Hot dog, haute dog!

Chicago chefs welcome summer by putting their own spin on a Chicago fave

Classic Chicago-style hot dogs are legendary, with their all-beef snappiness, poppy seed buns, neon-green relish and racy little sport peppers. It's the summertime nosh of choice for many, residents and visitors alike. But there are times a classic needs updating.

Who better to reinterpret the classic dog for today than some of the chefs whose cooking has put Chicago's on the culinary map.

Good Eating asked five chefs to put their own spin on the wondrous wienie. The only caveat: Create something the home cook can feasibly replicate.

The chefs responded with considerable enthusiasm. And their results, well, were sometimes unusual but always delicious.

Charlie Trotter: Asian tuna hot dog

Add another phrase to the long list of adjectives describing Charlie Trotter: "Lifelong hot dog eater."

Whether at the ballpark or a neighborhood joint or the airport terminal before a long flight, expect to see the world-famous chef eating a hot dog.

Trotter has fond memories of post-Little League hot dogs with the team at the north suburban Hot Dog Island, particularly the "fluorescent" green relish. "I thought it had great texture," he said, chuckling.

In developing his Asian-themed tuna hot dog in the kitchen of his eponymous restaurant, Trotter said that he wanted a dish that represented how people eat today: lighter, healthier.

"If a cook can make a tuna burger, why not a tuna hot dog?" Trotter wondered. And that decision led him to the Asian flavors and garnitures found in his sushi-grade tuna hot dog.

As with many tuna presentations today, Trotter's calls for the outside to be seared and the inside undercooked. He also likes to use sheep casings from nearby Gepperth's Market on Halsted Street to encase the chopped tuna in a classic hot dog shape.

Rick Bayless

Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo knew instantly who would serve as inspiration for his recipe. He turned to his grandmother, Gladys Potter, who used to serve chili- and cheese-topped hot dogs to her grandkids in toasted New England-style buns.

"I can remember my brother, sister and I standing next to the stove with our forks and knives waiting for these hot dogs to come out of the oven," he recalled. "I thought that this recipe, put in the context of Chicago as I know it today, would make a memorable recipe."

That meant using Mexican ingredients, naturally, but Bayless also chose the meat with care. He went with a Polish-style spicy beef sausage to salute another of the immigrant communities that made Chicago what it is today.

Developing the recipe was clearly lots of fun, both for Bayless and his team.

"It was so hilarious in the test kitchen," he said. "People were coming out of the woodwork to try them."

For Bayless, the use of cheese, chorizo sausage and black beans "embraces" the texture of the hot dog well.

Bernie Laskowski

Executive chef Bernie Laskowski of Park Grill turned to a Greek gyro sandwich in developing a recipe for a lamb hot dog topped with olives, onions, tomatoes, pepperoncini, feta cheese and tzatziki, a yogurt and cucumber sauce.

Delicious, yes, but Laskowski still owes allegiance to the classic Chicago hot dog.

"I work out a lot because I eat too many hot dogs," he said, laughing.

"I grew up with corn dogs as a staple in the small hot dog stands that studded the South Side," Laskowski added. "I would scoop up $2 by doing odd jobs for the neighbors and looking for loose change in the cushions. This led to my obsession with hot dogs or anything encased in an intestine."

You'll find a variant of the corn dog now on his happy hour menu: mini duck hot dogs with cherry ketchup.

Koren Grieveson

There's a lively smoky and spicy attitude to this hot dog from chef de cuisine Koren Grieveson of Avec. That's no accident.

"If I'm going to eat a hot dog, these are the flavors I want," she said. "I love grilled, charred flavors, I love grilled onions ... It's kind of a simple win-win. And I had to throw some bacon in it."

Grieveson said the hot dog recipe reflects what she likes to cook personally, with the dish taking on a definite Latin cast.

"I love hot spicy food," she said.

Shawn McClain

"I think tofu, although scary-sounding to most, is getting more mainstream," said Shawn McClain of the Spring Restaurant Group.

This vegetarian tribute to the hot dog may help make tofu win even more appreciation.

"I pictured the Chicago dog with all its fun ingredients on top and thought we could do a little kimchi and hot sport peppers," he said. "I kind of wanted to have the similarity and appearance of the Chicago hot dog, but when you bite into it, it's like a fresh, spicy summer salad."

Though McClain's recipe calls for creating tofu "dogs" out of a 1-pound block of extra-firm tofu, he said commercially made tofu sausages can be used instead.

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