Byron's Hot Dog Haus

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Hey, hey what da ya say, it's opening day on the Northside here in Chi. The Cubbies have a new look for 2011 but the local's favorite hot dog stand visited by many Cubs fans were headed too today has always remained the same. Byron's Hot Dog Haus has long been a favorite for a pre or post Cubs game meal and is a quintessential Chicagoland hot stand. Just like the rest of the best, it's all about the dogs at this tiny hot dog stand located just below the Sheridan El train stop on Irving Park road in Lakeview. Byron's is tiny and has no seating inside nor bathrooms but they do have a tent that sits about 30 people located outside next door seen in the pic below. The hope might only be around during May for Cubs fans but they can always rely on Byron's being there for them when they need something good in their summertime life, and this is from a lifelong Cub's fan...


a longtime Chicago Cubs fan's favorite


Byron's is always better at night...


They have always proudly packed aka loaded their hot dogs


The view as you enter

Byron's has been around since 1975 and started out in the little shack on Irving Park seen above. Eventually they became well known for their fully loaded Chicago style hot dogs and before you knew it they had multiple locations and were cementing themselves into Chicago hot dog culture lure. When I was a kid I remember we would go to the Byron's that was located at North and Clybourn. They had a huge structure that was this ball with neon spikes coming out of it. I loved that and the loaded hot dogs and lived for the fresh from the fountain Green River. Like alot of other old school long gone places in the city this location was demolished, for a Crate & Barrel !?!?WTF?!?! As the years passed locations opened up and some closed like the spot that used to share a building with the old Yum Yum Donuts on Clark street right next door to Wrigley Field. They are now so well known that they were chosen to make their famous hot dogs at the White House congressional picnic last June. They are also a member of the Vienna Beef Hall of Fame.


A well known White Sox fan has his photo inside this Cub's fans hot dog stand

Byron's has a pretty extensive menu including all the Chicago hot dog stand regulars. Along with the dogs and sausage they got burgers, gyros, beefs and a whole bunch of other stoner's delights. I've been going to different locations for ages and I'll tell you right now it's all about the hot dogs. It's impossible for someone like me who's been to all of them to name the best but Byron's does have a cult following and that's usually how you figure out which dogs are most beloved by city folk like myself. Once you walk into the tiny inside area you go straight ahead and place your order with the dude manning the grill. The employees here are pros at what they do and will take care you quickly and swiftly. They get alot done in the 12x4 foot workplace they work in.


The grill with dogs and sausages with the fryer to the left

After you've placed your order with the grill man you continue down the aisle a few feet and graze over the condiment stand. This is what elevated Byron's past many of the other 100's of hot dog stands around town. Byron's brought new meaning to the term "drag it thru the garden" as they literally put a small salad on top. Your topping options are mustard, onions, relish, lettuce, tomato, green peppers, pickles, cucumbers, sport peppers and celery salt. Hell I may be forgetting a few but that gives you an idea of just how stacked these dogs there get.


The overtop view for you of the condiment bar

As I was saying about the hot dogs, these are the way to go at Byron's. The only other option I would recommend is their Polish sausage. The other options arent bad but can be hit and miss unless your inebriated in which case it all tastes great. Nonetheless they still give you options when it comes to ordering yourself a hot dog. They come in three sizes and once made they are dressed up your way. Lets take a look at all three.


Byron's regular (small) hot dog

The small hot dog is my least favorite of the three, but it is what I eat when I want to feel healthy. The reason being is because it's more like a salad with a hot dog on top. They use Vienna Beef hot dogs at byron's and for the small dogs they take them out of the steamer so some people like the small ones due to the fact they are steamed. I like the steamed dog dragged thru da garden but just wish theirs was bigger.


