Thursday, February 3, 2011

Game day food from the Wild Chef!!

Football Food: Behold, the Scheweiger Dog
by Colin Kearns
I’m taking a somewhat liberal interpretation of the “wild” in Wild Chef with today’s edition of Football Food. None of the ingredients shown in this photograph is either wild game or fish. (That’s not to say you couldn’t use game. Venison sausage, for instance, would be awesome here.) But the Schweiger Dog is a wild treat. It’s also wildly delicious, which is why I’m sharing it with you.

In case you couldn’t already tell by its name, the Schweiger Dog is a hot dog that features Braunschweiger (a.k.a. liverwurst, or the poor man’s pâté). I understand Braunschweiger is an acquired taste—but it’s one that my oldest brother, Brian, and I acquired from our mother. We’ve been eating and loving the stuff since we were kids. But that’s not the case for everyone. My fiancée, for one, looked on last night as I added a heavy dose of Braunschweiger to the dog and commented, with an equally heavy dose of sarcasm: “Mmm. Spreadable meat.” Oh well. More for me.
But if you are a Braunschweiger fan, my brother is the person you can thank for dreaming up the Schweiger Dog. It’s a snack that he and his friends perfected several years ago. It’s no wonder he would go on to become the talented professional chef that he is today.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer a bit of warning, so here it is: This dog is not healthy. I mean, my God, just look at the ingredients. Even the onions—the one vegetable in the recipe—are cooked in bacon grease. But like I said, the Schweiger Dog is a treat—and one that should not be enjoyed more than twice annually. I had my first of the year last night, and I’ll have my second on Sunday during the game. Then, I’m finished for the year. At least, that’s what I’ll tell myself for now.
Ingredients:
- 1 package thick sliced bacon (get the good stuff)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1 package hot dogs (again, get the good stuff like Sabretts or Hebrew National), or venison sausages
- 1 tube braunschweiger
- 1 8 oz. container of Kaukauna sharp cheddar spread
- Hoagie rolls
Directions:
1. Cook bacon until crisp, reserving the grease. Add onions to bacon grease and cook over low heat until well caramelized. Remove onions and again reserved the bacon grease.
2. Split hot dogs in half and add to pan of bacon grease and cook over low heat until heated through. Toast the buns.
3. Assemble the Schweiger Dog: Generously spread Braunschweiger on botton half of hoagie roll. Place hot dog on top of Braunschweiger. Add two slices of bacon per hoagie and onions, and finish with a generous smear of cheese.