Prepare Classic Chicago Style Hot Dogs

There's no hot dog like the classic Chicago-style hot dogs, also known as  Chicago style  "Dawgs."  Once you've had one, no other kind of hot dog will do.  Chicago has developed the hot dog into a culinary art form, and the recipe is not to be tampered with or changed in any way.  If you modify the recipe, you may still enjoy your hot dog, but it will no longer be a classic Chicago-style hot dog.   And if you've never had a Chicago-style hot dog, prepare for a gastronomical delight you never expected from the humble wiener.  Here's how it's done.

The ingredients you need to prepare classic Chicago-style hot dogs are all-beef Vienna wieners, poppy seed buns, chopped white raw onions, tomato wedges, sweet bright green relish, sport peppers, kosher dill pickle spears or slices, celery salt, and plenty of yellow mustard.

Prepare classic Chicago-style hot dogs at home using a vegetable steamer.  Steam the hot dog just long enough to heat it thoroughly, usually about 5 minutes.  After 4 minutes, steam the bun just long enough to soften it, usually about 1 minute. Place the hot dog inside the bun and cover the wiener with a generous line of yellow mustard in a zig-zag pattern.  Top the entire wiener first with bright green relish, and then with chopped raw onions.

Insert 2-3 tomato wedges, 2-3 sport peppers and 1 pickle spear (or slice) between the hot dog and the bun.  Top the hot dog with a dash of celery salt, and then it's ready to eat.

You can certainly enjoy classic Chicago-style hot dogs all by themselves.  But there are connoisseurs who swear that a true Chicago-style hot dog is simply not complete without a generous serving of excellent French fries.  The fries must be deep fried, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and light golden in color.

A word of caution.  You are absolutely forbidden to use ketchup on a classic Chicago-style hot dog.  Ketchup on a Chicago hot dog is illegal!  It will completely destroy the delicate blend and balance of flavors that the creators of this Chicago-style masterpiece have worked so hard to perfect.  If you must have ketchup, use it only on your fries.  And if you ever order a hot dog in Chicago, do not ask for or add ketchup to your hot dog, as you may be asked to leave the restaurant!