The Best Chicago Style Hot Dog Recipe
Taste the ultimate Windy City delight with this Chicago-style hot dog recipe! Bring the magic of Chicago street eats to your kitchen with this iconic hot dog piled high with bold toppings and no ketchup in sight!
This Chicago-style hot dog recipe is the best way to enjoy an iconic hot dog at home! It’s the perfect hot dog to add to your next backyard BBQ or hot dog bar.
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve tried an authentic Chicago-style hot dog—I’m just saying. It’s like a whole salad bar and a backyard cookout had a delicious baby. These loaded dogs are the ultimate hand-held tribute to the Windy City, and making them at home is way easier (and cheaper) than flying to O’Hare with a hot dog craving.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’ve ever dreamed of eating your way through a hot dog stand in Lincoln Park or battling the napkin-necessary mess of a Portillo’s hot dog, this recipe is for you.
It’s loaded with fresh, crunchy toppings, packed with flavor, and served on a bun so soft it might bring a tear to your eye. It’s fun, nostalgic, and weirdly healthy (I mean, tomato slices and a dill pickle spear?).
Plus, it’s totally customizable, so your picky eater or spice lover will be just as happy as your hot dog purist. And let’s be real—everyone loves a reason to bust out the green relish.
After a recent trip to Chicago, I was even more determined to try to recreate this perfect beef frankfurter masterpiece. Spoiler alert: we nailed it. Now, this is our go-to recipe for BBQs, late-night snacks, and “hey Mom, what’s for dinner?” moments.
What are Chicago-Style Hot Dogs?
A Chicago Dog is an all-beef hot dog served on a poppy seed bun with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle spears, hot peppers, and celery salt. They originate from the city of Chicago, Illinois, and are made “Chicago-style” with no ketchup.
These Windy City hot dogs are the full meal deal, with colorful tomato wedges and a dill pickle spear. The iconic steamed poppy seed bun can be difficult to find in grocery stores on the West Coast, however, it’s easy to make them at home!
It’s also a challenge to find the traditional whole sport peppers outside of the Midwest, so we use delicious pickled jalapenos instead. Honestly, these classic Chicago dogs are so good, I dream of making them in my sleep!
This Chicago-style hot dog recipe is almost as good as the real thing and so fun to make for friends and family.
This classic recipe is usually only found at hot dog stands in Chicago (the photo above is from one of those stands), but today you can wow the folks at home! If you have a chance to visit Chicago, be sure to stop by Relish Chicago Hot Dogs for the BEST EVER Chicago dog, great service, and the friendliest staff.
Chicago-Style Hot Dog Recipe
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Supplies
- Wooden spoon – For scooping various toppings.
- Medium pot – To cook the hot dogs in.
- Tongs – Perfect for grasping dogs.
- Cutting board – To prepare toppings.
- Knife – This is our go-to knife for slicing and dicing in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- All-beef hot dogs – Go for good quality all-beef dogs or natural casing dogs for the full snap experience.
- Brioche buns – We love these D’Italiano brioche buns! Easily make them into poppy seed buns by brushing the outside of each bun with melted butter and sprinkling with a teaspoon poppy seeds.
- White onion, diced – A little sharp bite that adds crunch.
- Tomato, sliced – Use fresh wedges to add that juicy sweetness every Chicago hot dog needs.
- Dill pickle spears, sliced – Crunchy, briny, and absolutely essential.
- Pickled jalapeño peppers – A spicy stand-in for sport peppers if you can’t get the real deal.
- Green pickle relish – It has to be neon green sweet pickle relish, and yes, it has to be bright.
- Yellow mustard – Classic, tangy, and never replaced by ketchup. Ever.
- Celery salt – This finishing touch is what makes it a classic Chicago-style dog.
Instructions
1. Prepare all of the toppings. Remove the franks from the wrapper or natural casing.
2. Place the all-beef dogs into a pot of boiling water for about 5-6 minutes, or heat however you prefer.
3. Use a pair of tongs to place each hot dog into your poppy seed-coated brioche buns.
4. Line one side of the bun with tomato wedges, the other with a dill pickle spear.
5. Top with bright green relish, diced onion, pickled jalapeños, mustard, and a dash of celery salt.
This easy recipe makes 6 Chicago-style dogs! A true Chicago dog is one of those iconic foods that everyone should try at least once in their life.
Tips and Tricks
- Leftover hot dogs may be stored in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge. You can microwave hot dogs to reheat them for later.
- Brush your buns with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds to DIY the real Chicago vibe.
- If you can’t find sport peppers, pickled jalapeños or banana peppers work great.
- Keep your toppings cool and your buns warm for that classic street cart contrast.
- Slice your tomato wedges thin so they tuck into the bun without toppling the toppings.
- Don’t even think about ketchup. It’s basically a felony in Chicago.
- Let guests build their own at a hot dog bar—it’s fun and everyone gets their perfect dog.
- Always apply celery salt last for maximum flavor impact.
