Background: There’s a place in my neighborhood that serves an Austin Dog. It’s a very very good hot dog. However, it’s the only so-called Austin Dog I’ve heard of. There are several other good dogs in town, too. But they don’t coalesce into a civic style of hot dog. Before they do, I’d like to humbly submit a suggestion for an Austin Style Hot Dog, not to be confused with the very good Austin Dog that predates it. Here are the moves I use to make it at home:
- Get an all-beef Texas hot dog.
- Get a bolillo roll.
- Make some Black Beans and mash them with a fork.
- Make some Guac.
- Make some Sauerkraut and Escabeche and chop them fine with a pickled cucumber to make a relish.
- Add Pico to the sauce for Mac ‘n’ Cheese to make a quick queso.
- Assemble together as follows: black beans schmeared on one side of the toasted bolillo; guacamole schmeared on the other side of the bolillo; dot dog goes in the middle, obviously; top with queso; finish with escabeche relish.
Why It Works
- It’s Texas. It has to be all beef. It has to be local. Look at the size of the bolillo. It should also be big.
- The bolillo roll is more substantial than a hot dog bun. It’s also less prone to getting soggy, which is important when you have heavy spreads like beans and guacamole. It’s also French bread served in Mexico and Texas. So you’ve got several of the cultures that have come together in the area.
- Black beans are popular in Austin but don’t scream Tex-Mex like refried beans (not that there’s anything wrong with screaming Tex-Mex). They are also a staple of vegetarian food, which is going to be important in the mods.
- Guac might be the most unifying food in Austin. Who doesn’t love guac even when it’s extra.
- The Sauerkraut is a nod to the generations of Germans who settled in Central Texas. They didn’t invent fermented cabbage, but everyone knows Frankfurters and sauerkraut go together. The escabeche is a nod to a Mexican tradition of pickling. The pickled cucumber has become naturalized on a hot dog. Mix all three and you get an amazing relish. Also, because of the variability of sauerkraut techniques, escabeche recipes, and pickle styles, Austin-style relish could be one thing containing an infinite number of possibilities. Every hot dog place could have their take on this relish.
- Topping the dog with queso in Austin is a no-brainer. It was everything I could do to keep myself from suggesting that the Austin Style Dog have corn chips crumbled on top.
- Because you are assembling on a bolillo, it’s going to be important to cover a lot of surface area with beans, guac, and queso and be liberal with the relish. Also, again, the hot dog should be big.
Mods:
- Make a vegetarian version by swapping out the hot dog with some vegan dog. It won’t be very Texasy, but it will still be Austiny.
- Most of the mods should come from the various recipes for black beans, guac, escabeche, sauerkraut, pickle relish, pico and queso.
- Crumble corn chips on top.
Caveat: I have no business suggesting any of this. I’m not a native Austinite. I’m not a native Texan. I belong to none of the cultures that gave any of the components to this dog. I’m a Midwesterner. However, I have been a keen observer of the ways of Austin since 2002 or so. That should count for something. Also read the history of the Hawaiian pizza or Cincinnati chili or really dig back far enough in any classic dish and you will find that, well, food moves.