Pearl Hot Dog

Carolina Q

Florida Grillin Girl said:

@Carolina Q

Yay!

#1 - You went somewhere, even left your own state!

#2 - You fired an egg for 1 single hot dog!

#3 - You broke out the food processor for 1 carrot??? 

What has gotten into you, Q?

Seriously, I'm gonna try the Pinks recipe, Thanks! And I guess I'm gonna have to use a good old Hebrew National dog, since I'm sure I will never have the pleasure of trying the Pearls.

@Florida Grillin Girl, very funny.

1) Leaving my own state doesn't take much. This is CT after all. I ride my BIKE into Massachusetts! It's only 13 miles to the state line.

2) Some things are no better on charcoal than in the kitchen. Hot dogs are not one of them, far better on the grill. The Akorn or Weber would have been quicker and used less lump, but I figured since I was posting here, the least I could do is use the egg.

3) Sure. The Ninja is easy to clean. As food processors go. And no chunks - almost a purée. Finely chopping with a knife would probably have been fine.

When you try the Pink's chili, please let me know which recipe you used and what mods you made. I will use less flour if I make the nosh.com recipe again. Next time, I'll try the other recipe and see which I prefer.

Oh, and you have had a Pearl. NewEggland Fest. I don't know if they still do, but BJ's on the eastern seaboard used to carry Pearls. I got a list from Pearl (albeit dated 2010) and one of the stores listed was at 7651 W. Waters Ave. Close enough for you? Even if you aren't a member, I think BJs will still sell to you for a 5% premium. 

Florida Grillin Girl

Oh yea, I vaguely remember that BJ's sold Pearls, but never went and looked for them there. I have a friend with a membership to BJ's, so I will ask him to be on the lookout for them. And, no, I don't remember having one at NewEngland Fest, but then, I don't remember any of the food that I tasted there! (That was many, many fests ago!)

PNWFoodie

I love a good grilled hot dog - especially with grilled onions! (Boiled ones are gross, though!)

RRP

Focker said:

RRP said:

Focker said:

Viennas are legit, and my easily found favorite, having a Jewel Foods close by, they are the priciest though.
They were on sale recently for $2.99, stocked up and bought the Wisconsin Cheddar ones to try around the campfire.

Vienna neon relish is the real deal, a regular stocked item in the fridge.
When it comes to Chicago, there is only one dog, a Vienna. 

The quarter pounder Viennas are good, but I almost prefer the smaller ones, a dog is more about the toppings, than the dog itself...a platform, lol.  A smaller dog lets you pile more sh!t on.  

Brandon - pay no attention to C-Q. Neon relish plus plus plus makes a great Chicago dog. Now for a new point. I'm ok with Vienna Dogs, but try as I can I wish I could find a grocery store source of Maxwell Street Polish! I love those things with nothing more than old yeller mustard and kraut. Talk about a treat! 

Are MSPs local, regional?
We are all kraut lovers here too Ron.  Canadian bacon, kraut, pineapple is a fun pizza the boys like. 

MSP are sold at at least two Lebanese sandwich shops here in P-town. The MSP advertising pieces are all well done, corporate type printing - large signs etc. Next best polish here are from the German restaurant called the Hofbrau, but those are heavier and more greasy, but good just the same. None of that Johnsonville stuff unless I'm desperate! 

Theophan

SGH said:

... Not to hijack, one of my very favorite combos is dogs and flat iron... a heck of a combo. 

I have no idea why, can't pretend this is rational, but for some reason, the steak looks great, the dog looks great, but the combination does not, to me, anyway.  I feel like I'm usually in the mood for one or the other, but not both.  I can't imagine cooking a great steak and wanting a hot dog.  And if I'm in the mood for hot dogs, then I'm not in the mood for steak.  Gotta admit, I've never tried it, though.  Maybe I will one of these days.

I'm glad you made it a balanced meal with the green vegetable, though!    Most of the time all I think about is the meat, and when it's done, only then all of a sudden it occurs to me that maybe I should have some sides...

fishlessman

Carolina Q said:

The difference between Pearls and Nathans, Kayems, Ball Parks, Oscar Mayer or any other readily available dog I've ever seen is sheer size. They are HUGE! This is one of the Pearls (that haven't yet been frozen) next to a Kayem that I took out of the freezer just to pose for the pic. Both are natural casing dogs...
If the other companies sell 1/4 pounders, I've never seen 'em. The Kayem might be a tad longer than an Oscar Mayer, but will fit on a standard bun. Pearl sells standard size dogs too, but I've never seen 'em. And besides, what fun is that ?!

Put another way, One 2.4 oz Kayem has 170 calories. One 4 oz Pearl has 300 calories!!

the standard size pearls are small, too small, rhode island gagger small. the 1/4 pounders are the way to go, the little pearls dont pack the same flavor

Theophan

DoubleEgger said:

Just get the Varsity Chili in a can. You know it's all from the can anyway. 
https://thevarsity.com/shop/home-products/varsity-chili-in-a-can.html

Had no idea it was available!  EVERY canned hot dog chili I've ever tasted was just awful, dreadful, slimy muck that wasn't worth eating.  But if this stuff really is what everybody raves about at the Varsity, I bet it's good.  Might try it, thanks!

Carolina Q said:

I used this one. Next time, I may cut back on the flour a bit. Never been to Pink's so I don't know if it's accurate. 

http://www.noshcookbook.com/2013/06/pinks-hot-dogs-of-hollywood-chili-recipe.html

Here's another. Thought I might try it next time. The guy said he got the recipe from the above noshcookbook link, but they are different. http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1170862/pinks-hot-dog-chili-recipe-los-angeles#latest

Please post your thoughts and/or modifications if you try either.

My wife just made a bunch of her mother's old recipe for hot dog chili, which is good, but both sweet and vinegary.  It's not my favorite, really, but a nice change, and she loves it because of course it's a childhood memory.  So it'll probably be a while till I make any hot dog chili, but I'm saving both of those recipes, and probably will give one or both a try one of these days.

My own childhood favorite is Flint, Michigan style "Coney Island" chili, which is quite different than most hot dog chilis, but maybe similar to Pink's and Varsity, I don't know, never having tasted either of them.  It's very mild, not soupy at all, no beans, and I think the original recipe was all, or mostly beef heart, not ground beef, which gave it a different flavor.  I may try making that again, too, one of these days.

Thanks again!