Byron's Jumbo sized (medium) hot dog with cheese fries

I would say the jumbo size dog is the way to go at Byron's. This was my standard order as a youth, along with my much missed (It's still avail. but not the same as when I was a kid) Green River Pop. The jumbo dogs are grilled and have a nice crisp exterior that works well with all the veggies. I'm not a big fan of relish so I don't include that on my dog but I do get everything else and have them load it on. As is noted I'm more of a minimalist depression Chicago style hot dog guy but I like me a garden dog from time to time too. The fries at Byron's are alright, similar to McDonald's they are better than most places frozen fries which is what they are. They used to really hook you up when you ordered them (fries don't come with the dogs) but have held back the last few years. I like these fries when I'm really hungry (out of a sober mind) and will order them with the gooey neon orange cheese on the side. For some reason I love that stuff with their fries.


Godzilla Dog (large) from Byron's Hot Dog Haus

Then there is the Dogzilla. This half pound monster is specially made for Byron's by Vienna Beef and is a favorite of the nighttime crowd and all blue collar city employees. I have had a few Dogzilla's in my day and you really do need a knife and fork to eat this thing. Unless your a porn star it's not easy to eat. It's hard to swallow a small piece of this sausage that is cut up let alone the whole thing with the toppings on top. But that's half the fun and I imagine part of its attraction to the drunken customers. I look forward to a Byron's Hot Dog and Cubs game this summer. I wont get too much into the 2011 season here on the site but I have lifted my self imposed Wrigley Field ban. So I will attend a few games this year as I like the new start we Cubs fans are getting. But if you wanna get deep into some baseball talk come find me at one of da bars around town and we'll have a few and talk some Mike Quade and what else the future holds for those of us up north who've been patiently waiting since 1909.


The Dogzilla fully loaded is superfan food

Byron's Hot Dog Haus
1017 West Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 281-7474

The Art of Chili

-KingT's Tex-Mex Red

Guess who's back? I have regained my crown and took home first place in the Time-Out Chicago Chili Cookoff this past weekend (check upcoming issue for the dilly). Its good to have the crown back and a third ring on the finger, that's 1st place 3 of the last 4 years with a questionable 2nd place finish last year. I've been reading around the net about all the chili recipes for the big game on Sunday. Look no further I have what you need. This is the premiere super bowl chili party recipe.

bowl o' red

When it comes to chili there are countless ingredients that people use to create it and bowls come out tasting a million different ways for better and worse...but mostly worse. I understand that chili is a regional food but so are hot dogs and you cant find anything better outside Chicago. What I mean by that is that chili was born somewhere in either Texas, the Southwest or Mexico. I see no need to make some Italian style chili or white chicken "chili" that's just not the real stuff. I'm all about making a true chili experience and don't plan on using exotic wild meats, odd ingredients that are in there for gimmick more than flavor or any fancy food trends turned into a bowl of red.

"The great debate, it seems, is not limited to whose chili is best. Even more heated is the argument over where the first bowl was made; and by whom. Estimates range from "somewhere west of Laramie," in the early nineteenth century - being a product of a Texas trail drive - to a grisly tale of enraged Aztecs, who cut up invading Spanish conquistadors, seasoned chunks of them with a passel of chile peppers, and ate them." International chili society

I think I might have been an Aztec in a past life but that's for another day.

"Never has there been anything mild about chili.

Our travels through Texas, New Mexico, and California, and even Mexico, over the years have failed to turn up the elusive "best bowl of chili." Every state lays claim to the title, and certainly no Texan worth his comino (cumin) would think, even for a moment, that it rests anywhere else but in the Lone Star State - and probably right in his own blackened and battered chili pot.

There may not be an answer. There are, however, certain facts that one cannot overlook. The mixture of meat, beans, peppers, and herbs was known to the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayan Indians long before Columbus and the conquistadores." International chili society

I am going to give you a recipe that is very similar to mine.

When I started making chili about 7 years ago I wanted it to be real chili and not the garbage that is found throughout Chicago. For the record there are maybe 2 good places to get chili in Chicagoland (Ramova and Bishop's) you have to make it yourself, which is how I got started. I did some reading and played around with some recipes and as time passed by I started to concoct my own creation that has evolved into some of the best chili on this earth and that's a guarantee. I do have plans to one day open my own little place and this chili will be on the menu but for now your just going to have to make the recipe I'm willing to share or track me down to make you some.

