I had my cap set on some natural casing hot dogs the other day; after all, I had just received a new shipment of Skyline Chili in the post, and I needed something to slather it on!

Natural casing hot dogs are my favorite, but not America’s – less than 5% of the hot dogs sold in the US coming in casings (sheep intestines, usually).   People that prefer NC dogs like the “snap” one gets when biting in to the dog; an additional plus is the casing locks in flavor and juices.  I enjoy both attributes of this type of wiener.

Being as the masses like the skinless dogs, that’s what you’ll find in most groceries.  I had to hit four stores before scoring my dogs the other day.  Store # 3 usually has Boar’s Head in the deli case, but they were out, so it was on to Sheridan Fruit Market; Sheridan whips up about 30 different kind of sausages on site their meat counter, I figured franks would be among them.

I figured wrong.  But Sheridan also has a separate deli counter, featuring New Jersey’s Thumann line.   They had a pack of weenies just for me.   The Thumann’s natural casing beef wieners are a bit over-sized – six to a package, and retail for just north of $7, a bit spendy for a grocery dog.    But you get what you pay for.

And Thumann’s packs a punch of flavor.  Most of America’s hot dogs are rather bland affairs, I’ve heard people describe them as “basically rolled up bologna,” but Thumann’s follows a more traditional “old world” recipe, and the delicate flavor of the combination of herbs and spices is quite evident, and enjoyable.  The “snap” is great.

Most hot dogs we purchase are pre-cooked, and thus require only reheating at home.  Natural casing dogs require a “gentle” reheating, so as to not split the casing open during the cooking process.   You’ll hear many different methods of doing this, whether it’s boiling water, shutting it off, and letting the dogs take a hot water bath for five minutes;  slow grill;  simmer; steam.    For today, I did low and slow in a skillet.

I like the Skyline “chili”, and I have that word in quotes, because in a fair amount of the country, you’ll see a product like this referred to as “hot dog sauce.”  The Midwest version is usually minced ground beef in a tomato-based sauce, with herbs and spices.  Ohioans like some cinnamon in the mix.   In the Deep South, you’ll find onion-based sauces.

I prefer the Midwestern style, as it was what I was first exposed to, at my all time favorite go-to dog place, Deluxe Coney Island in Duluth.  The Duluth version doesn’t include cinnamon, but today, in Portland, Oregon, at 330 AM in my kitchen, the Skyline Chili was just what the doctor (some doctor, somewhere, certainly not mine!) ordered!

Skyline Chili

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Once upon a time, in the not too distance past, someone, somewhere, decided the city of Los Angeles needed to give its blessing to “an official hot dog for L.A.”

Time passed, the public was lobbied, people voted, and the powers that be proclaimed “the official hot dog of Los Angeles is a bacon-wrapped hot dog!”

And so it was ruled, and so it became the law of the land.

Hoffy seized the opportunity to combine two of their top products from the manufacturing line – high quality hot dogs, and high quality bacon, and produce the first grocery store available bacon-wrapped dogs for the home cook.

We sampled Hoffy’s bacon dogs this week, and are pleased to say the results of our tests…….superb!

Hoffy has taken an over-sized skinless wiener and wrapped it in their excellent bacon, you only need heat in a skillet or on the grill for a delicious and different treat.

What makes it so good?  Well, for Mrs. Burgerdogboy and I, we both like that the bacon took the dog to a new level in flavor, and added a depth to the taste.  The crispiness of the bacon also gives the hot dog some crunch/snap of it’s own, even tho it’s a skinless frank.

Preparing these at home worked best for me when I paid attention to two things:  1) beginning the cooking process with the side of the hot dog DOWN that has the loose bacon end.  That way it won’t unravel at an inopportune time.  The other step I took was to mind the stove during the process, rotating the dog numerous times to insure that the bacon was cooked evenly.  Not paying attention could lead to some lopsidedness in the bacon doneness factor.

An excellent product, Hoffy people.  We’re sure it’s going to be a huge success, in Los Angeles, and wherever Hoffy products are sold.

