As a society, there are a few unwritten rules that the majority of us follow when it comes to certain food.
Eating your pizza with a fork and knife, putting ice cubes in your glass of wine and breaking spaghetti noodles in half before throwing them into a pot of boiling water might result in glaring side-eye looks from those around you.
But the biggest food sin you can commit is putting ketchup on your hot dog.
Hailing from the Bronx, my grandpa was a strict enforcer of that rule. Topping your hot dog with the tangy and sweet condiment was the worst thing you could do. It ruins the integrity of the dog, overpowering the other ingredients and flavors that make hot dogs such a staple for many.
Even former President Barack Obama said ketchup on a hot dog is not acceptable over the age of 8 ... but no one has ever said anything bad about barbecue sauce.
At Tucson’s newest hot dog stand, Odd Dogs, Nate Vincent is serving up creative takes on the classic, all-American dish. And unlike ketchup, these toppings actually complement the hot dog, elevating it into something you’ve never had before.
Vincent worked in restaurants when he was younger and has always loved cooking. But it’s expensive to eat out, so if Vincent wanted a delicious meal, he had to make it himself.
Wanting to keep himself busy on the weekends, Vincent decided to start his own passion project where he could put his cooking skills to use. Making some extra cash and being able to serve delicious food to the community: it was the perfect recipe.
Odd Dogs made its big debut in June at a local pool party, gaining lots of interest from customers.
Odd Dogs’ cart has an edgy, punk-rock aesthetic.
It’s hard not to be curious when you see Vincent’s stand. The punk rock-esque cart first catches your attention with a “beware of odd dogs” sign and a giant leopard-print hot dog bun. When you head to the table to order, you can’t help but notice the cool collage of different pictures such as skulls, wolves and bulldogs.
Even his logo follows the edgy aesthetic: a hot dog with a scar, black sunglasses and a spiked collar.
“The process was and still is very much shooting from the hip, just figuring it out as I go,” Vincent said in an email. “There is, at least I haven't found anything on it, no booklet or manual on how to start and run a successful hot dog cart.”
While Odd Dogs’ funky aesthetic catches your eye, it’s Vincent’s menu that gets you hooked.
These aren’t your average Costco hot dogs. Each dog is a quarter-pound all-beef frank topped with some of the most unique flavors you’ve ever seen on a hot dog.
You can get the Jindo Dog which comes with carrot kraut, peanut sauce, bacon, crushed peanuts and mint or the Full Nelson, which has tomato jam, bacon, green onion and whipped black pepper ricotta.
Mediterranean food more your speed? The Greek Reaper is for you. This hot dog comes with tzatziki, diced cucumber, pickled red onion and black sesame seeds, giving gyros a run for their money.
“The menu just kind of came from my head ... thinking what kind of hot dogs I would like to eat during a Tucson summer,” Vincent said.
The WTW (Walker Texas Wiener) is topped with pulled pork, sweet relish, crispy fried onions and finished off with a zig-zag of barbecue sauce.
Two odd dogs on the menu piqued my interest: the WTW (Walker Texas Weiner) and the Bermuda Beach Dog.
Just like the name implies, the WTW is a combination of all the quintessential western flavors. The hot dog is topped with pulled pork, sweet relish, crispy fried onions and finished off with a zig-zag of barbecue sauce.
It only took one bite for me to become obsessed. The pulled pork adds a subtle sweetness to the hot dog without being too overwhelming. To bring it all together, you get the crunch of the crispy onions and the tang of the barbecue sauce. It truly encapsulates all the best barbecue flavors.
The Bermuda Beach Dog is a hot dog with pineapple sauce, toasted coconut, chopped-up jalapeños and adobo sriracha.
Next up was the Bermuda Beach Dog, a hot dog with pineapple sauce, toasted coconut, chopped jalapeños and adobo sriracha. I was a little hesitant when I first saw this dog on the menu. Pineapple and coconut on a hot dog seemed like a foreign concept to me, but I was curious.
After finishing the Bermuda Beach Dog, I knew I had found my favorite dog on the menu. It’s hard to find words to describe the flavor explosion that happens with every bite. The pineapple and coconut add just the right amount of sweetness to the savory dog. Then you get hit with the spiciness of the jalapeños and sriracha, causing your eyes to water.
The sweet and spicy flavors blend together perfectly, adding some tropical vibes to the classic American hot dog.
“The key for any dish, hot dogs included, is to make sure all the boxes check when eating the food like presentation, flavor, textures, mouthfeel and complementing tastes,” Vincent said.
Next time you’re craving a good, old-fashioned hot dog, do yourself a favor and ditch the ketchup for an odd dog instead, where you’ll still have to deal with stares of onlookers — but this time, they're envious ones.
Check out Odd Dogs' Instagram page to see where they pop up next!