- Wrap finished dogs in foil for a few minutes to steam the bun and meld the flavors.
More Topping Options
- Thin wedges of tomato
- Sweet relish
- Polish beef dog
- Kosher pickle spear
- Sweet onion
How Long Do You Cook Hot Dogs?
- Hot dogs may be cooked in a slow cooker on high for 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours.
- When boiling hot dogs, cook them for 4-6 minutes. Learn how to boil hot dogs in this post.
- Hot dogs can be cooked on the BBQ grill for 7-10 minutes.
- Smoked hot dogs take 60 minutes to cook when smoked at 225 degrees F.
- Baked hot dogs in the oven take about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Learn how to bake hot dogs in this post.
- Air fry hot dogs for 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees F.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a Chicago-style hot dog unique?
It’s all about the toppings: yellow mustard, green relish, white onion, tomato slices, dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt—never ketchup!
Can I grill instead of boil the hot dogs?
Absolutely. Many locals love char dogs, giving that beefy Vienna frank a crispy, smoky edge.
Can I make Chicago dogs without sport peppers?
Yes! Use pickled jalapeños as a tasty substitute with a similar kick.
Where can I buy authentic Vienna beef hot dogs?
You can order Vienna beef frank dogs online or check with specialty butcher shops or gourmet grocery stores.
Why no ketchup on a Chicago dog?
Locals say ketchup overpowers the other toppings—and we agree.
What’s the best bun to use?
A steamed poppy seed bun is traditional, but brioche buns with a little butter and seeds make a pretty epic backup.
Go ahead and channel your inner Chicagoan, because these are the best hot dogs you’ll make outside of the Windy City. This hot dog recipe is a great way to add healthy options to your hot dog line up too. It’s chock full of fresh, healthy ingredients that everyone loves!
Must-Try Hot Dog Varieties
- Chili cheese dogs
- Coney Island hot dogs
- Chicago style hot dogs
- New York hot dogs
- Smoked dogs
- Tortilla wrapped dogs
- Mexican hot dogs
- Mini hot dog appetizers
- Hawaiian grilled pineapple hot dogs
- Bacon wrapped hot dogs
Be sure to check out these 20+ MUST TRY Hot Dog Recipes too!
Whether you’re hosting a BBQ, feeding hungry teens, or just craving that perfect salty, crunchy, juicy bite—this Chicago red hot hits the spot every time. Add it to your summer BBQ rotation, or better yet—surprise the family with a full-on hot dog cart experience in your backyard. Just maybe skip the verbal abuse part from Wieners Circle, okay?
If you love this Chicago hot dog recipe as much as we do, please give it a five-star review and help me share it on Facebook or Pinterest so that other can enjoy it too!
Chicago Style Hot Dog Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 all beef hot dogs
- 6 hot dog buns
- Small white onion diced
- Large ripe tomato sliced
- Dill pickle spears sliced
- Pickled jalapeno peppers
- Green pickle relish
- Yellow mustard
- Celery salt
Instructions
- Prepare all of the toppings.
- Remove the dogs from the wrapper or natural casing. Place the hot dogs in boiling hot water until cooked.
- Use a pair of tongs to place the dogs into a bun.
- Layer half slices of tomato to one side of each hot dog and pickle spears to the other.
- Top with bright green relish, diced onion, jalapenos, mustard and a dash of celery salt.
Notes
- Leftover hot dogs may be stored in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge. You can microwave hot dogs to reheat them for later.
- Brush your buns with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds to DIY the real Chicago vibe.
- If you can’t find sport peppers, pickled jalapeños or banana peppers work great.
- Keep your toppings cool and your buns warm for that classic street cart contrast.
- Slice your tomato wedges thin so they tuck into the bun without toppling the toppings.
- Don’t even think about ketchup. It’s basically a felony in Chicago.
- Let guests build their own at a hot dog bar—it’s fun and everyone gets their perfect dog.
- Always apply celery salt last for maximum flavor impact.
- Wrap finished dogs in foil for a few minutes to steam the bun and meld the flavors.
I’m in Chicago been here for over 60 years and that IS NOT a ‘Chicago’ style hot dog.It is a bad representation of one. No where in my area do they put Jalapeño peppers on it. We use sport peppers , a pickle spear, way more onions, tomatoe slices, and the famous Vienna Beef green relish,mustard and celery salt on the poppy seed bun. Thanks for the shout out about our Chicago hot dog , please get it right.
Thanks
Craig! Thank you so much for the feedback – perhaps I should have entitled this “Best Chicago Style Hot Dog when you live about as far from Chicago as you can get” :P Trust me, the knock off is just as delicious though ;)
Nothing is “just as delicious” than the real thing. A knockoff does not deserve to be called Chicago Style. Either it is Chicago or it isn’t. Call it something else.
I respectfully disagree, we create many recipes in the kitchen that are even better than the originals (in our humble opinion). It’s all about perspective and individual taste. I love how passionate Chicagoans are about their dogs!