Maxwell Street Polish Sausage

Maxwell Street Polish Sausage

Chicago’s Maxwell Street Polish Sausage
Caramelized Onions, Yellow Mustard

For Game Day Food, be it Super Bowl Sunday or any other sporting event of the year, it’s hard to beat Chicago’s beloved Polish Sausage sandwich – a delicious favorite for over 80 years…

“After debuting their new brand of all-beef sausage at Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition, Austria-Hungarian immigrants Samuel Ladany and Emil Reichel opened a shop at 1215 S. Halsted: the Vienna Sausage Manufacturing Co., in the Maxwell Street neighborhood.

They provided the local vendors in the Maxwell Street Market with their product and distinctive signs. Jimmy Stefanovic, an industrious man from Yugoslavia who had escaped from Russia with his parents and family during the Bolshevic Revolution, is said to be the first to put the “Polish sausage” on a bun and sell it as a sandwich.

He arrived in Chicago in 1939, bought his aunt’s street stand to sell hot dogs and sausage sandwiches, and took over a building occupied by a deli on the northwest corner of Maxwell and Halsted.” (from the Maxwell St Foundation )

Maxwell Street Polish Sausage Recipe

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Classic Chicago-Style Polish Sausage Sliders

Classic Chicago-Style Polish Sausage Sliders

Classic Chicago-Style Polish Sausage Sliders

A recent trip back to Chicago was the inspiration for these Game Day sliders. Chicago is a food lover’s town! In addition to the classic hot dog/polish sausage found all over the city (try Portillo’s, Superdawg, or Hot Doug’s to name a few) we recommend some of our old favorite Chicago foods – Lou Malnati’s Pizza, Carson’s Ribs, Joe’s Stone Crabs, a delightful Thai restaurant on Granville called Summer.

Chicago hot dog aficionados will go absolutely crazy for these little sliders! Da Bears don’t need to be in the Superbowl to serve these winning Chicago-style bites!

What Makes a Classic Chicago-Style Hot Dog?

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Polish Sausage Chicago Style

Polish Sausage with the Works at Hot Doug’s

UPDATE:

See these three more recent posts on Chicago Hot Dogs and Polish on Taste With The Eyes…
Maxwell Street Polish Sausage here

Polish Sausage Sliders here
Vegan Chicago Hot Dog here

 


“There are no two finer words in the English language than,
‘encased meats,’ my friend.”
-Secret Robbie

Everyone’s got their favorite dog. People who rarely eat hot dogs will cheerfully order up when in Chicago. When I’m in town, my all-time favorite remains the one I’ve been eating for decades: The Chicago Style Polish Sausage with the Works. It is a hickory-smoked mildly spicy beef sausage with all the condiments. Even as a kid, I chose the polish over the hot dog on our regular trips to Fluky’s, another famous hot dog stand that’s been around since 1929. These days, no one does encased meats better than Doug Sohn, owner of Hot Doug’s.
Pictured above is: The Elvis
Polish Sausage: Smoked and Savory – just like the King.
$2.50
The polish, served in a steamed poppy seed bun and dressed with all the traditional Chicago-style condiments:
  • Yellow Mustard
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Bright Green Sweet Relish (also called Piccalilli)
  • Tomatoes
  • Pickle
  • Celery Salt
  • Sport Peppers (optional)

Doug is my hero. In addition to the excellent standard fare, he also offers duck fat fries (only on weekends) and gourmet sausages including Game of the Week, this particular week: Merlot and Blueberry Venison Sausage with Pomegranate-Blueberry Mustard Cream and Finnish Lappi Cheese, oh my!
And other specials such as the one pictured above which I enjoyed on my last visit:
The Celebrity Sausage
Robert Goulet
Uber Garlic Pork Sausage
Chipotle Dijonnaise
Menage Cheese
Roasted Garlic Cloves
$7.00

My nephew, Stone, prefers his hot dog with ketchup only.
How do you like yours?

The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium
3324 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
Phone (773) 279-9550
Hours 10:30 AM – 4 PM
Stone and I recommend that when you visit Chicago, don’t miss out on a trip to Hot Doug’s for lunch, and be prepared to wait for your excellent encased meat, as the line is usually out the door!