Americans eat about 20 billion hot dogs a year according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council with most eaten between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Is 20 billion to hard a number to comprehend, that is about 70 per person. Who was the first to serve the the popular comfort food in Phoenix? That honor goes to Jack Grodzinsky back in 1949, the owner of Miracle Mile Deli.
“My grandfather moved to Phoenix from Brooklyn in 1949. At that time, the restaurant was located at 16th street and McDowell and surrounded by nothing but dirt roads. Phoenix was a very small city and the Valley’s hot dog was vastly different than the New York-Style frankfurter we’ve come to know and love,” said Josh Garcia, third-generation owner of Miracle Mile Deli. “Back then Phoenicians ate what was called the “Red Hot.” It was a deep red tube steak that wasn’t an all-beef product and had lots of fillers and food coloring.”
Celebrating hot dogs and their differences
Garcia goes on to say his grandfather insisted on selling the all-beef kosher New York style hot dog as the quality and taste was better than the others. Today Miracle Mile Deli sell more than 3,000 pounds of Hebrew National All-Beef Kosher Hot Dogs every year. To celebrate the “Dog Days of Summer” enjoy a hot dog, fries and a drink for only $7 from July 1st-31st. Top it with chili, New Yorker or Straw toppings for only a $1 more.
Garcia suggests hot dog toppings are as individual as the customers who order them, “Get creative with all kinds of stuff like shredded cheese, chili, sour cream, tortilla strips, bacon. In my opinion, there is no wrong way to top a good hot dog.” The debate continues about what to or not to put on hot dogs. In Chicago they load them up with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear and tomato slices. We New Yorker’s prefer sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard on our dogs. Don’t even get started about whether you should put ketchup on your hot dog.
“The most important part of a hot dog is enjoying it with the people you love,” added Garcia. “Hot dogs are enjoyed by people of all ages. From kids to grandfathers, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love a hot dog or who doesn’t have fond memories of family fun with a hot dog in hand. That’s what good food is all about, sharing it with the people you love.”
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