Chicago Style Hot Dog: The Rules, the Toppings, and the Sauce Debate

The Chicago-style hot dog is one of the most specific food traditions in America. It has rules. It has a famous prohibition. And it has a devoted following that will argue about it endlessly.

Here is the complete guide.

A true Chicago-style hot dog has exactly seven toppings, in this order:

1. Yellow mustard
2. Chopped white onion
3. Bright green sweet pickle relish
4. A dill pickle spear (on the side of the frank)
5. Tomato slices or wedges
6. Pickled sport peppers
7. A dash of celery salt

The hot dog is an all-beef Vienna Beef frank, served in a poppy seed bun that has been steamed (not toasted).

No ketchup. This is the cardinal rule of the Chicago dog. Ketchup is considered an abomination on a Chicago-style hot dog. The sweetness of ketchup overwhelms the balance of the seven toppings.

Chicago hot dog purists will tell you that ketchup belongs on hot dogs for children under 12, and nowhere else.

The no-ketchup rule raises a question: what sauce, if any, belongs on a Chicago dog?

The traditional answer is: none beyond the seven toppings. The mustard, relish, and celery salt provide all the flavor you need.

But for those who want a sauce that adds creamy tang without sweetness — and without violating the spirit of the no-ketchup rule — Yooze It Sauce® Original is the answer. It has 0g of sugar, so it does not add the sweetness that ketchup does. It adds a creamy, tangy depth that complements the mustard and relish.

If you are building a Chicago-inspired dog without strict adherence to tradition:

• Vienna Beef frank (or any all-beef frank)
• Poppy seed bun (steamed or toasted)
• Yooze It Sauce® on the bun
• Yellow mustard
• Chopped white onion
• Dill pickle spear
• Tomato
• Sport peppers
• Celery salt

The Yooze It replaces the relish and adds a more complex flavor base.

0g sugar. Versatile Everything Sauce. You Can Yooze It On Everything™.

Order Yooze It Sauce® — $8.99