Chicago Style (NA (unless you are on an airplane))

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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First Officer 6PC
So, much like all people, I have heard of Chicago style pizza. The pizza that is the best thing in the world but 1 slice is enough to make you hate yourself for 3 days and keeps the craving at bay for 1/4 of a year. It is a soupy, saucy, pie that combines all of the delight of not eating New York style pizza with the knowledge that NY style pizza is a better.

I went to Chicago yesterday and my co-worker says "You ever have a Chicago dawg?"
"Nope. Never heard of such a thing". He says I will be right back and brings me this thing that defies anything I would ever refer to as a "hot Dog" with the exception that 10% of its components are hot dog-like.




20250907_163116.jpg





In the red circle, we have some sort of spicy (but not too spicy) peppers
In the Blue circle, we have an entire pickle spear
In the magenta circle, we have what they probably call "Relish" but it is not the relish we have come to know and love.
In the green circle, we can debate if it is a fruit or a vegetable but its what we have.
In the seafoam-green circle, we have jalapenos.
In the orange circle, ,we have a future failed drug test.

20250907_163116.jpg

I have never heard of a Chicago dog and much like the pizza, I started liking myself a little less after eating it. Is there a NY style dog?

@Sac Arrow blur your eyes so you can't see the bread part and you will be on board.

At any rate, I have never heard of such a thing. It was awesome and messy and I want to have one twice a year.

That is all.

What else can we get "Chicago Style"?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What else can we get "Chicago Style"?
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There's the Chicago Manual of Style.

I'll occasionally get a Chicago-style hot dog when passing through Ohare, because it seems like the right thing to do, but it's not my favorite style of hot dog.
 
There really isn’t ny STYLE pizza. It’s NY pizza. Everything else has to have a ‘style’ to differentiate it from the best. Now there is what is called a dirty water dog but that could be had most anywhere, just prob most famous in the city. Not the ny style city, just the city.

I don’t think I’d ever eat that thing you have pictured there.
 
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Objectively the best style of hot dog. I make them at home now.
And those peppers are 'sport' peppers if you want to be truly authentic. I think it may mean that they can't fly at night or IFR but aren't sure.
 
The peppers are "sport peppers". The relish is a greenish/blue relish. There's also the dill pickle spear, tomatoes, mustard (never ketchup) and it's topped with celery salt.

The ones I've had have the tomatoes sliced into smaller wedges that fit better. I really like the pickle spear. Seems strange, but it goes really well with the hot dog.

As far as the pizza, Chicago is known for more than the Chicago Deep Dish. There's also the Chicago Stuffed Pizza and, my favorite, the Chicago tavern style pizza. I've made all three at home following the recipes in these three videos. Definitely try the tavern style.



 
Not a fan of Chicago style dogs. Too many vegetables.

Chicago deep dish sucks.

Chicago thin crust is better and what most Chicagoans get.
 
The fluorescent green relish is called Giardiniera.
Not Jalapenos but small "sport peppers."
The mystery veggie is just a tomato.

Also required is the application of celery salt.
 
Bonus points for using the yoke as a plate.
 
flyingron said:
The fluorescent green relish is called Giardiniera.
Not Jalapenos but small "sport peppers."
The mystery veggie is just a tomato.

Also required is the application of celery salt.
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Giardineria:
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Also comes in mild.

Hot dog relish:

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Kind of a sweet and sour flavor.
 
The Heinz relish is NOT what goes on a Chicago dog. It has to be bright green. While most Italians wouldn't characterize it as Giardiniera, that is what the Chicagoans call the stuff they use.
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I ordered these jars of sport peppers on Amazon and they are about right but they are huge compared to what you usually get.
 

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Everything but Ketchup!


Speaking of pizza - next on your list needs to be Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company. Really fun unique place.
 
eman1200 said:
There really isn’t ny STYLE pizza. It’s NY pizza. Everything else has to have a ‘style’ to differentiate it from the best.
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New Haven pizza is the best. I’ll let New York and Chicago quibble over second place. :)
 
That's not a hot dog.
 
Chicago is one of my favorite cities, Italian beef and the dogs are good. The pizza is an abomination .
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What else can we get "Chicago Style"?
Click to expand...

Chicago Typewriter

chicagoandcookcountycemeteries.com

the Chicago typewriter – February 14, 1929

Today, your computer keyboard uses the QWERTY system, (the first six letters on the top line of your keyboard). It is a carryover from the mechanical typewriter that most of us older folk remember.…
chicagoandcookcountycemeteries.com chicagoandcookcountycemeteries.com

Which was popularized there because people were angry at having to suffer through the city's version of dogs and pizza.
 
Dave Theisen said:
New Haven pizza is the best. I’ll let New York and Chicago quibble over second place. :)
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I've gotta try some of that. I've flown with several guys that drive down from that area and go on and on (and on) about the pizza.
 
Chicago doesn't actually have a pizza style. I do understand everyone's confusion due to the appearance and all but truly as a public service let me clear this up for everyone. It is call Quiche, it's clearly a lovely and well made quiche that just happens to resemble our beloved pizza, nothing more. Now, if your in the mood for pizza then I would be remiss if I did not direct you a few hundred (450 direct or 530 by land) miles to the east to Buffalo, where you would find truly divine pizza, wings, and if so inclined a little beef on weck. Just don't stay in that god forsaken state or the tax man will drain your wallet in ten seconds flat ....
 
Racerx said:
Round here it's just thin crust. Actually my favorite is double decker. A pizza on top of a pizza.
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I was just about to mention the double decker. When we visit the wife's family there's a place in Grayslake where that's their specialty.
 
Ah yes, the infamous Chicago blue relish. Definitely startling the first time I saw it, but it was OK. I love deep-dish pizza at Uno's. Never had it anywhere else. One slice and you're full for the night.
 
judypilot said:
Ah yes, the infamous Chicago blue relish. Definitely startling the first time I saw it, but it was OK. I love deep-dish pizza at Uno's. Never had it anywhere else. One slice and you're full for the night.
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My favorite is Lou Malnati's. I haven't been to Chicago in a decade, so I order frozen pizzas from Lou's. Not as good as at the pizzeria, but still very good.

One thing I've always wondered is why the cheese steak is available pretty much everywhere in the USA, but the Italian beef is still mostly a Chicago thing.
 
FormerHangie said:
……One thing I've always wondered is why the cheese steak is available pretty much everywhere in the USA, but the Italian beef is still mostly a Chicago thing.
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Because <<see pics in post #1>>
 
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I lived in Chicago for 4 years. Ate a lot of hot dogs but never anything that looked like that. As far as I knew, "Chicago hot dog" just meant Vienna Beef.

The best ones came from Komisky Park, largely because we were at Komisky Park, or The Patio on Taylor St. What set the Patio apart was the fries. They put the dogs on wax paper with the fries up against them, rolled the whole thing together and put it in a paper bag. On the walk home, I had to hold the bag away from myself to keep the grease off of my pants. On opening the bag, the fries were clumped into a ball.

And Al's BBQ had amazing Italian Beef. They put it on a roll and dunked the whole thing in gravy, which runs up your arms to the elbows if you're careless.

Student comfort food at its finest.
 
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