Along with burgers, homemade ice cream and watermelon, hot dogs are emblematic of summer cookouts. Misunderstandings about the beloved wieners continue, including disparaging remarks from previous generations about the body parts for sourcing, but the truth is most hot dogs and sausage dogs in restaurants are sourced from premium cuts. While they may not be the most popular items on menus, those who love them really love them, and OKC has enough choices to make the dog lovers very happy.
Burger Punk—Street Dog.
Rachel Cope’s burger joint isn’t just good at burgers. She’s doing her part to alleviate the shortage of great chili cheese dogs in the metro with the Street Dog, featuring house-made chili, Liquid Gold queso and diced white onion. The frank is Nathan’s so it’s all beef, and the queso gives strong nostalgic comfort to those of us who miss mom’s football watch party queso in the Crock-Pot.
Cal’s Chicago Style Eatery—Chicago Dog.
This pleasant surprise on the NW Expressway is brought to us by a former Chicagoan who apparently missed the dog carts that dot the streets of home. This is a classic Chicago dog, with sport peppers, relish, mustard, veggies and a pickle spear, of course.
Fassler Hall—Sausage Dog.
fasslerhall.com/locations/oklahoma-city
The good news here, besides the sausages being made in-house, is that you can pick the one you want to build your dog, and that includes lamb, venison, bratwurst, habanero-chicken and even vegan. Load up the extras like sauerkraut, grilled onions, peppers and feta or cheddar to make it just the way you like it.
The Goat Sports Bar—Okie Style Hot Dog.
The new addition to Bricktown from Convivial Concepts features excellent food from Chef Carlos Martinez, including his “Okie” take on a classic. The all-beef frank is served with caramelized onions and candied jalapeños. Finding a dog with a spicy kick is difficult in the metro, so the heat from the peppers is very welcome, but you can take them off if it’s not your thing.
Lorena Southern Twist—Conecuh Dog.
This modern take on a Southern restaurant has introduced OKC to a staple of SEC football tailgating, the Conecuh sausage. Chef Cally Johnson uses the hickory-smoked pork sausage from Alabama elsewhere on the menu, too, but for Social Hour, it’s on a bun with fried okra, collard greens and Natty Light mustard.
Ma Der Lao Kitchen—Lao Sausage Dog.
During happy hour at Chef Jeff Chanchaleune’s Plaza District spot, diners have the option of a sausage dog made with sai oua, pickled papaya and charred cilantro mayo on a potato roll. It’s a punchy, spicy (if you wish) burst of Lao flavors, and it pairs perfectly with ice cold Beerlao.
Spark—Corny Dog.
Another burger joint with a great dog; in this case, it’s the corn dog you should be eating all the time, even when the State Fair is in town. Whatever magic is mixed into the batter is a proprietary secret, but the end result is as if a pancake and fluffy cornbread had a beautiful batter baby, and the pork-beef blend with no fillers from Schwab Meat is a lovely contrast to the hint of corny sweetness in the batter.
This article appears in Best of OKC Winners.