Saturday, April 6, 2013

Scratching an Itch, for Man Food...

Like a lot of people, I occasionally get a craving for foods I just know I shouldn't eat, either because they are bad for me, or because they affect me adversely.  Not like avocadoes, to which I'm extremely allergic, but stuff like, a Family-Size bag of Ruffles, a quart of Sour Cream and a pack of Lipton Onion Soup mix.  

Well, yesterday, one of those cravings hit me, and I was helpless to resist.  I wanted CHILI DOGS.  Not just a chili dog, and not a fast-food chili dog (that's a completely different craving.)  I wanted my sorta home-made, totally bad for me, but oh-so-good chili dogs.  These chili dogs are rich, they are unhealthy, and they are delicious.  Lucky for me I like kale, because after these, that's all I'll be eating for the next week...

The ingredient list is pretty basic-- 

Hot dogs (This time, I used Oscar Mayer Uncured Angus Beef Franks) 
White bread buns 
diced onions
grated sharp cheddar cheese
regular yellow mustard
butter
XLNT chili brick (See below)

My method for cooking this delicacy begins with heating the brick chili (I have teen-agers, so I used four bricks) in a medium-sized pot slowly over medium heat.  This stuff scorches easily and sticks like super glue when it does, so I keep the heat low until everything loosens up.  

For cooking the hot dogs, most people would dump them in a pot of water or, God forbid, stick them in the microwave.  I take a different approach, and pan fry them in butter. (For two 8-packs of dogs I used 3 tbsp. of butter.)

When the chili is hot, and the dog are cooked begin assembly-

Place two hot dog buns on a plate and put two hot dogs in each bun:
 Spoon the hot chili generously over everything:
Add a good shot of yellow mustard:
And finish it off with grated cheddar cheese and diced onions:

I like to serve this with an ice-cold beer, but my wife says a chilled bottle of Mylanta would be more appropriate...

A quick note on XLNT Chili-- XLNT is a local California company, that was started in 1894, selling beef tamales from horse-drawn wagons.  Their Chili-con-Carne, is sold in 16oz. "bricks" mainly for use as a "chili starter", to which you can add your own tomatoes, beans, etc. to make a finished pot of chili.  But, on its own, it is the ultimate chili for chili dogs, chili burgers and as a topping for their tamales.  If you can't find it at your local market, it can be ordered directly at www.xlntfoods.com

2 comments:

  1. You know I love you bro, but sorry. Not my cuppa. It may be just the mustard that's putting me off though. I may try that chili though. All of the years I have lived here and seen it at the market, I've never tried XLNT.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mustard on chili and chili dogs IS an acquired taste, I'll give you that, but it's just so darn GOOD. Do try the XLNT, it really is the best store-bought chili I've ever found for topping dogs, burgers, tamales or eggs.

    ReplyDelete