While they may not be the healthiest items on the menu,
hot dog cravings are real. Add-ons can elevate the humble hot dog to a personal delicacy,
and anyone who has never tried it alligator style definitely needs to.
Headed to your local diner for a quick bite,
or a Major League Baseball game for a day of fun and hot dogs? You'll likely be able
to order your hot dog "alligator style" and get just that. What exactly is that, though?
"Alligator style" simply means a pickle spear is served next to the wiener right inside the
bun — whether it's by itself or among the other toppings. According to Food & Wine,
this request is more common in Ohio, where dogs are often topped with Cincinnati chili.
Adding a dill pickle spear isn't a unique idea when it comes to hot dogs,
though. If you're a fan of the ever-popular Chicago-style hot dog,
you'll remember that a pickle spear is part of its appeal, too. In the same vein as alligator style,
that ever-present pickle lays with the oh-so-delicious dog in a Chicago dog.
Bottom line? When you have a hankering, you can make any hot dog alligator style
just by tucking a long slice of pickle into the bun right next to the meat.
But let's back up: What is the story of Cincinnati chili? Skyline Chili,
founded in 1949 by Nicholas Lambrinides,
is one of the most famous purveyors of what would come to be known as Cincinnati chili.
According to WXVU, this chili recipe has Greek and Macedonian roots. Many people
describe Cincinnati chili as sweet, and it's the use of warm spices like cloves,
cinnamon, and allspice in the bolognese-like sauce
that conjures up this association in the American palate. Sounds delicious?
"I want all the hot dogs please." "No, no, no. You don’t have to do that."
"I'm buying all the hot dogs."
According to The Atlantic, the chili dog is a story of American assimilation. The hot
dog wiener itself is the industrialized version of a German-style sausage. The
affordability and speed of hot dogs made them a hit at street
food carts for late-night bites and for hungry workers on a short lunch break.
As for the topping, two chili lineages unfolded almost simultaneously in
different parts of the country. A version of chili inspired by Mexican
chile con carne eventually evolved for the American palate by the early 1900s,
while the Greek and Macedonian-inspired chili gained traction in the northeast and midwest.
Several restaurants in Michigan and Indiana claim to have served the first coney dog — a
hot dog topped with chili, onions, and yellow mustard. New York City's Coney
Island does have a long history of serving hot dogs, but it was diners in the midwest
that repurposed the name. These often-Greek diners called themselves Coney Islands,
and it's there that the Smithsonian says hot dogs began to be regularly topped with chili.
Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island, both in Detroit,
are two of the most well-known establishments serving up this iconic dish. Thomas and John
Kiradjieff claim to have been the first to offer the cheese-covered,
Cincinnati chili-slathered coney dog in 1922 at their stand in Cincinnati, Ohio. However,
a different story unfolded around the same time in Chicago, Illinois in 1929.
According to Block Club Chicago, the first Chicago-style hot dog is attributed
to Fluky's and was originally called a Depression Sandwich. A simple dog could
be loaded up with cheap toppings to create a meal. Typical adornments include relish,
mustard, tomato, onions, sports peppers, celery salt, and a dill pickle spear.
All that means if you ask for a hot dog alligator-style in Chicago
it likely won't mean a thing. But in Ohio, you'll get the pickle spear on your chili cheese dog. It
can't be said for sure how alligator-style became a practice, but getting a dill pickle
on a Cincinnati coney is definitely a snapshot of two iconic moments in American hot dog history.