Like I said up above I try and make a real chili not some veggie brew with cous cous or some sweet tasting dessert shit. You will find lots of meat and no chocolate or cinnamon in this recipe. As far as I am concerned they have the same business in chili as ketchup does on a hot dog. You'll find that most of the ingredients I use are native and essential to Texan, Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines-hence the name.

I always use Gephardt's chili powder which I buy in bulk from Texas

Ingredients (Serves 18-20)

6 lbs ground beef
4 grilling steaks (6 lbs) with bone if avail. such as sirloin steak and porterhouse or ribeye
2 packages of Hot pork chorizo (Mexican)
1 package Hot beef chorizo (Mexican)
1 package bacon pieces chopped and diced
8-10 assorted peppers like green, red, yellow, cubanelle, etc... chopped and diced
6 jalapenos seeds removed and diced
4-5 white onions chopped and diced
6 roasted poblano peppers with skin removed, diced
5 cloves of garlic pressed and smashed
1 can of green chiles
1 can of bottled taco sauce
2 cans of miller high life
1/4 cup of jalapeno juice from the sliced jalapenos in a jar
1/4 pickle juice
2-3 20 oz cans tomato sauce (add gradually to get right consistency)
2 20 oz cans of stewed tomato's
2 cans diced green chiles
10 TBLS of good chili powder such as Gephardt's
6 TBLS of New Mexican red chili powder
5 TBLS cumin
2 TBLS smoked paprika
2 TBLS cayenne pepper
2 TBLS ground red pepper
1 TBLS red amazon chile powder
pinch of Mexican oregano
2 cans of pinto beans in ranchero sauce
1 cup of fresh red salsa

For garnish: cheese, chopped onion, crema and cilantro.

the more different peppers to mold in the flavor the merrier

Season and grill your steak until cooked medium rare and set aside in a pan that can catch the juices. When steaks are at room temp, cut them into little squares about the size of a dime. Save all the juices from the grilled steaks and dump it into the simmer pot.

grilled steak gets chopped down to simmer


Diced steak goes into the pot to simmer

Then start by cooking the diced bacon in a 12+ quart pot and the chorizo in another pot. Remove bacon pieces when crispy and set aside as well as the chorizo. Add the chopped peppers/jalapeno into the bacon pot and the onions into the chorizo pot and coat well with the grease and sweat them for 10 minutes. Remove the onion/pepper mixture and set aside. Add necessary amount of ground beef to each pot and cook thru mashing with a potato masher so that there are no clumps. When beef is nice and brown and well mashed add the pieces of steak into the pot with the juices followed by the onions and pepper mixture and chorizo mixture. Put all the spice mixtures into the pot's and then pour your liquids (beer, jalapeno juice and pickle juice) on top of them making sure they don't clump and cook for 5-10 minutes and then add the tomato juice and sauce. At this point I take both pots and empty them into a large stock pot for simmering. Make sure to add the tomato sauce little by little making sure that the chili is not soupy nor too thick. It should be right in the middle and able to hold a spoon on top so that it doesn't sink but also there should be some sauce so that its not thick. Add the canned peppers.

chorizo and bacon making lube for the veggies


sweat the veggies in the pork grease


The right consistency when spoon is placed in the pot

Let chili simmer for 4+ hours (notice the change in color below) and add the diced roasted poblanos, salsa, crispy bacon and chili beans 15 minutes before serving. As far as the beans go this is Tex-Mex chili so I know that beans don't go in Texas chili but its Tex-Mex and the special brand I use is crucial to the flavor of my brew.

On day 1 its a dark shade red


On day 2 its a little brighter


Homemade red chile sauce adds yet another dimension


Fresh roasted poblanos go in last to add another flavor level...


...same can be said for the salsa

Serve with shredded cheese (Mexican blend if you must or real stuff like Chihuahua) sour cream if you must or real Mexican crema, chopped cilantro and fresh onions.