If you can’t find them in your local store, ask the store to stock them regularly.  While you are waiting, order some from Hoffy’s site online.

Here’s a pic of what these bacon babies look like just before consumption!

(Ed. Note: products were furnished to us by manufacturer).

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There are as many ways to cook a hot dog as there are recipes and formulations to manufacture them.

Most hot dogs come to grocers pre-cooked, and virtually every “skinless” hot dog falls into this category.  All-natural, uncured, and other varieties have not been cooked or smoked at the factory, and thus require heating at home before being consumed.

Every single consumer has a preference for the way they like their hot dogs cooked, whether one chooses steaming, boiling, pan-frying, deep-frying, or grilling.  Many people believe the correct way to “cook” a hot dog with a natural casing is to place the sausage in a stove top pan with water, bring the water to a boil, shut off the burner, and let the dog sit in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.

My personal preferences run the gamut – I like them all ways, but usually pan-fry them or go with some variation of the hot water above.

With a natural casing dog, you never want to using too much heat, or too long in the heat, as casings (usually lamb intestines) are delicate, and the very point of using a natural casing is to keep the juices in and ready to ‘snap’ with each and every bite.  Rupturing the casing during the cooking process will spoil that experience, and flavor and internal savory juices will run out of the dog before you get a chance to consume it.

Grilling works best if you’re going low and slow.  A number of fast and casual food establishments drop dogs and sausages in the deep fryer for a moment, in the quest for efficiency.   As with any deep-fried product, the quality of the end result is going to be dependent upon the quality and cleanliness of the oil, as well as the temperature of the fryer.

With raw sausages, at home (like Italians and brats), I parboil them and then finish them in a frying pan or on a stovetop griddle.  You can add flavor to some milder sausages by putting onions, or herbs in the boiling solution; some people also make boiling solutions from beer or other alcoholic beverages.

With Hoffy’s Bacon Wrapped dogs, my greatest success came with a relatively low temp skillet/griddle on the stove top, and paying special attention to continually rotating/turning them so that the bacon would be cooked evenly and to a perfect doneness.

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This week we begin a spotlight series on regional brands.

Hoffy is a brand name known to Los Angelenos for over 75 years. Chances are, if you’ve eaten a natural casing hot dog at a restaurant in L.A., it came from Hoffy.

The world-famous Pink’s uses a specially formulated dog from Hoffy, for example, and Hoffy sells a “Hollywood Original” hot dog in a grocery pack.

The Hollywood Original is the first Hoffy product we tried this week.  An all-beef, oversized dog ( 5 in a 12oz package), the dog comes in a natural lamb casing.

Hot dogs in natural casing, tho making up only about 5% of the US grocery store sales, are a favorite among true hot dog lovers.  Being packed in a casing, (as opposed to the regular mass consumption hot dogs in the US, which are referred to as “skinless”), the natural casing offers resistance when you bite into the sausage.  Consumers call this “snap”, which is derived in the sausage trade from the rough translation of the German work “knack”.

(The German noun Knackwurst—which, in English is sometimes corrupted as knockwurst—comes from the German words knacken (“to crack”) or knackig (“crisp”). This refers to the swelling of the sausage during cooking, so that the skin becomes pressurized and balloon-like, and tends to “pop,” often exploding the juices, when bitten into.)

In addition to beef and water, the Hoffy Hollywood original has a bit of corn syrup, flavorings, and paprika, and comes in at a very low 2 carbs per dog, if you’re prone to watching carbs.  This is a fairly traditional “hot dog” recipe.

Today, of course, “hot dogs” (franks, wieners) can be found with a myriad of ingredients and/or meats.  Turkey dogs, chicken dogs, all pork, all beef, vegetarian.  At home, on a rare occasion, we cram casings full of a variety of seafood and herbs, great for summer grilling.

Having consumed 10,634,127 hot dogs in my life (est.), I think the Hoffy Hollywood Original is a superb dog, which will appeal to most consumers.

I’m a hot dog “purist” and keep my condiments to a minimum, on last nite’s pups, I went for yellow mustard, diced onion, and dill pickle chips.

