Chicago-Style Hot Dogs

3.9

(9)

9 Reviews

Whatever you do, hold the ketchup.

Chandra Ram

Published on May 9, 2024

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

A Chicago style hot dog on crumbled white paper — Photo:
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Julian Hensaring / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Active Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

15 mins

Servings:

Any region known for their hot dogs will have strict rules about what should and should not go on top. In New York City, you’ll find steamed or boiled hot dogs topped with yellow mustard, sauerkraut, and caramelized tomatoe-y onions. In Cincinnati, chili cheese dogs reign supreme. Head North to Detroit where hot dogs are topped with coney sauce — an all-beef, tomato chili — plus diced onions and yellow mustard.

There are few hot dogs quite as iconic and over-the-top as those found in Chicago, where locals take their hot dogs — and their toppings — seriously. Here, all-beef hot dogs are blanketed in a colorful assortment of mandatory toppings: yellow mustard, finely chopped white onions, neon green sweet relish, sliced tomatoes, dill pickle spears, sport peppers, and celery salt. If you order one, don’t dare ask for ketchup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in a Chicago style hot dog?

A proper Chicago hot dog will be topped with yellow mustard, finely chopped white onions, sweet green relish, sliced tomatoes, dill pickle spears, sport peppers (a variety of a hot chili pepper), and celery salt. Each of these ingredients are designed to add a complex but complementary flavor in each bite.
What are the rules for hot dogs in Chicago?

A Chicago hot dog should always be tucked in between a steamed bun, ideally one that is speckled with poppy seeds, which is the first rule of this Midwestern offering. The all-beef hot dog may be steamed or boiled but never grilled. Next are the toppings, ranging from bright white chopped onions and juicy sliced tomatoes to fluorescent green relish and sunny yellow mustard.

What doesn't belong on a Chicago hot dog?

One ingredient you’ll never find on a Chicago-style hot dog is ketchup. The absence of ketchup is an unspoken rule that all Chicagoans — and visitors in the know — oblige by.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

While some hot dogs are grilled or fried, a Chicago-style dog is simmered or steamed. Steaming the buns while you simmer the hot dogs means both cook at the same time and helps you get these hot dogs on the table quickly.

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Ingredients

4 split hot dog buns, preferably poppy seed buns
4 all-beef beef hot dogs
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 small white onion, finely chopped
4 to 8 sport peppers
Celery salt
1 small tomato, halved and sliced
4 dill pickle spears

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, place hot dogs in water, and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. After 3 minutes, place a steamer basket into the pot, add the hot dog buns, and steam the buns until warm, about 2 minutes.
Remove the steamer with the buns from the water, then remove the hot dogs with a slotted spoon or tongs.
Place a hot dog in a steamed bun. Top with mustard, then relish, onion, peppers, and celery salt. Nestle the tomato wedges between the hot dog and the bun on one side, and a pickle spear between the hot dog and the bun on the other side. Repeat with remaining hot dogs, buns, and toppings, and serve immediately.