The Dog House

The obligatory chow shot. Alex didn't go for a footlong; the 3150 ft.
hike up Mt. Monadnock didn't do much for his appetite.

The Dog House

Sam likes their turkey burgers (she'll kill me for posting this).

The Dog House

The Dog House has their own special-made footlongs, produced by a
local meatpacker. I believe all-beef with a natural casing but can't
recall. Last time I spoke with the owner, a woman in her eighties,
about the dogs was a year ago. This time around it seemed like time
had caught up to her, as she was operating a little slower and her
son, who comes up from NYC on weekends to help, was not talkative this
time around.

Pictures here are the two footlongs I ordered, the top with cole slaw
and chili, the bottom with a hot pepper relish. The cole slaw was just
right but I couldn't taste the chili; the relish is my favorite with a
definite heat and a little sweet. The dogs had a snappy casing with
the light flavor you get with good pork franks.

The Dog House

Located along Route 101, about 20 minutes from Mount Monadnock, the
Dog House serves up some pretty tasty dogs with home made condiments,
buns, and sides.

Fred's Franks Redux

Alex with his second dog, the yin yang mix. Notice how he constructed
it, a la Fred's under-the-meat way.

Fred's Franks Redux

Alex with his first dog, with the habonaise mix and sweet sauerkraut.

Fred's Franks Redux

Sam and I's friend Alex decided to take a break from Brooklyn and come
visit this weekend. He's a fellow hot dog enthusiast so I took him to
Fred's Franks on Saturday. I decided to have a go at one of Fred's
creations, the shnurble--a hot dog with chorizo. It's not on the menu
but if you're in the know and ask for one, they'll make it for you.
Fred put together the condiments for me on this dog; he made my
favorite, the yin yang (explained in my last post). He put the
condiments under the meat, which I don't usually do but it worked
perfectly for this dog.

Fred's Franks

Because he uses a big green egg to grill, the dogs come out with an
extra-snappy casing and look almost burned--but that's not a bad thing
at all. I tried a regular dog but they also have a larger dog, in
addition to chorizo and linguica dogs. Condiments are set out for
customers to create their own dog and are a pretty interesting
assortment: a habanero-mayo-mustard mix (which Sam is partial to),
relishes, sweet sauerkraut, hot sauces, mayo, sweet onions, and the
ever-present ketchup. Featured here is what they call the yin-yang,
which has mayo, chohlua hot sauce, and sweet sauerkraut. I was a little
hesitant at first but it's now my standby.

Fred's Franks

Fred's Franks is just off the circle at 129 and 128 in Wakefield. I had seen his website in April but had forgotten about the stand until we ran across it on our way to REI during the first week of May. Fred's has an interesting ordering scheme--after ordering your dog, they give you a numbered ticket and the appropriate amount of hot dog buns. You wait with your bun until Fred, the man at the big green egg, calls your number and you go up to get your dog.

Speed's hot dog wagon

The Holy Grail of hot dogs, Speed's 1/2 pound smoked hot dog with all the toppings. The bun is also grilled, which helps it stand up to the 1/2 pound dog slathered in sauces. You might think that all the different condiments would lead to a sensory overload but it turns out to be a savory and sweet combination that makes for a hot dog unlike any I've ever had before. I think next time I'm at Speed's I'll try my favorite type of dog, what we call a Coney Dog back home in Indiana--a dog with mustard, onions, and chili.

Speed's hot dog wagon

Hank, with pinky raised, daintily dines on his dog

Speed's hot dog wagon

Paul digs into his dog with a poorly hidden joie de vivre.

Speed's hot dog wagon

The grill, which had a mixture of wood chips and charcoal. Notice the
aluminum pan on top of the hot dogs--Hank explained his father does
the same to keep the flame down and trap the smoke on the dogs.

Speed's Hot Dog Wagon

The list of condiments to pick from. I suggest the very messy Boston
Speed's way--"loaded"

Speed's Hot Dog Wagon

Summer's finally here and I've made my first trip to the famous Speed's. Thanks to Hank (on the left) for driving us down to New Market Square and to Paul (on the right) for putting the trip together.