiter.  Hope, being the traditionalist choose a New York dog with ketchup, mustard, onion, and house sauerkraut and a New Zealand grass fed dog with ketchup, mustard, and onion, both on potato buns.  I chose a New York dog with chili, cheese, and onion and a New Zealand grass fed dog Buffalo style, both on a potato roll.  We shared an order of Poutine with cheese curd and brown gravy topping.

When we asked our waiter about the grass fed dog, he said it was different than the normal beef dog.  The taste was different, but good.  He was right.  Hope didn't care for the taste and texture.  I was ok with both.  A good description would be that it tasted almost like knockwurst.  One warning, while the skin was crisp and it was not dry, the grass fed dog was not juicy like you get when biting into a New York kosher beef dog.  The kosher New York dog was spot on and I agree.  The potato buns were steamed to perfection.

As for Hope's comments, the standard ketchup and mustard was of good quality.  But, the house sauerkraut was lacking.  I tried a taste.  It has the kraut, but not the sour pickle aspect you look for in sauerkraut.  It was almost like sautéed cabbage with a hint of pickle taste.  Not bad, but better suited for corned beef.

As for my hot dogs, the chili was good, but a bit under seasoned.  Otherwise, it was a good dog.  The Buffalo style dog was also pretty good.  I was afraid it would come out stuffed with celery sticks.  I was relieved when it came out topped with diced celery.  The Buffalo sauce was mild and not overly spicy.  The bleu cheese dressing was a bit thin, but the taste was there.  My suggestion to improve this hot dog would be either to dunk the dog in the Buffalo sauce and top with a thicker version of bleu cheese dressing, or to mix the sauces together while using a thicker bleu cheese dressing.

The Poutine was heaven.  Crisp fries, cheese curds, and rich brown gravy with hints of sage and rosemary.  A great choice for our first Poutine experience.

Overall, Franktuary was a nice start to our new Pittsburgh culinary adventures.  Friendly waitstaff, cold beer, and good hot dogs can be found here.  Would I drive 40 miles again just to go to Franktuary?  No.  If I was in the neighborhood and wanted a hot dog would I go?  Yes.  Overall grade: B.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Mom's Homemade Hot Dog Sauce

I don't know about you, but I am tired of the weather around here.  It is forecast to get worse next week with a low Tuesday around -15 F and three solid days in single digits or below zero.  Did I mention the snow?  This weather is seriously cutting into BBQ practice time.  With our season starting early this year, every week lost brings us that much closer to our first competition.

So, I have resigned myself to cooking indoors and making hearty meals to keep the cold away.  I wanted a taste of summer last night.  So, I made a batch of my mothers homemade Hot Dog Sauce.

Warning, this hot dog chili sauce is not like a Coney or Cincinnati style sauce.  It is what my mother made and passed down.  I kinda like it better than a traditional sauce.  It is quick and easy to make and light years better than anything you can get in a can.  The recipe changes every time I make it as this is one of those recipes that reside in my head.  But, here is how I made it this time.

Mom's Hot Dog Sauce

1 lb lean ground beef.  I used 97:3.
1/2 a small sweet onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
About 1/2 cup of Velveeta, cubed
2 x 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
S&P to taste
Olive oil for sautéing

First, in a small pan, heat just enough olive oil to sauté your onion and garlic.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté over low heat until translucent.  I added a grind of salt and pepper as well

Then, I added my burger meat and browned until all crumbled.

Then, I incorporated my spice mixture and let sauté along with the meat for about five minutes.

Next, add both 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce + one can of water and your cheese.

Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer to reduce.

This is what it looks like after about 30 minutes of reduction.

I make a bigger batch than I need as I will freeze the leftovers for use at a later date.  The cheese adds  a nice creamy component and also helps to thicken the final product.  The spices add a little kick and a great flavor.  You can add more chili powder to suit your taste.  I would add more, but I have to keep it on the tame side as Hope is not into the overly spicy.  Usually I grill my dogs, but with the temperature at 11 F with a howling wind, I resigned myself to pan frying (gasp!).

So, I placed my hot dog in a bun, loaded up with sauce, and sprinkled diced red onion on top.  Serve with a beer and pretend it is 75 F and sunny outside.

Alternatively, my mom used to put cole slaw on top as well.  It is a nice addition to a chili dog.  We call it West Virginia style.  If you don't believe me, there is a great blog dedicated to the West Virginia Hot Dog.  Have a peak.  They are running a tournament right now pitting different styles of hot dogs against each other.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Heaven in a Basket

A few weeks ago, I had an hour to kill before I had to pick up the youngest.  So, I decided to do so at one of my favorite places for lunch in Cranberry Township, PA:  I went to the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe.

The Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe is exactly what you would expect: dirty water dog heaven.  The dogs are boiled to perfection and served on spongy, steamed hot dog buns.  You can get them any way you like: with yellow mustard, relish, ketchup, chili, cheese, onion, etc...  They also have fries, onion rings, and sinfully think shakes made the old fashioned way with real whole milk and ice cream.  If you are looking the eat healthy, this is not the place for you.  Just keep on going to the nearest salad bar.

What do I order?  I get two dogs with chili, cheese, and onion, plus fries with chili and cheese.  Pure artery clogging sin.  But, once or twice a year, this hits the spot...

The Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe has counter service and full service sit down.  Everyone is friendly and the service is great.  They also have diner style breakfast in the morning as well.  So, if you are in the Cranberry area and love a good hot dog, this is the place to go.

Bottom line, 3.5 stars out of 4.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill