Connoisseurs of the artisanal hot dog can take heart. On the eve of the Fourth of July, a time when the frank often take center stage at cookouts and barbecues, there has been a veritable outburst of culinary creativity among local frankfurter chefs.
And that outburst may be traced to the Create Fenway’s Next Frank contest, which is sponsored by Kayem Foods of Chelsea, the maker of the “Official Frank and Sausage of the Boston Red Sox.â€
One contest entry is Tony’s New England Dog. This recipe submission sublimes the Fenway Frank with maple cured baked beans, crumbled brown sugar candied bacon, and spicy brown mustard.
Tony is one of the top five finalists in Kayem’s online Fenway Frank contest. In the process of transforming their dogs into a condiment delivery-platform, other finalists give a workout to such choice ingredients as pickled jalapeno rings, crushed nacho tortilla chips, and sauteed mushrooms, not to mention jalapeno ketchup and crunchy potato sticks.
More hot-dog contest low-down can be found on Kayem’s Facebook page, and frankfurter lovers can cast a vote there as well for their favorite entry in the Fenway Frank competition.
“The winning recipe will be announced by a Red Sox player at a special free lunchtime National Hot Dog Day celebration at the Landing on July 23 and will be served at Fenway Park during the Red Sox game versus the Tampa Bay Rays that night,†Kayem said in a press release.
Chris Reidy can be reached at reidy@globe.com.