Hint Hint...another secret ingredient I use in my big stock pot of simmering chili is real red chile sauce. One of the problems with giving you every last ingredient to make my real deal Tex-Mex red is that when I make this its always in a large stock pot so many and I mean many ingredients go in there. Unless your cooking for 30+ the pot isn't big enough to hold every ingredient. I'm also not dumb enough to divulge every last secret. I got a spot coming one day where you can eat it everyday if you want though.

Some more ingredients that go into my pot

Sorry President Obama but I'll put down for my chili. Its real deal chili and the best in state. If you ever need a bowl sent to D.C lemme know. Ben's chili bowl isn't bringing it like this either, stuff always tastes better when its free.

Turmeric? C'mon

In the Midwest they use Macaroni pasta but in some spots in Texas they use rice so I like to put a spoon of Mexican rice in my bowl to start.

3 time Chicago Chili Champ...I put on for my city.
________________________________________

Catch me @chibbqking

The Fried Chicken King

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the locals eat & KingT's Wing Fling

Buffalo, New York is the birthplace of buffalo wing's and the city that made the wing thee thing of bar food. Over here in Chicago chicken wings come in all variety's and not just buffalo. I will bring you the best spots around town to consume all sorts of different variations of chicken wings. The most well known name in fried chicken is KFC and Colonel Sanders' original recipe. In Chicago Colonel Sanders is just that...a colonel. The King of fried chicken is Harold's chicken shack, another Chicago original. The 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama is a huge Harold's chicken fan.


The old Harold's #2


Harold's on 53rd

Harold's is a Chicago institution from the south side that is known for its perfectly made fried chicken and for the unique experience of eating at a real deal shack, which is what most of them are. You see not one Harold's is the same, even though they all have the same great fried chicken other stuff varies from store to store. Harold wanted each of his franchises to stamp their own personality on each store so that they didn't all fit the same mold. One thing thats common at all the Harold's I have been to is the bulletproof glass between you and the server. The genius of Harold's developed out of the fact that the larger fast food chains tended to avoid African American neighborhoods back in his day. Harold's became a player on the south side in 1950 and hasn't looked back since. Harold's has the best fried wings in Chicago and once you pop one you really cant stop. Simply amazing.


Warning: Clicking pic will cause you to drool: Harold's perfectly fried wings with hot and mild

What makes this place so good? well aside from the love Harold had for his place they use a combination to fry the chicken in half beef tallow and half vegetable oil as opposed to just veggie oil. Chicago style fried chicken is a gangload of hot sauce and mild BBQ sauce poured over the chicken and fries with a piece or two of white bread to pick at with and keep your fingers clean or make a sandwich out of with some chicken and skin. DonBarzinini will tell you that the Harold's chicken on 53rd in Hyde Park, basically in Barack Obamas backyard is the best shack in the city. Over the years Harold's has grown from a mom and pop chicken shack on Chicago's south side into a small chain with spots all over Chicagoland and locations in Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Dallas. The product does vary at each location so share with me your go to Harold's in the comments section. Thanks.


Overheard at Harold's on 53rd "Y'all need to put a little Amen spot in the corner up here, cause after we taste this chicken, we need to go talk to Jesus." No Joke its that good (Pictured: 1/2 Dark meal)

Just like Mike Mills brought Bill Clinton ribs on Air Force One, I think we will be hearing about Harold Pierce's son delivering President Obama with some wings one day while he is in office. The crave will be too much for him to resist and he'll put in a call for some Chicago style chicken from the oval office to kill that crave.

From abcnews via an interview on 60 minutes: Obama and the future first lady Michelle Obama talked about their looming life in the bubble of the White House with CBS' "60 Minutes" over the weekend. They looked back at where they came from, including such highlights as Obama's old Chicago bachelor pad near Harold's Chicken Shack.

"That was a dump," Michelle Obama recalled.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, I lived right next door to Harolds" Barack Obama

Harold's Chicken Shack
Locations throughout Chicago

Harold's Chicken Shack on 53rd
1208 E 53rd Street
Chicago, IL 60615
773-725-9760