Nu-Way Weiners

Ready for a bold statement? In a three day span I’ve had two of the best hot dogs ever inhaled/consumed/devoured by man, each residing on the opposite side of the wiener spectrum.

Yes, I did just use the phrase “wiener spectrum”, and once your ribs are done healing from that side-splitting fun, you may also notice that I spelled it wiener, instead of how Nu-Way spells it – weiner.

I think I’m right because when I was in Austria, everything was wiener this, and wiener that…there was even a wienerfest!

It turns out we’re both right – the words are interchangeable, but my spell-check gets mad at the Nu-Way spelling. Why they gotta be so difficult?

Now that we’ve settled the wiener debate…this past Friday Tami passed along a great article by John T. Edge, featured in Garden and Gun Magazine of all places. The topic – 100 Southern Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die. Quite the superlative title! How can you not peruse this list???

This is a great article to file away, especially if you’re like me and you frequently travel around the South by car. I was excited to see that on the very day I discovered this website I would have my first chance to knock off a destination on the way back to Atlanta from Savannah.

Mr. Edge’s description of the chili-slaw dog at Nu-Way Weiners is short, but crave-worthy enough to make me want to stop. A red chili slaw dog that induces thoughts of cumin and cinnamon laced Miracle Whip is too much of a curiosity for me to pass up.

There are a bunch of Nu-Way locations, and luckily there was one location less than one mile off my route on I-16. Nothing fancy, but the best places are often found in unassuming locations. Once inside I was almost side-tracked by the offer of the MegAburger, but I’m glad I stood strong and ordered two chili slaw dogs, a small fry, and a coke. What could be more American on a Memorial Day weekend?

You’re lucky that the photo below was taken in time, cause these dogs went down fast. The bright red dog was juicy, the bun was fresh (otherwise non-descript), but it’s the chili and slaw combo that is out of control on this dog. Mr. Edge’s cinnamon assessment is spot on, but there is no single overwhelming flavor.

The Varsity should be ashamed of their chili slaw dog. This Nu-Way dog is a savory chili, milky slaw, nitrite-filled grilled pork and beef concierto with each flavor complementing the next, though I will admit I did add some mustard, because that’s how I get down.

Visit Nu-Way Weiners at any of 11 locations.

Another Nu-Way review (and great resource, by the way) on HollyEats.com

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Hot on the heels of the best chili dog I’ve ever had, I scored a last minute invite to a Memorial Day BBQ, only to find out upon arriving that some more serious dogs were in my future. The generous host had picked up over 20lbs of hot dogs from Patak Meat Products, as well as fresh buns from H&F Bread Co.

The Patak hot dogs were large, smoky, juicy, just an all around amazing flavor. The cook scored and grilled them to perfection. Such a premier product deserves a worthy vehicle, and the H&F Bread hot dog buns were up to the challenge. I loaded up a couple of dogs in lightly toasted (and heavily priced) buns, then topped them with a homemade smoked jalapeno and sun dried tomato puree, aged white cheddar, and pimiento cheese. Absolute handheld opulence.

What to drink with these dogs? How about an assortment of Cava, domestic sparkling rose, and Champagne? Thanks a million to Matt for the invite and the fantastic food and company.

Nu-Way and Patak/H&F hot dogs cover every dog desire, craving, and need you can imagine on a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. What could be better?