A peculiarity in the Burgerdogboy household, while I insist on premium hot dogs, my taste in buns runs to the least expensive in the store at any one time.  So rarely am I paying more than a buck for a pack of buns.

The oversized Hoffy fills the standard bun (and more) as seen below.

With an all beef recipe, mild flavor, and great “snap”,  Hoffy Hollywood Original will become a dog of choice at our household, and they should be in yours, as well.

(Ed. note:  Hoffy products sampled were furnished by the manufacturer).

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The Hoffman Brothers Packing Company was founded in  Southern California in the 1930s by three siblings and thrived for decades.  Hoffman produced sausages and other processed meats from their factory in Vernon, CA, and were well-regarded suppliers to grocers and restaurants around SoCal.

By the late 1970s, the industry had changed significantly, and larger concerns were dominating the industry, producing a great deal of pressure on the mom and pop operations.  In another lifetime, I personally poked my nose in dozens and dozens of small sausage manufacturing facilities in Louisiana, many of whom started in a kitchen or garage, and grew into multi-million dollar operations.  I saw the effect of the large corporate squeeze on operators of this size.

In an attempt to vertically integrate before the phrase was even coined, Hoffman invested in a hog slaughtering facility in Nebraska.  The deal went south, and coupled with the death of the company patriarch, Hoffman piled up a mound of debt and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1993; they filed under Chapter 11, which allows a company to keep operating while reorganizing or attempting to find a buyer.

Hoffman chose the second option, and in 1995 found a savior in  in Square H Brands, Inc., a company formed by the principals of a number of other successful food companies, including the founder of Kal Kan, Stagg Foods (canned chili) and Palisades Foods.  The principals of the companies were all members of the Hirsch family.  The were joined by Henry Haskell, who still serves as President of Square H Brands.

The quartet was determined to bring the meat processor back to its former glory days, and to date, it sure seems like they are on target to do so.

(Here’s a sidebar on how to cook a hot dog at home).

(Information for this post was compiled from a variety of sources, on and offline).

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Yippee kay yay, pardner!  Belly up to the bar, straddle the saddle, and be welcomed to one of the friendliest “dive bars” in the Portland area, with food all day long, and nightly specials.

What constitutes a “dive bar?”  Well, according to the all knowing, all seeing, magic 8 ball Wikipedia, these days, it’s really a term of endearment, meaning “relaxed, casual, neighborhood” type place.    And the Stagecoach fits that bill.

So while ordinarily you will find a strictly local crowd, I urge you, if this kind of place is your thing, to take the drive to Fairview and experience the food, ambiance, and staff of the Stagecoach.

Not only is the waitstaff friendly and efficient, they are very easy on the eyes.  Hopefully you will experience Sara or Kaitlan manning the shift.

Of all the goofy circumstances, we hit the Stagecoach after a massive Thanksgiving feast at a friend’s house nearby.  Not hungry at all, but merely looking for a little additional holiday libation, we did sample the Stagecoach’s Thanksgiving dinner ($6.95) – perfectly done deep fried turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and a fluffy yummy dinner roll with a big gob of butter.

I had my heart set on trying the local specialty “Pappy Dog” (Mondays only), and I’ll get back there for that.

We did share the deep-fried pickle spears, and Stagecoach understands what a deep-fried pickle is all about.  A little seasoned battered spear, perfectly crisp, crunchy, flavorful pickle inside, and a ramekin of ranch on the side.  I love these!

The Stagecoach is located in a small strip small of NE Sandy. 20101 NE Sandy Blvd, in Portland, or Fairview, depending on the attitude of your GPS.  The #12 bus stops at the door, so leave your car at home and make it a TriMet adventure night!

Giddyup.  Pull into the Stagecoach, and have a great time!

Tip often, tip heavily.  These women work hard!

Update: “Taco Tuesday”. 4 for a buck! Good stuff!

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Food companies: Americans need your help right now. We’ll make it up to you later, we promise. Seems like every time I go into a grocery store, which is 3-4x weekly, everything is up another dollar. Seriously? Yes, we know your costs are up, but aren’t you taking advantage just a wee little bit?

