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Carolina-Style Hot Dog

A temperature-clashing Southern classic built on fine chili, cold slaw, and bright red pork and beef franks.

Flag of United StatesOrigin: The Carolinas, United States
Carolina-Style Hot Dog illustrated hot dog icon

Origin region: The Carolinas, United States

The anatomy

Vessel
Standard soft white bun
Sausage
Bright red-dyed pork and beef frankfurter
Region
The Carolinas
Ingredients

The Carolina-Style Hot Dog is a lesson in temperature contrast. Ordering one "All the Way" means you get a pork and beef frankfurter topped with warm, finely ground beef chili, yellow mustard, raw onions, and freezing-cold coleslaw. The traditional sausage is dyed a bright, neon red, which is a point of cultural pride in the region. The result is a heavy, dripping hot dog that requires you to eat it quickly before the soft bun collapses. To prepare it, cook the bright red franks on a grill or skillet until charred. Warm the buns by steaming, then layer the mustard, warm chili, raw onions, and cold, finely pulsed cabbage slaw directly over the sausage.

Method

  1. 1Pulse green cabbage in a food processor until it is chopped into tiny, uniform bits.
  2. 2Whisk together Duke's mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a small amount of finely grated onion in a bowl, then fold in the cabbage and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. 3Combine ground beef with water or light beer in a saucepan, crumbling the meat as finely as possible with a spoon.
  4. 4Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and finely chopped onions, then simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes until velvety.
  5. 5Grill or pan-fry the bright red frankfurters for 4 to 6 minutes, rolling frequently to develop a gentle char.
  6. 6Steam the soft hot dog buns until they are warm and pillowy.
  7. 7Tuck a hot frank into the warmed bun and apply a single stripe of yellow mustard directly on the sausage.
  8. 8Spoon a generous layer of the warm beef chili over the mustard, scatter raw diced white onions on top, and finish with a heavy scoop of the cold coleslaw.

Sources

Controversies

The traditional bright, fire-engine red food coloring used on classic Carolina-style pork and beef frankfurters is highly controversial due to FDA health regulations regarding Red Dye No. 3.

Our take: A brown hot dog in North Carolina is an insult. The red dye stays, regardless of what the regulators in Washington say about lab rats.

Putting ketchup on a Carolina hot dog ordered "All the Way" is considered a sacrilege and is banned at historic establishments like The Roast Grill.

Our take: Ketchup has no business here. The sweet, cold coleslaw and sharp mustard provide all the balance the chili needs.

The state is split along barbecue lines regarding whether the hot dog should be topped with creamy white mayonnaise slaw or ketchup-and-vinegar-based Lexington red slaw.

Our take: Use white mayonnaise slaw. Red slaw belongs next to pork shoulder, not on a hot dog that already has beef chili on it.