“Now everybody’s got advice they just keep on givin’ – Doesn’t mean too much to me”
Theme song by Boston “Peace Of Mind” from Boston
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Tom Scholz is a rock god. The debut Boston album is in the Top Five of my “All Killer No Filler” album list. Not a single bad track and (perhaps sadly) I still know all the lyrics. Just looked up the release date – 43 YEARS OLD (as of this writing in 2019). REALLY??!! I remember group singing “Rock & Roll Band” at parties in Midwest suburban basements. Making out to “More Than A Feeling” at high school dances. Blasting “Peace Of Mind” from the cassette deck of my Rally Sport Camaro driving through Flint. Listening to it as I write this, yes it’s got that classic ’70s rock patina, but it’s still also fucking awesome. Albums like this are rare and getting rarer. For this reason, it was inevitable I would name my Boston style hot dog after my favorite track on Boston’s debut.
They keep the dog pretty simple in Boston: a little mustard, a little onion, and a bunch of baked beans. Sure it’s a bit too on the mark for a hot dog from Boston to use baked beans as a topping, but it works quite well. You get the kind of sweet sauciness of hot dog chili without the added layer of meat. I chose to go with the BBQ Beans from the Cha Cha Hut Cookbook (sorry Bostonites). You should buy a copy of my cookbook, or use your own favorite baked beans recipe, or hell even canned baked bean will do fine here. Stick with yellow mustard here. First, it’s the best hot dog mustard. Second, it works better with the sweetness of the baked beans than spicy mustard. Finally, I went with scallions for a bit of color and because I’m fancy. Diced white onions are perfectly fine and in fact traditional for this dog.
PEACE OF MIND
All beef hot dog, baked beans, scallions, and yellow mustard on a potato roll
Makes 2 hot dogs
2 all-beef hot dogs
2 hot dog buns
4 tablespoons Baked Beans (like the Cha Cha Hut BBQ Beans)
1 scallion, chopped
Yellow mustard
Toast the buns and set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet (or heavy skillet if you don’t have cast iron) over high heat. Carefully split the hot dogs lengthwise, gently spread open and place cut side down in hot skillet. If you have a grill weight, use it to press the dog into the pan. Otherwise, use a spatula to flatten the dog. Cook for a minute or so until it gets crispy and slightly charred. Flip dogs and cook for another minute until lightly charred.
Place dogs in toasted buns – split side up. Divide the baked beans between the two hot dogs. Top each dog with a sprinkle of scallion and a generous serving of yellow mustard.