Going to the Dogs
Blake Street Tavern
2401 Blake St.
303-675-0505, 303-675-0002
Chicago
6680 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood
303-233-0500
Chopper’s Sports Grill
80 S. Madison St.
303-399-4448
Mustard’s Last Stand
1719 Broadway St., Boulder
303-444-5841
Mustard’s Last Stand II
2081 S. University Blvd.
303-722-7936
Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs
3525 E. Colfax Ave.
303-333-7627
Woody’s Chicago Style
19423 N. Turkey Creek Road, Morrison
303-697-3962, 877-469-6639
Dressed to Impress
Hot dogs can be dressed any number of ways, depending on where you”re from. What’s your preference?
Chicago: Poppy seed bun, yellow mustard, neon green relish, chopped raw onions, tomato slices and celery salt.
Kansas City, Mo.: Sauerkraut, melted Swiss on a sesame seed bun.
New York: Steamed onions, pale yellow mustard.
Coney Island: Topped with chili, created by the Original Coney Island Company at New York’s famed Coney Island Amusement Park.
Atlanta: Served with coleslaw.
Corn dogs: Called “corny dogs” in Texas. Hot dogs are placed on a stick, dipped in corn-bread batter and deep-fried.
Tex-Mex: Topped with salsa, Monterey Jack cheese and chopped jalapeño peppers.
Pigs in a blanket: Best known from scout outings as sausage or hot dogs wrapped in pastry dough and baked.
Baltimore: Split, deep-fried and folded into a slice of bologna. Go figure.
-Ellen Sweets
What’s Inside
You really want to know? Here goes:
What’s a nitrite?
Sodium nitrite is used to cure meat to preserve it. Nitrite delays development of botulism, causes the pink color and preserves flavor.
What exactly is “mechanically separated meat”?
A batterlike meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat under high pressure through a device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue.
What else is in there?
Binders: added soy filler, helps processed meat retain shape
Starter cultures: bacteria added to ferment sausage
Phosphates: helps emulsion stability, known as the “all-purpose” chemicals because they are used in dish detergent, meats and seafoods, biscuits, toothpaste, fertilizer, cola drinks, pet food, canned fish and condensed milk.
Erythorbate: controls nitrite curing reaction, maintains color
Dextrose: refined cornstarch, used to balance salty flavors
Citric acid: for tangy flavor
-Kristen Browning-Blas
Sources: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; sustainabletable.org; extension.umn.edu
