Summer may be coming to a close, but that doesnâ't mean the national appetite for hot dogs is sated. Americans supposedly wolf down some 20 billion dogs each year, which works out to more than 70 per person. Most of them are low-brow blends (a charitable modifier) of meat.
(According to the entertaining and slightly educational Web site Hot Dog City, "The ingredients in hot dogs have been the subject of much humor, rumor and speculation.")
But there are plenty of haute dogs out there, too. And this summer the folks at D'Artagnan, purveyors of foie gras since 1985, introduced a line of links that are a home run compared to the sacrifice bunt of Farmer John's "Premium Meat Wieners".
D'Artagnan's new line includes Uncured Beef (raised specifically for D'Artagnan), Uncured Buffalo, Uncured Pork (made with heritage pork from small family farms) and my favorite, Uncured Duck, which has a refined aroma and flavor with a hint of sweetness.
No mystery meats here. With D'Artagnan you know exactly what you're getting. The dogs are all natural with very short ingredient lists: the pork, buffalo, duck or beef; salt; spices; raw sugar; paprika; natural celery juice powder; and garlic. No nitrates or nitrites, no preservatives, growth hormones, antibiotics or artificial ingredients.
They're pricey -- about $4.50 for a pack of four 3-ounce links -- but they taste great alone and lend themselves to creative and classy toppings.
While we're on the subject of hot dogs...and isn't everyone with the all-American Labor Day weekend looming?
Check out two terrific blogs dealing with the wonderful wurst.
SeriousEats does a mouth-watering round-up of regional hot dog favorites that includes the Tubby Dog in Calgary (topped with peanut butter and jam, wasabi, and Cap â'n Crunch cereal forgodssake) and Vancouver's Japadog which is crowned with daikon, miso sauce and nori, among other things. (What's with those Canadians anyway?)
Pictured at left is the less rambunctious Slawdog that's beloved in the South
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The AlDenteBlog offers a hilarious take on "Five Hot Dogs That Will Kill You."
My favorites are the Paula Deen's Lard Dog and the truly frightening South Korean French Fry Hot Dog on a Stick, pictured here, right.
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