Why The Order In Which You Top A Chicago-Style Hot Dog Matters (From A Chicagoan)

A Chicago-style hot dog is a beautiful thing. I mean, even Anthony Bourdain said they were his favorite dog on the planet — which is no small endorsement. There's a few variations on them, but the quintessential one that most people think of is the one with the most color; topped with yellow mustard, diced onions, unnaturally green sweet pickle relish, sliced tomatoes, a pickle spear, sport peppers (which are really a thing), and a fine dusting of celery salt. The ideal version is served on a poppyseed bun, which gives you little tobiko-like pops as you chew. The hot dog itself would ideally be from local manufacturer Vienna Beef, which has the perfect spice profile and beefy flavor you want as a backdrop for all those toppings.

We've covered the Chicago-style hot dog from many angles (The Takeout was originally founded in Chicago, after all), but there's one thing we haven't talked about — the fact you can make them at home with some simple prep. This basically means just dicing up some onions, slicing up some tomatoes, and trimming down an oversized pickle now and again. The assembly, however, is something that too often goes unaddressed. With that many ingredients, you'd think it's just fine to slap all that stuff on there and call it a day, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. 

I am a lifelong Chicagoan. I've assembled many of these hot dogs, one time celebrating National Hot Dog Day at my friend's restaurant where he sold them for $1 each. (That was a long day.) In terms of proper order, there's one cardinal rule you must always follow.

If there's one thing you take away from reading this, never forget this one rule: Put the mustard on first. This is a non-negotiable. The mustard acts as an anchor for the looser toppings. If it's on top of everything, you're going to get the mustard all over your fingers and face. A Chicago-style hot dog is supposed to be a joyful experience, not one you finish angrily thanks to an ill-placed condiment.

Now that you have the mustard directly on top of the hot dog, use a spoon and place your desired amount of onions on one side of the bun. Now put the relish on the opposite side, creating a sort of wet condiment bed. Tuck the tomatoes in between the bun and the hot dog (it's up to you which side). The cut of the tomatoes here is crucial. The ideal cut is a flat half-circle since a wedge will force the top of the bun open, weakening the bottom hinge of the bun which can easily tear apart.

Next, put the pickle spear on top — but do it skin side up. (There's a reason for this which I'll explain later.) Tuck as many sport peppers as you like neatly along the side of the pickle and sprinkle a light amount of grassy celery salt on top. All done. Your first dog might look a little sloppy, but if you have your topping station prepared you already have an assembly area that can pump out a ton more. You'll get better with each subsequent dog.

There's no getting around the fact that eating a Chicago-style hot dog is messy. If you're not hunched over, it's a potential disaster in the making. I promise they don't have to be this way, though. If you've topped them properly, what you'll want to do is employ a claw-like grip on the back end using your non-dominant hand; using your index and middle finger to gently push the pickle, tomato, and sport peppers down on the dog. Meanwhile, use your dominant hand to cradle the bottom and guide the front end into your expectant maw.

This is why the pickle skin facing upward is key. That skin acts as a shield, keeping your fingers from coming into contact with too much of the other toppings. You're always going to come away smelling like vinegar and mustard no matter what you do, but you'll have mitigated the worst case scenario. Again, this is another reason why the mustard must be placed first. If this sounds complicated, it's not. Most people instinctually eat a Chicago dog properly without instruction. I'm just putting this into words in case you need a little confirmation that you're doing it like a Chicagoan.

What's handy is, if you're at a hot dog or Italian beef stand in Chicago, they usually hand you the hot dog wrapped in sandwich paper. (Maybe that does secretly signal that a hot dog is a sandwich.) The sandwich paper compresses all the toppings together, making the entire thing smaller, more compact, and tidier.