Will the hot dog ever beat the burger?
Sophie Morris considers whether the hot dog can take on burgers and become the nation's favourite meaty feast...
Sausages are a British BBQ favourite. We all know the drill – buy in some of your favourite bangers, barbecue until at least a little burnt, slap into a white bun and smear liberally with ketchup.
US-style hot dogs
We are less well acquainted with the hot dog. You probably met some frankfurters if you grew up in the 70’s or 80’s, but these German wieners, though they have their place, are no match for the authentic US-style hot dog, or a proper German wurst.
Traditional British sausages are made from pork, unless you go out in search of a different type of meat, but hot dogs are supposed to be a pork and beef mix, apart from the pork-only Frankfurter.
Questionable quality
Maybe you’ve treated yourself to a late night sausage from one of the carts around our city centres, but it’s difficult to know what quality you’re munching here – it’s the sort of food choice best forgotten come the cold light of day.
Popular street food
The Americans however, they sure know their dogs. This is the original US street food, and given its frequent appearance in film, getting a hot dog with someone seems to be a byword for friendship, understanding, a common goal.
Heck, shelling out a few bucks for extra onions and mustard is almost a mating call on the streets of New York City or at a ball game.
Uncertain origin
Hot dogs weren’t invented in the US though, and there are lots of claims about the provenance of the hot dog.
The word frankfurter comes from Frankfurt and wiener from Vienna. German immigrants first began selling sausages in rolls in public spaces from 1865. Other European immigrants, including Greeks and Jews, soon followed suit, and a national obsession was born.
The innovation, really, was the bun, which allows diners to munch on the street food without getting messy or burning their hands on the hot sausage.
The best burgers in town
Over here, we have leaned towards the burger, which has gone all gourmet in recent times.
Forget a slimy Big Mac. Head to London’s Byron, Birmingham’s Handmade Burger Company, the Gourmet Burger Kitchen (very impressive for such a big chain) and my local favourite Hache. You can go posh at Hawksmoor or Bar Boulud or trendy at Meatwagon.
And if you want them delivered straight to your door, you can also pick up some pretty great burgers from Westin Gourmet, Douglas Willis or Glenlyon Gourmet amongst others, though you will have to cook them yourself of course!
Dog-tastic
Yet it finally looks like hot dogs are learning from the burger fad, and upping their game to please choosier palates.
Take The Dogfather, for example, a cult cart (usually found at the North Cross Road Market in East Dulwich) serving up 100% beef dogs with absolutely no added crap.
Instead, the hot dogs are pimped into a chilli dog, the Mexican Elvis, which comes with chilli, cheese sauce and jalapenos, a Snoop Dog wrapped in bacon, BBQ sauce and creamed corn mayo, and a couple more inspired choices, including a curry dog. And instead of the generic white bun you walk away clutching a hunk of crusty baguette.
Over at X Burger House in north west London, choose from a classic X Hot Dog with onions and mustard or try the Brazilian sausage with peas, sweet corn, pickles and mayo.
If you want to go Deutsch, Primo’s Gourmet Hot Dogs in Leeds has a winning selection of bratwurst, bockwurst and all beef frankfurters. Toppings take inspiration from Mexico, Spain (chorizo with tomato salsa), Italy and the US.
Kurz & Lang in London’s Smithfields market brings authentic bratwursts to hungry office workers, and over at Borough Market, the German Deli has the sort of selection that could kick off a serious sausage habit.
Can the dog – done properly of course – topple the burger from its cherished spot in our hearts? We might just have a mean, meat-packing competition on our hands – for now I’m keeping my options open.
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