Community Corner

Fire Up the Grill for National Hot Dog Day

If you can't make the annual Congressional Hot Dog Lunch in Washington D.C., we've got places you can celebrate closer to home.

You probably have been celebrating the hot dog all summer, but today may give you extra cause to fire up the grill and pull out the relish.

Though conflicting dates can be found on the Internet, July 27 is National Hot Dog Day as designated by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. "We recognize July 27 as the official holiday," said Tom Super, director of media outreach at the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

But the date has significance beyond a warm summer day. Today is also the annual Capitol Hill Hot Dog lunch. The lunch, which is sponsored by the American Meat Institute, is considered one of the most popular gatherings on the hill. Last year, more than 1,500 attended the event, including more than 100 members of Congress.

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The event this year will be in partnership with Hatfield Quality Meats, based in Hatfield (Montgomery County). Last year, the event served more than 4,000 hot dogs, corn dogs, sausages and bratwursts.

The event at the Capitol is invitation-only. Just in case your invitation got lost in the mail, here are some tips from the Hot Dog and Sausage Council on how to make the best hot dogs and sausages:

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-When working with fresh sausage (sausage that wasn't cooked during processing), parboil the sausage before grilling. Have some fun and boil it in your favorite beer to add flavor.

-Sausage and hot dogs should be turned only with tongs, not with a fork. Puncturing the meat while grilling allows the juices to escape and may dry out your dog.

-When working with hot dogs, don't feel confined by the bun. On the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website are recipies for a sausage pilaf, hot dog and fruit kebabs, and sausage with red bliss potatoes and gruyere cheese to name a few.

The council also has a list of all the designated hot dog joints in America. Here are a couple close to our area:


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