07.18.07
The best wiener of all
Let us now praise famous hot dogs, especially the ones made by a little family-owned Upper Michigan enterprise named Vollwerth.
You won’t find Vollwerth’s wieners and beef franks in the current Consumer Reports, which has finally gotten around to rating hot dogs — but only brands sold nationally. More fools they, for Vollwerth’s leads them all in the taste derby. I have never ever in my whole otherwise misspent life had a better hot dog, not even at Wrigley Field. The crisp, juicy “mouth feel” of a Vollwerth’s, in my opinion, bests that of even Hebrew National and Nathan’s Famous, the leaders in the Consumer Reports ratings.
Vollwerth’s hot dogs belong in the pantheon of Upper Michigan delicacies that includes the sweet Finnish treats called called nisu and korppu, or Trenary toast. You can mail-order all three over the Internet, but really, regional foods taste best when eaten in the places where they are made. It has to do with the ambience of the North Woods, and maybe the purity of the air and water as well.
Whenever we drive up to the U.P., my lady friend and I bring a cooler of frozen meats from Trader Joe’s for important evenings, but the first night we always grill Vollwerth’s hot dogs, the most special occasion of all. Of course, at our ages we need to watch fat and calorie intakes, so we don’t overindulge more than once every couple of weeks. But when we do . . .
My L.F. now is talking about angels on horseback — Vollwerth’s wieners split down the middle, stuffed with sharp cheddar and wrapped in bacon, then grilled and finally cradled in buns and slathered with mustard and pickle relish. Cholesterol grenades, of course, but who wants to live forever?
Vollwerth’s, by the way, is based in Hancock, Mich., at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It was founded in 1915 and is now run by a fourth generation of Vollwerths. It has a charming website that details its history.
This is an unsolicited and unpaid testimonial. These guys don’t need me. I need them.
