What's the deal with dogs anyway...

It's summer - most people like a dog on the grill (no, not Lassie-dog, she's to busy saving dumb kids that jump down wells), and everyone has their favorite: Ball Park Franks, Oscar Meyer Wieners, Nathan's, Hebrew National, etc. (You can actually go to Rateitall and check out which brand consumers think makes the best one.)

As far as I'm concerned though, this is one food item that the Jewish people got right (gelfite fish is the one they got wrong! but that's a topic for another day). The Jewish people don't mess around when it come to their dogs - mostly because they have strict slaughter rules and they don't eat pork, but hey, if it makes the dog better, I am all for rules! They make it with 100% beef, that was slaughtered in Kosher dietary law requirements; they add quality seasonings and that is it! (Read: no miscellaneous items from off the factory floor as fillers or ground up pork hooves or bones). Kosher dogs, made by a Jewish company, tend to be the most flavorful dogs and cook up the best with the fewest health side effects (sans much of the salt, fat, preservatives, other additives etc that many of the major non-Jewish brands have). I feel as though I can vouch for hot dogs as being an 'ok' food since working at Jewish hospital I have realized the dogs are for sure the highest quality item we have! I know funny, right!

But in all seriousness, you want to be sure you read the ingredients on the package. Some brands are full of nitrates which can cause terrible headaches, especially in children who eat hot dogs all the time. A high quality hot dog is an acceptable part of summer time, but just as with anything you don't want to eat one more then 1-2x/week. Top them with things like tomato slices, pickles, mustard, fresh chopped onions etc, and the dog can be a whole meal! Watch out for toppings like bottled relish and ketchup which contain lots of high fructose corn syrup, and shoot for fresher toppings like the ones listed above and shown in the picture. (The dog in the photo has tomato slices, pickle spear and a mild-hot pepper - aka 'Chicago Style' dog). Some fresh corn on the cob will definitely round out the grilling adventure!!

ENJOY!