Half-smoke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A half-smoke is a type of sausage found in the United States capital of Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region. A half-smoke is similar to a regular hot dog, but slightly larger, spicier and with more coarsely ground meat; it is usually grilled but can be found steamed.
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[edit] Ingredients and preparation
A half-smoke is commonly made of beef, pork or a combination of the two, and is served on a hot dog bun. Due to their size, they are often mistaken for the Polish sausage kielbasa.
The etymology of "half-smoke" is unclear as the sausage is not always smoked.[1] One possible explanation is that many places cut the sausage in half when grilling, or that many half-smokes are 50/50 beef and pork (though 100% beef half-smokes are common).[2]'
[edit] History
The "original" half smoke is considered to be the sausage distributed by D.C.'s Briggs and Co. meatpackers, originating in around 1950, though Raymond Briggs started selling his half-smokes circa 1930. Eventually Briggs was sold to another meat distributor, where the quality of the meat eroded.[2]
[edit] Venues
Numerous hot dog carts in Washington, D.C. sell steamed half-smokes, with those on Constitution Avenue catering to tourists and those on Pennsylvania Avenue serving federal employees, and formerly a long row of vendors serving half-smokes to baseball fans on East Capitol Street outside RFK Stadium.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Look No Further! The Thrilling End Of The Grueling Search For A Washington Dish". The Washington Post: p. W26. 2000-10-08. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A29121-2000Oct7¬Found=true. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- ^ a b Jamieson, Dave (2007-01-26). "The Missing Link". Washington City Paper. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=561&navCenterTopImg. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
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