I for one, think so. Can’t you ease back on the profits for a year or two? Can’t you make this promise to us? We’re hurting, if you haven’t heard. $10 of gas is enough to get us to the next gas station. Turkeys that used to be free with minimum purchases at this time of year, are now only offered at “less per pound.” But $25 for the average turkey? Are you kidding me?

I wonder how many Americans are going to “celebrate” Thanksgiving over dollar menus at fast food outlets?

Tomorrow we are going to give thanks for our country, our faith, our families, our friends. You’ll probably be giving thanks for banner profits and dividends.

I’m all for making money. I wish I was. For the most part, I’ve had a very fortunate life. Now our family is struggling just to keep the roof over our heads and the lights on.

It’s not funny. But you know what? Our family has it a lot better than a lot of people, this I know for sure.

$60 – $75 dollars used to feed a family for a week. Now it buys a couple of bags of groceries, a few meals, some staples. God forbid we don’t get sick or need meds, then the grocery money would go to that.

I am calling on food companies, at least one of you, to make a stand. Roll back prices. Be transparent, at least. Tell us you are doing everything you can do to be helpful in this difficult time.

Manufacturers, slash prices. Grocery stores, don’t offer us bogus bullshit BOGOs which work out to the average every day price of the item, anyway.

Give us something to be TRULY thankful for tomorrow, and in the year to come.

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As we used to say in the news business, it’s time to rewrite the lead.  Or maybe I buried the lead in this story.  In any case, after a long talk this afternoon with Mrs. Burgerdogboy, she pointed out some things to me I should have written about.  And of course, she’s right.  She’s always right.

My first posting of this story dwelled on the obvious, the food, quality, service, décor.  But I completely missed telling you “WHY”, and I want to and need to.

In your life, you’ve probably heard as many times as I have that there can be no greater sorrow a parent can’t endure than losing a child.   From time to time, when I’ve had occasion to worry about my own daughter, and that thought has crossed my mind, well, I couldn’t imagine what I would do, or how I would survive.

In a tragic event, on a family vacation, the Powlinsons lost their precious daughter Rachel.  One thing that is sure uncertain in life is how we handle grief in any situation, and the loss of an innocent life, one’s child, is unfathomable under any circumstances.   People handle grief in all sorts of ways, some positive, some negative.  I remember when my mother passed; my father came home from the funeral and threw out all her clothes.   A talk with a minister and counselor let me know that this was OK, that people need to work through grieving in their own manner.

Some of us in this situation would shut ourselves off from the world, the rest of our family, our friends, and our community.

People with far more strength than me, like the Powlinsons, took the “opportunity” of grieving to band together as a family, to build a tribute to their Rachel, to turn sorrow into something good for their own family, and a community. You might say, “It’s just burgers and fries,” but it’s more than that.  The Powlinsons have created a family oasis, and what better way do we as Americans, have of spending quality time with our children, than sharing a simple hamburger with them?

It took my wife to point this out to me today, for me to come downstairs and rewrite this post, and urge you to celebrate our love for our children, whether they are in your own family, or a Little League team, a school debate class, Scouts, whatever, by paying tribute to the love of parents, all of us for the innocence and love that children bring into our lives.

For this reason alone, I want you to flock to Rachel’s.

I knew I admired what Dale and Rhoda had built.  But it took my wife to explain to me why I felt that way.

Now here’s the original review:

I’ve been hearing about this new place  since they opened a few months ago, and readers have encouraged me to check it out. Yesterday, I had my opportunity, as owners Dale and Rhoda invited Mrs. Burgerdogboy and I out for a lunch.

The Powlisons have been selling their burgers at the Beaverton Farmer’s market for some time, to rave reviews. They thought it was time to move into the business full time, and they took the plunge, in a neat and tidy new location in a small strip mall at 2991 SE 73rd Avenue, off TV Highway.

Some of the readers that have pushed me to get to Rachel’s have crowed about how much it is like a certain California-based chain that has an almost ‘cult-like’ following. That chain is known for their simple menu, made-to-order food, and a unique ‘off-the-menu’ ‘insiders’ way of ordering, as well.

