Do only barbarians put ketchup on hot dogs?

Chicagoans aren’t the only ones who think ketchup on hot dogs is abominable. (Part 7 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

Origins of neon relish and other Chicago hot dog conundrums

The Chicago hot dog — with the white of the onions, the red of the tomatoes, the brilliant green relish — “It’s like a work of art.” A look at the condiments. (Part 6 of a series in honor of National hot dog month.)

It takes big buns to hold Chicago hot dogs

What is anything without its proper foundation? The bun doesn’t get the attention that other parts of the canonical Chicago hot dog do, but it forms a critical base for the wiener and its load of condiments. (Part 5 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

Friday food porn: Seasons’ sexed-up hot dog

Through July 31, Seasons Lounge and Bar inside Streeterville’s Four Seasons Hotel Chicago serves this handmade version of a Chicago hot dog. (Part 4 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

Know your wiener!

A top-notch Chicago-style red hot is more than the sum of its parts. Nevertheless, you can’t achieve a great banquet on a bun without a fine frank at its core. (Part 3 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

Eat this! The Chicago hot dog, born in the Great Depression

The “banquet on a bun” had its origins in a Maxwell Street vegetable cart. (Part 2 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

The Chicago-style hot dog: ‘A masterpiece’

“A hot dog is a masterpiece,” says Jim Photopoulos, proprietor of Photo’s Hotdogs. (Part 1 of a series in honor of National Hot Dog Month.)

Upscale Chicago eateries serving prisoners’ produce

Upscale restaurants such as Charlie Trotter’s in Lincoln Park andThe Publican in the West Loop are quietly benefitting from the labor of Cook County Jail inmates.

The best Chicago restaurants ever? Really?

What would you add to the list? What would you leave off?

Size matters! Be the big man at the wienie roast with this Chicago hot dog

You no longer need to be embarrassed by your puny hot dog, you can have the biggest wiener at the cookout! Gorilla Tango Novelty Meats, a strange new sideline for the folks behind Chicago’s Gorilla Tango Theatre, introduces the Big Hot Dog, a 16-inch-long, 4-inch-diameter, 7-pound wienie. No ordinary Chicago-style dog, this frankenfurter is made [...]