MICHIGANS, A NEW YORK STATE-STYLE HOT DOG

Okay, if the title of this post has you scratching your head, I'm right there with you. As I was channel surfing last week, I heard mention of this "delicacy." I thought no more about it until this weekend as I sat deliberating over the week's menu. When I asked DSO if he had any requests for dinner, did I hear seafood Newburg or steak Diane? Crockpot chili or shrimp with broccoli rabe? I did not. What he did ask for--no beg for--was hot dogs. I kid you not. When we first started dating and would speak on the telephone at length, I would frequently ask him what he was making for dinner. His answer was usually, "hot dogs and spaghetti" or "hot dogs and beans" or "hot dogs and cole slaw." The man likes his dogs. Since I'm assuming most of my readers know how to prepare hot dogs--should they ever eat them--I decided to go online and see what this Michigan hot dog was all about. Imagine my surprise when I found the following entry here. I won't quote the whole entry, but I found it interesting that:


"A Michigan hot dog or, 'Michigan,' is a steamed hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a meaty sauce, generally referred to as 'Michigan Sauce.' The sauce may or may not be tomato-based, depending on where the Michigan is purchased. Michigans can be served with or without chopped onions. If served with onions, the onions can either be buried under the sauce or sprinkled on top of the sauce.



Michigans are a particular favorite in the North Country of New York State, and have been so for many decades. In fact, one of the earliest known advertisements for Michigans appeared in the Friday, May 27, 1927, Plattsburgh Republican.


Oddly enough, “Michigan hot dogs” are never referred to by that name in Michigan itself, nor anywhere else in the Midwest. A similar food item, the “Coney Dog” or “Coney Island dog”, is a hot dog topped with onions and either chili or a meatless chili called coney sauce. Conversely, the “Coney Island” is not called as such on Coney Island, or anywhere else in New York State; it’s called either a “Michigan” or a “Red Hot.” Finally, in southeast Michigan, a “Coney Island” is also the local slang term for a greasy spoon."

If you're interested, the post goes on to give the origins of the Michigan as well as several recipes for the sauce. The sauce I decided to make was from http://www.cooks.com/.

MICHIGAN HOT DOG SAUCE FROM N.Y.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 reg. onion

1 tbsp. chili powder

Level tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. prepared mustard

3 tbsp. catsup

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

6-8 oz. water


Saute onion in oil, add ground beef until brown, return to heat - add remaining ingredients, let simmer at least 1 hour adding water if necessary to keep mixture moist.

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TASTE NOTES
If you're going to eat hot dogs, eat good ones. I like Boar's Head and they make a lite dog that has just 90 calories and tastes just like the original. While spicy isn't my thing and I generally eat my hot dogs unadorned or with a bit of sauerkraut, for reporting purposes I tried some of the sauce on my hot dog. It was tangy and far better than I had expected. I would omit the crushed red pepper if I make this again. DSO was in pig heaven, carrying on about how delicious this was, asking if we could have it again soon.

I think this would be a great appetizer for your Superbowl party. You could cut each dog in two or three pieces and serve it as finger food. A chacun son gout (to each, his own).