I’ve been to that chain a number of times, and few people would argue it is the favorite of millions. Their expansion has been calculated and slow, and they don’t stray far from California.

It was Dale and Rhoda’s late daughter’s favorite fast food, and they named their restaurant as a tribute to her.

The first thing you will notice entering Rachel’s is that it is spotlessly clean. Approach the counter, and peruse the menu board, which is very straightforward and simple: single burgers, double burgers, fries, soft drinks, and shakes.

The emphasis is on hot, quality, fresh, cooked-to-order, and the prices are very reasonable.    What does quality mean to me?  Fresh ground chuck patties from Fulton Provisions;  shakes with Alpenrose ice cream;  the availability of Tillamook cheddar;  Kennebec potatoes for cut-on-the-spot fries, the very same potato the California chain uses.

Burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and signature sauce, with grilled onions and pickles available upon request.  I’m rarely a fan of “special sauces”, but I liked Rachel’s a lot – it’s subtle, yet complex, was good on the sandwich and we got a bit of dip for dipping fries!

The “off the menu” ordering includes the “Chief” burger, and the “Fire Chief”; I ordered the former, which is a cheeseburger, lightly seasoned, grilled with a mustard schmear, and I absolutely loved it.

Mrs. Burgerdogboy went with the standard single, and we had fries, which are crispy outside, and soft inside, and the milkshake Mrs. BDB had was divine.  She barely left me have a taste!

In our work and lives, Mrs. BDB and I are all about supporting mom and pop enterprises, and Dale & Rhoda deserve your business, not only because they serve great product, but from the ingredient list above, you can tell they are all about supporting local businesses as well.

We loved our lunch at Rachel’s, and wish them all the success and prosperity their hard work and dedication deserves!

They are open Mon-Sat from 11A-9P.

(Ed. Disclosure:  the owners of the restaurant comped our meal).

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Some examples of final meals include:

• Lawrence Russell Brower: two chicken-fried steaks, a bacon cheeseburger, an omelet, barbecued meat, fried okra,  fajitas, pizza, ice cream, and peanut butter fudge
• Teresa Lewis: fried chicken, sweet peas, Dr. Pepper,  and German chocolate cake
• John Wayne Gacy: deep fried shrimp, a bucket of KFC, French fries, and a pound of strawberries
• James Edwards Smith, who was executed in Texas in June 1990, takes the prize for one of the strangest last meal requests: a lump of dirt.
• Victor Feguer: a single, unpitted olive
• Timothy McVeigh: two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream

So here’s this week’s thought provoker:  since most people are very passionate about their favorite hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza, if you, for any reason, where able to have a last meal consisting of one of these three favorites, what would your choice be, from where, and why?

My own?   Pizza, definitely from my home-town favorite:  Sammy’s, a local chain in the Upper Midwest.  I’d order a sausage and pepperoni pie with green olives.

Hot dogs?  Also day with my hometown favorite,  Original Coney Island.  My last hamburger?  That would pose a dilemma for me, there are so many great ones in the country these days.  If I had to choose one from the burgers I have had in the past year, it would definitely be the Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe!

How about you?  If you had to choose one final hamburger, hot dog, or pizza, let us know what it is, and where from?

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We’re gearing up for one of our semi annual trips around the US to ferret out the best (and worst) burgers, hot dogs, and pizza.   This time around, we’ll be traveling the East Coast, from Maine to Miami, hitting the birthplaces of pizzas in the US, the Jersey diners, the Carolinas BBQ trail.

But we need your support, whether by donation, or as a big-time sponsor.  This is grueling work, you know, and we can’t give you the dope without your help.

To donate any amount, hit the button below, and you know the drill.  If you are interested in a larger roll, consider sponsoring us…..motor home rental, motel rooms, gas, restaurant chains, food and beverage manufacturers, you know who you are!

For sponsorship, or to toss us some of those half-used VISA/Amex gift cards you have sitting around, email us directly.

Many thanks for your support.  Financial-wise….readership wise.

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