I am an American and I Eat Hot Dogs

2 x rippers loaded with mustard and house relish

This place is pretty much legendary. I think they may even make the slightly outrageous claim to have invented the deep frying method of hot dog preparation. I’m not sure that’s accurate, as it seems like America has such a penchant for deep frying that it’s simply part of our culture. Throwing a hot dog in the deep fryer had to have happened somewhere in Alabama long before Rutt’s started serving hot dogs to suburban New Jersey.

Leaving that stuff aside, Rutt’s still servers a quality hot dog. Deep fat frying should be viewed as an indulgence. Hot dogs are probably bad enough for your health as is, but cooking them in grease can only make things radically worse. So take them in moderation because they can get pretty tasty this way.

Aside from the frying, Rutt’s trademark is their special relish, which apparently contains chopped cabbage and carrots. Load the dogs up with that and a good strip of mustard and it goes down nice and smooth. I’m big on relish, so I laid it on thick and didn’t regret it.