Description
Nate Beck"s Nate Dogs, applies an artisan approach to the humble hot dog cart. To pick just the right dog, Beck visited every craft butcher around the metro and collected a cooler full of samples. After taste testing, he chose an all-pork, skin-on, uncured wiener (and wiener-sized bratwurst) from the family-run farm Pastures a Plenty. Beck boils his tubesteaks so they don't risk splitting the casing and losing their juice, as they can when grilled. Beck's homemade condiments include caramelized onions, coarse-cut sauerkraut, and a variety of blended mustards that he wears in a waist-slung holster for quicker dispensing (try one made with a local beer). The tubesteaks and toppings outshine their ho-hum, mass-produced buns, but that's kind of the point: The bread needs to fade to the background so the meat can be the star. Beck has instilled his business with a philanthropic philosophy: For every dog purchased, he makes an equivalent donation to charity. "Get a dog, give a dog," he says. "That's our motto."
