Few dishes are more easily identifiable as Filipino, like sisig, which is a hot plate of pig parts minced in citrus, garlic, and chilies. Perhaps none is more clearly American than hot dogs, which is a source of infinite interpretation.

When chef Chance Anies set out to increase the menu of Tabachoy the Philadelphia restaurant, which showcases the Filipino American foods from his childhood, he came on Sisig Dog. Sisig Dog was built to please all of his customers. “Filipinos know sisig, locals know hot dogs,” Anies stated. He came across Martin Hot Dogs from Martin, which is an American-made version of the design of frank that is popular across the Philippines. “They are bright red,” Anies stated. “The color is artificial, but I felt like if we’re doing a Filipino hot dog, we need a Filipino hot dog.”

The Sisig Dog at Tabachoy in Philadelphia. For how to make the dish at home, look up the recipes here. PHOTO: CHANCE ANIES

It’s a multi-napkin and meat-on-meat monster: A crimson-burned dog that has been blistered inside a toasty bun covered in curry mayo and served with a rich pork belly sisig, pickled carrots and green-papaya slaw, with the final garnish of crispy shallots and chopped scallions.

Although it may be a little extravagant, it’s not the most expensive dog you can get these days. Take a look at the $29.95 version offered by the restaurant with fine dining Mischa in Manhattan. Or for the sheer swagger it’s The Slider Dog brought to Cleveland’s Progressive Field by local bar and restaurant Happy Dog, which comes packed with Froot Lovers Pimento Mac and Cheese and bacon.

It’s not like hot dogs require to be a difficult sale: According to National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC), Americans buy more than 90 million pounds of hot dogs every year from grocery stores in the United States alone. They also spend more money in July, which is National Hot Dog Month, than the other months. “We have seen that over the years, people have gotten a lot more creative with how they top their hot dogs,” said NHDSC president Eric Mittenthal.

The $29 Half-Pound Hot Dog at Mischa in Manhattan. The 8-inch frank made of dry-aged brisket that is griddled in dry-aged fat of beef with a roll of potato is served with brisket chili and five condiments made by the kitchen, including bacon-habanero and kimchi crisp. PHOTO: EVAN SUNG

At Mischa Chef Alex Stupak lets that $29 hot dog – 8 inches long and weighing a half-pound, speak for the dog itself. It’s made from dry-aged brisket packed inside a pork casing, and grilled in dry-aged beef grease, the hot dog is served plainly with potatoes baked on the premises. However, the $29 price will get you a variety of toppings you can use as you like, such as the brisket chili as well as house-made condiments such as kimchi bacon-habanero chile crisp, and yellow mustard colored by tagete flowers.

Stupak thought of his dog as a response to the custom blend burger, which is now a staple in New American restaurants. “We kind of moved all the qualities that we felt were important in a burger and gave them to a hot dog,” he stated. “So when people are like, ‘$29 for a hot dog, what the hell?’ That hot dog is harder to make than a burger.”

“I Hate That I Loved the $29 Hot Dog” is the headline of a review by EaterNY’s Robert Sietsema. The growing popularity has made it the mainstay of the menu, and is available in the lunch hours as well as for dinner. “I just thought it would be too heavy for lunch when we opened, but the people have spoken,” Stupak explained.

Red’s Favorite at Red’s Beer Garden in Atlanta. In their beer garden-bottle store, Kristen ‘Red’ Sumpter and her husband, Ed Sumpter, serve this famous dog, topped with homemade pimento cheese with fig jam, and a smear of bacon. PHOTO: KRISTEN ‘RED’ SUMPTER

Similar to Edgar Rico, chef, and co-owner of Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas, the hot dog is an ideal canvas for art and imagination. He wraps his nixtamalized-corn tortillas with the Crispy Dog, also known as Space Glizzy as a homage to San Antonio’s deep-fried dogs. “We were doing a homage to old-school Tex-Mex classics, and this dish left quite an impression,” Rico said.

The Nixta team is able to take an artisanal locally-sourced 44 Farms hot dog and wraps it up first in slices of American cheese and then wraps it in the taqueria’s handmade tortilla. They shave a skewer across the dog before frying it. “Essentially what happens is the corn tortilla seizes up to the weenie and the cheese kind of melts, and you get this almost corndog-like effect,” Rico said.

A classic crispy dog comes with mustard and ketchup on the side. Rico creates his “fancier,” with zigzags of mustard and ketchup as well as a relish made of tomatillo and onions, and puffed amaranth, for a crunch. The kitchen makes 20 dogs each day, and is accessible between 5 p.m. till 6:30, or until they’re gone.

