National Hot Dog Day Hits Home In Michigan

Today is National Hot Dog Day. Normally, I don't pay much attention to these gimmick day labels, but, the hot dog has a deep root in Michigan. No, they weren't invented here. But, they were transformed forever here.

Coney dogs actually got there name on the east coast, but the chili-sauce goodness born in Michigan is our own twist on the name. Immigrants coming into New Jersey were confused that the term "hot dog" meant there was heated up dog meat inside the franks. So, the term hot dog was legally changes to Coney Dog at Coney Island, NJ. The longest standing Coney Island stand in the country is in Kalamazoo. The three common varieties of Coney Island sauce bear their cities of origin in the title: Flint Style, Detroit Style, and Jackson Style. But, who actually had the first Coney Island sauce? That remains a great debate. Both American and Lafayette Coney Islands from Detroit have their own claims. Flint folks will tell you the original sauce was Angelo's Coney Sauce, but that recipe wasn't Angelo's originally (it didn't open until 1949). And, Jackson's claim is to the now shuttered Todoroff's Original Coney Island sauce, whose recipe claims to date back to 1914.

Whether you're a Koegel's fan, a Ball Park junkie, what have you, we certainly have quite a variety of tasty stands of our own here in Lansing. Sparty's Coney Island offers their own Flint and Detroit Style sauces. Steakhouse Philly has a delicious recipe derived from their own chili that I highly recommend. And, of course, Joey Pants will rave to you about the Kowalski Brand varieties of dogs available at MSU sporting events. Comment below and tell us your favorite hot dog...Coney or otherwise...in Mid-Michigan.