By Kim Zebley
Last Christmas, I received a new watch. Yep, it’s great, but it’s a bit bulky on my wrist. Well, a few months ago I accidentally bumped the watch and broke the bezel. Luckily it was under warranty, but I had to bring it to a jeweler in Provo.
When we walked into the store, it definitely didn’t smell like a jewelry store. What does a jewelry store smell like, you ask? I really have no idea. No descriptive words come to mind. Maybe they smell like cleanliness or new carpet? Even though I’m not sure what a jewelers is supposed to smell like, on this day, as we walked in, I knew it did NOT smell like it should. It smelled like… hotdogs. Not just ordinary hotdogs, but good smothered hotdogs. The aroma lured me in.
The owner tried to choke his mouthful down and wipe the sauce off of his face, as he welcomed us to his store. It was a funny site to see in such a nice place. Since the smell was so alluring we decided to skip the small talk and cut to the chase—we asked him about his lunch. His eyes lit up and said it was a J Dawgs. He assumed we knew what that was and when we didn’t, he got off of his jewelry sales soapbox and jumped onto the hotdog one. “You’ve never tried a J Dawgs? They’re the best dogs ever!” Then he went on to tell us where to find them. From the first smell, I was determined to go.
It seems like a pretty popular spot and I love the modern, city-like, hurried feel. The line is often out the door as you wait to walk in, order, and then pick up your food. The choices are simple: beef hot or Polish sausage, chips and drink. The fun part is when you’re up to get your dog. It’s a quick one-man assembly of your masterpiece as you tell him how you want it topped. Choices include onions, sauerkraut, banana peppers, jalapenos, a kosher pickle slice, and special sauce. I usually get everything on it except the peppers and I’ve always ordered the beef dog. Last time I went, I snuck a bite of my hubby’s Polish sausage and thought that was even better than mine.
The sauce is quite unique, the owner’s grandma’s recipe. I would describe it as a sweet, tangy, barbecue, and it works perfectly with all of the mushy mess. My son likes his dog just like mine, and when I asked him if he liked sauerkraut (oh, how I hoped at least one of my kids did), he shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know.” I laughed. Didn’t he realize that’s what he was eating? He was devouring that thing and had no idea what sauerkraut tasted like. All of the flavors literally just meld into one delicious taste, each accentuating the other. So I picked out a couple of pieces of sauerkraut that didn’t have anything else on them. He bravely took a bite then fake gagged and said, “Yuck.” Ho hum. At least he likes it on his J Dawgs.
Really, all of the tastes come together to make it perfect. Yep, it’s a bit messy, but it’s fun, delicious and filling. The dogs are longer and thicker than your average ones and they’re grilled to perfection, with criss-cross scoring to capture the sauce. Just before the hot is done grilling, they open a locally made roll, smoosh it on the grill for 2.73 seconds (or thereabouts), and flip it over and put the dog inside. Then they place it on a sheet of foil, dress to your request, twist the foil closed and hand it over. It’s quite a nice assembly line that just keeps rolling. I asked what kind of hotdogs they used and they said it was a secret recipe, and they’re made locally.
I’ve mentioned before I’m not a big hotdog fan, but these are really good. It’s true, I feel sick every time I eat there. Not because they’re gross, but because I keep on eating just one more bite.
We went a couple of weeks ago and were able to sit for a few minutes, watching our favorite football team play on the big screen. All I can say is too bad BYU’s performance on that night wasn’t anywhere close to the perfection of my beef dog. Oh well, they’re still my team and I’ll keep going to J Dawgs, no matter what the score. Just in case you’re wondering, I’m sure they’d also be happy to serve those who can’t seem to bleed blue (there are no blood tests at the door).
If you just like it traditional, J Dawgs offers ketchup and mustard at a separate table and I read that they have special toppings: mayo, celery salt, relish and spicy brown mustard. I’m not sure what you need to do to get those… maybe that’s where a secret blood test comes in.
They offer 12 drink choices, including apple beer, and also sell Tim’s Cascade Kettle chips. Prices are “poor college student” affordable, so if you’re going to Provo or if you need a reason to go, remember J Dawg. It’s definitely worth the trip.
If you’re familiar with BYU, J Dawgs is pretty easy to find. It’s located on the southeast end of campus. Take East Campus Drive, past the Wilkinson Center, heading south. At the end of the road turn right then a quick left and it’s on the left. 858 N. 700 E. Provo.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 11-9. Closed Sundays.