Crispy Dog aka Space Glizzy at Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas. Chef Edgar Rico’s homage Crispy Dog, also known as the San Antonio crispy dog is an all-beef, local hot dog encased in American cheese and served with a homemade tortilla that is deep-fried and served with mustard, ketchup, and a tomatillo-onion relish. PHOTO: EDGAR RICO

At Guelaguetza, the Los Angeles restaurant Guelaguetza, chef Bricia Lopez cooks mostly dishes from her native Oaxaca. In her latest book, “Asada: The Art of Mexican Style Grilling,” written by Javier Cabral, she includes an ode to street dogs. L.A. street dog. Contribution of Mexican people to American hot-dog tradition, this bacon-wrapped hot dog is cooked slow and low until it has a crispy exterior. Wrapped in a toasty bun and topped with green peppers, onions that have been charred, and serrano or jalapeno chiles, It’s then topped with mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. “The smell of the grilled onions and peppers and bacon, that’s how it smells outside of every club in L.A., every sporting event,” Lopez stated.

In the street of L.A. This bacon-wrapped sausage stuffed with grilled onions and peppers is a low-cost meal for on-the-go. Check out the recipe below. 

For her for her, for her, the L.A. street dog naturally reflects Mexican-American cuisine and a sense of identity. “We made Cheetos spicy,” she said. “Of course, we’d create a hot dog with a kick. Of course, we’d include bacon and chiles, and add the right amount of flair, since that’s what we are.”

I’ve been observing the overdressed dog trend for a couple of years after I came up with my own version of known as the Chaat Dog. I was raised in Chicago where we adore the idea of a dog “dragged across to the garden”–that is, topped with neon-green relish as well as the yellow mustard spear of dill-pickle as well as pickled sports peppers, tomatoes, onions, along with celery salt. (But you’ve probably heard this, given that the Chicago dog recently made its way into menus far beyond Windy City.) In honor of my Pakistani roots, I substitute my South Asian snack chaat for the standard Chicago-dog toppings.

Corn and Poblano Chaat Dog

It’s essentially an American-style hot dog but with a flavor that reflects the writer’s Pakistani background. The chaat can be prepared for up to 2 days ahead and is also great as a food item to accompany. Sev, Bondi the chutneys, and many other South Asian ingredients are available in South Asian markets and online at FoodsOfNations.com.

Total Time:11 hour and 30 mins

SERVES: 8

Ingredients

  • For the Chaat:
  • Four ears of fresh corn to be shucked
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1. A small onion minced finely
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • Cloves made from 1/2 head of garlic, chopped
  • Two tablespoons chaat masala plus additional Garnish
  • 2 tablespoons mint-cilantrhautney with cilantro, homemade or bought from a grocery store
  • One lime juice
  • for Hot dogs
  • 8 hot dogs made of all-beef.
  • 4 tablespoons of ghee that has been melted or olive oil
  • 8 hot dog buns loaded with toppings cut with the help of a knife
  • for the Garnish:
  • Cilantro Chutneys made of tamarind and cilantro made at home or bought from the store
  • Fried onion or shallots like Trader Joe’s Finely Fried Onion pieces Maesri Fried Shallot
  • Sev (crunchy chickpea flour vermicelli)
  • Boondi (crunchy chickpea-flour balls)
  • Chaat masala
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Pickled peppers you like

Directions

  1. Create the chaat on an open grill or in an enormous saute pan set over medium-high temperature, lightly grill the corn all over. Then, char the poblano until the skin has blistered and the pepper begins to become soft.
  2. When the corn cobs cool enough, Use an abrasive knife to slice kernels of corn from the cob. Put the kernels inside a big bowl, and remove cobs. Take off the blistered skin of the poblano stem, seeds and stem. Poblano laid flat then cut into strips then cut into pieces.
  3. Pour oil into an enormous saute pan set over medium temperature. As soon as oil begins to shimmer then add the onions and half of the salt. Cook with a constant stirring until the onion begins to soften, which will take about 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook until mixture starts to caramelize, which will take about 3 minutes, but make sure that it doesn’t burn. It should become a golden brown.
  4. Mix in corn kernels with the remaining salt. cook, stirring often and scraping any brown bits that have accumulated on the surface of the skillet until the flavors meld, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Transfer the corn mix into the mixing bowl. Mix in chaat masala, chopped poblano with cilantro and mint, as well as lime juice. Mix thoroughly Taste and adjust the flavors as required. If you don’t want to use it immediately, keep it refrigerated until you are ready to use it.
  6. Make the hot dogs On a grill that is hot or in a saute pan on medium-high temperature cook them, flipping them frequently until they are nicely browned. While the hot dogs cook thoroughly, brush the buns’ sides with Ghee. In a separate pan, sauté to cook the buns, toast them for 1-2 mins per bun.
  7. Transfer the buns to a serving platter and then place a hotdog tightly inside each bun. Then, top each with 2 tablespoons of corn mixture. Serve with the chutneys. Sprinkle each dog with 1 tablespoon each of fried onion sev, boondi, and sev. Sprinkle each dog with one teaspoon of masala chaat, 3-4 fresh cilantro leaves, and two pickled peppers. For a little spice, garnish with a teaspoon brine of pickled peppers. Serve on a platter and be sure to keep a napkin in the kitchen.