New York and Chicago are know for their hot dogs. No doubt they are good. However………… Have you ever had a West Virginia Hot Dog? West Virginians are passionate about their hot dogs and rightfully so. They are simple but out of this world. They don’t have peppers or sauerkraut or relish but they have a taste that leaves you wanting more and more. In fact most people who eat a West Virginia hot dog usually wind up hurting themselves by eating way to many. I have seen people sit down and order a dozen at a time. My personal best is 7 at one sitting. What is the secret ingrediant? It is a beanless chili sauce. Don’t ask for a recipe because most people don’t have one. There are a lot of variations of this sauce but at the same time they have a taste that is the same. Does that make sense. Recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and most West Virginians hold tight to that secret. God forbid an outsider gets hold of a recipe and tries to mass produce it and screw it up.
The basic makeup of a West Virginia hotdog is the same. As I said it is the slight variations of the chile sauce that sets them apart and keeps them the same at the same time.
First you put your hotdog in the bun then a thin line of mustard. Next comes a generous helping of chili sauce followed by finely chopped onions. Thats it. Nothing more. Purists like just chile sauce by itself (thats me).
There are numerous websites dedicated to the West Virginia Hot Dog and some are listed here:
My mother is 74 and makes great West Virginia Hot Dogs…….here is a photo of one I had the other day with a big bite out of it. She still won’t give me her recipe. She says she doesn’t have one. She says she learned from her mother when she was a little girl. Maybe some day I will get it. For now I have to expirement on my own and I have not been successful. However I have a friend from around Beckly West Virginia who has…. he calls his sauce Woofies. More on that later.
on Jan 10th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I am also a huge fan of the West Virginia hot dog. I left WV in 2000 for the Amish country of central PA and for the life of me I can’t find anything that even comes close to those wonderful WV hot dogs. Growing up in the Clarksburg area we enjoyed hot dogs from the Sanitary, the Hamburger Mart, and now when I visit I always make a trip to Ritzy Lunch. There are some guys from the southern part of the state that swear ’slaw’ is the way a WV hot dog should be topped, but that’s not the hot dog culture I was raised in. A real WV hot dog should be topped with a bit of mustard, the finest chili (sometimes referred to as ’sauce’) and diced onions. That’s all it needs!! So I sit here in central PA - mouth watering - thinking of enjoying six or seven of them delicious WV hot dogs . . . . and don’t even get me started on the famous WV pepperoni roll . . . .
I can’t wait until my next visit.
on Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Interesting! I’ve never heard of this and grew up on the border of WV. Perhaps it’s because I don’t eat hotdogs, but this is a new to me.
Great site! And the BBQ above looks yumm!
on May 2nd, 2009 at 4:21 pm
yann’s in fairmont - the best. i’ve been trying to mimic his recipe for years. i’ve made some really good sauces, but nothing compares with his. how does he do it?
where’s some good recipes? like you said, no one will share, haha
on Nov 9th, 2009 at 5:56 am
When you find the recipte please post! I love Yann’s dogs!
on Nov 24th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Yann’s- love his hot dog sauce… the best I have ever had.I have tried to make the sauce, Mine is pretty good but not even close to Yann’s. I am from Fairmont, Wv but now I live in Columbus, Ohio and can’t find a good hot dog around, so I don’t even bother… I love going home to visit and get the greatest hot dog in the WORLD! I wish he sold the sauce. My mom said he did for a short time but no longer.. That sucks.. I remember as a child walking by and seeing mounds of chopped onions on the cutting board in the back and the smell of the sauce.. memories.. I recently went home and hoped to get some while I was there but I guess he closes when he runs out of them… bummer. Maybe next trip:)
on Nov 24th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Yann is The HOT DOG KING!!!