What’s more American that hot dogs and apple pie? How about a car company teaming with someone who calls himself “The Mayor of Flavortown” to combine the two foods.
You read that correctly. Chevrolet and Guy Fieri have crafted an apple pie hot dog. It’s partially a celebration of the “Field of Dreams” game being held in Iowa Thursday between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. It’s also an homage to a Chevy jingle from the 1970s, “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.”
It also sounds disgusting. But maybe crazy enough to work?
I was repulsed yet intrigued, and even more so when Chevy said they could overnight one to my door. That treatment is usually reserved for important legal documents and organ donations, not tubes of meat wrapped in pie filling.
Of course, I was in.
Then it came. The cold, packaged hot dog looked less like food and more like a corpse. I didn’t expect it to come out of the dry ice-cooled box looking perfect, but jeez. The throwback Chevy logo on the package made me feel like I was about to bite into a burrito filled with motor oil.
But popping it the oven for 10 minutes and topping it with the accompanying apple mustard brought the thing to life, not unlike Frankenstein’s monster. I was equally horrified.
And then I took a bite. I suspended my disbelief and tried to forget about the novelty of this obviously corporate culinary stunt and just taste it. And you know what? It kind of works. I am a sucker for sweet and savory combinations in general. The sweet tang of the apples plays off the savory porky flavor of the frankfurter, balancing the bite. You’ll often find fruit and meat on a charcuterie board — why not in a hot dog? The apple mustard may sound ridiculous, but it brought the whole thing together.
Look, you won’t catch me out here making any apple pie hot dogs in my spare time. But but this ridiculous dog is a worthy citizen of Flavortown.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.
