In some circles hot dogs are hotly debated. Skinless or natural casing? Plain or stuffed plump with jalapenos and cheese? Tender or with a nice snap? In Northern Michigan you have ample opportunity to find the dog that speaks best to you. Here is a world of small-town butcher shops (some of them around for almost a century), each devising a homemade version of the finest weenie around. Find the original round up in the August 2006 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine.
Bayside Market
1532 U.S. 31 North, Traverse City, 231-938-2530
Regular, cheese and cheese-jalapeno.
Bunting’s Cedar Market
9054 Kasson, Cedar, 231-228-7460
Plain, cheese, turkey, jalapeno, chili-cheese and kraut.
Burritt’s Fresh Markets
509 W Front St., Traverse City, 231-946-3300
Plain, chili-cheese.
Deering’s Food Market
10233 West Front St., Empire, 231-326-5249
Homemade plain, cheese, jalapeno-Swiss, chili, garlic dogs, Cajun and all-beef.
Hansen Foods
91 West 4th St., Suttons Bay, 231-271-4280
Regular and cheesy.
Maxbauer Specialty Meat Market
407 South Union, Traverse City, 231-947-7698
Original, German, chili-cheese and hunter (hot).
Oleson’s Food Stores
3860 North Long Lake Rd., Traverse City, 231-947-6510
160 Memorial Dr., Manistee, 231-723-9903
Homemade buffalo hot dogs, slightly sweeter than beef franks.
Paradise Meats
6951 Cougar Trail, Kingsley, 231-263-7419
Regular, cheese, chili-cheese, cheddar and onion, all beef, turkey, and hot and spicy.
Plath’s Meats
116 South Third St., Rogers City, 989-734-2232
2200 East Mitchell, Petoskey, 231-348-8100
95th anniversary this summer. Cheese, regular, Polish-style.
Pleva’s Meats
8974 South Kasson, Cedar, 231-228-5000
Joe Vlack’s recipe for regular hot dogs, passed down for 100 years. Plus cheddar, chili-cheese, Polish dog.
Sanders Meats
237 South Main, Custer, 231-757-4768
Since 1925. Club frank and skinless.