This Beloved Ohio Staple Makes Chicago Hot Dogs Look Like Child's Play

Chicago-style hot dogs are famously the "everything but the kitchen sink" of regional American hot dogs. The Windy City specialties are loaded up with what seems to be an entire garden's worth of hot dog toppings (which must be added in a very specific order). However, it turns out there's another over-the-top Midwestern sausage sandwich that somehow makes the Chicago-style hot dog look modest by comparison: the Polish Boy. 

This Ohio delicacy consists of a kielbasa sausage, smothered with french fries, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce, all stuffed within (or more accurately, overflowing from) a bun. If the Chicago Dog contains a complete salad, the Polish Boy is stuffed with a whole barbecue dinner. This unique mashup of herbaceous European pork sausage and its other savory toppings is beloved by diners across the Buckeye State, and it's particularly popular in the Cleveland area, where it's a staple of street stands and barbecue spots across the city.

The exact origins of the Polish Boy are, like so many beloved state dishes, decidedly fuzzy and hotly disputed. Some credit its creation to Virgil Whitmore, a local restaurant owner who started offering the comforting combination at his barbecue spot in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant neighborhood around the 1960s. However, who exactly first put these unexpected ingredients together, and why, remains a delicious mystery. What we do know is that the delightfully messy sandwich seems to have popped up in Cleveland in the mid-20th century, and it's been an Ohio classic ever since.

At its core, a Polish Boy must contain four core ingredients: kielbasa sausage, coleslaw, french fries, and barbecue sauce. Beyond that, creative variations abound. These days, Ohioans can enjoy Polish Boys made with vinegar-based or creamy coleslaw, a wide range of barbecue sauces, and nearly every size and shape of french fry. Extra-hungry diners can even opt for a Polish Girl, which is essentially a Polish Boy dressed up even further with a small mountain of pulled pork. Whether you're a barbecue fanatic, hot dog lover, or simply enjoy a good tried-and-true regional American food, this uniquely indulgent Ohio specialty is well worth a shot.