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Dodger Dog

A ten-inch pork frank in a six-inch bun, engineered for maximum overhang and stadium nostalgia.

Flag of United StatesOrigin: Los Angeles, California, United States
Dodger Dog illustrated hot dog icon

Origin region: Los Angeles, California, United States

The anatomy

Vessel
Standard white hot dog bun
Sausage
Ten-inch skinless pork frankfurter
Region
California
Ingredients
Chopped white onion illustrated ingredient icon

The Dodger Dog is the defining concession of Chavez Ravine, built on a simple structural imbalance. By placing a ten-inch pork frank in a six-inch steamed bun, you get two inches of naked sausage hanging off each end. This requires a specific eating strategy, but it has kept stadium lines long since 1962. Grilling is the classic method here, giving the skinless casing the necessary blister that steaming simply cannot replicate.

Method

  1. 1Soak the ten-inch pork sausages in a shallow bath of domestic beer for 12 minutes to plump them.
  2. 2Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates.
  3. 3Grill the sausages for six minutes, rotating regularly to ensure even browning and blistering.
  4. 4Place the standard-sized white buns in a steamer basket for the last minute of cooking until they are warm and soft.
  5. 5Nestle the grilled sausage into the steamed bun, centering it so two inches of meat overhang each side.
  6. 6Apply a continuous line of yellow mustard down the center of the sausage.
  7. 7Squeeze a parallel line of tomato ketchup next to the mustard.
  8. 8Spoon a line of sweet pickle relish over the sauces.
  9. 9Scatter finely chopped raw white onions over the top.

Sources

Controversies

The 2021 Supplier Split (Farmer John vs. Papa Cantella's)

Our take: Losing Farmer John after five decades hurt the nostalgia, but Papa Cantella's produces a solid, clean-snapping frank. The outcry was mostly theatrical.

"Boil-Gate" and the Steamed vs. Grilled Feud

Our take: Steaming is for speed, grilling is for flavor. The stadium tried to take the easy way out in the nineties, and the fans rightfully revolted to keep the flat-tops burning.