This week we’re going to be cooking and griddling at least two (2) different sausages that we then tuck into homemade brat/hot dog buns and we’re going to create at least two (2) different sausage sandwiches. Maybe it’ll be three (3).
Please pretend like you didn’t see three (3) sausage photos in the header above to increase the suspense.
What are these sausages?
A few days back I got a message from Bobak Sausage Company asking if I wanted to collaborate on a couple of sausage-focused pieces of social media content. I agreed because sausage is awesome and they sent me a box containing several of their varieties. You can check out the history of Bobak Sausage Company on their website; they are a Chicago-based company founded in 1962 by an immigrant from Poland named Frank Bobak and they’ve been slinging sausages in the greater Chicago area for more than 60 years.
The five varieties they sent me are Maxwell Polish, Polish, Smoked Cheddar, Mild Italian, and Smoked Brats. This is a tiny bit of a spoiler, but I ended up using Maxwell Polish, Smoked Cheddar, and Smoked Brats for this blog post (that’s 3). Don’t worry, the other two (2) will also be thoroughly enjoyed.
Table of Contents
- Hot dog bun content
- Sausage sandwich content
Note: Bobak Sausage Company provided all of the sausages to me for free.
Visit and follow Bobak’s Sausage Instagram and my personal account to see the content we collaborated on.
You can buy Bobak’s sausages at grocery stores in Chicago and the surrounding area. They also have a sausage map you can check out to see where their products should be available.
Now that we’re all stocked up on sausage, let’s get started on those buns.
Two different buns
I baked two different homemade buns for these sausages. Both of the buns that I made are based on my original hot dog bun recipe but I have altered the ingredient amounts to make fewer buns that are slightly larger. Sausage or brat buns are typically a bit larger than a typical hot dog bun so I have created these recipes with that in mind.
Poppy seed hot dog or brat buns
If you’re not from Chicago, you might not be familiar with poppy seed-topped hot dog buns. I’m not sure if anyone knows the full truth behind why poppy seeds on hot dog buns are a thing in Chicago but it is theorized that there could be a connection to Jewish cuisine or Jewish food purveyors being prevalent in Chicago during the early 20th century. At the time, poppy seeds were very commonly used as toppings on bagels and it makes sense that someone decided to use them on hot dog buns as well.
A large portion of hot dog stands in the Chicago area buy poppy seed buns for their Chicago-style hot dogs so of course I felt like I needed a dedicated poppy seed hot dog recipe to add to the site. So I made one.
There are dedicated hot dog pans that you can buy to create consistent hot dog buns, but if you’re a practiced dough shaper, and you put a little effort into planning, I have found that you can bake split-top hot dog buns with consistency without an expensive pan.
After shaping hot dog buns place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan about 1/2 inch apart and they rise and grow together. When you are making split-top hot dog buns it’s important that each bun is pushing against its neighbor so they can help each other rise upward instead of outward.
Note: some brands of parchment paper have lines on them (Reynold’s brand has lines—I’m using that brand in the images above). The lines are typically 1 inch apart, making it easy to measure distances and widths.
Poppy seeding tips
After the dough has risen and doubled in size and the oven is preheating add 1 whole egg and 1 tablespoon of water to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Paint each bun top with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds. The egg wash helps encourage browning on the buns and it also works as a glue to keep the poppy seeds stuck to the tops.
Poppy seeds can be a mess and they can be difficult to apply evenly. I have found it is best to dump out a bunch of poppy seeds into a plate or bowl and use your fingers to sprinkle them rather than use the sifting top on the spice container. Once you are done, carefully pour the excess seeds back into the original container.
Just like kosher salt, using your fingers for sprinkling gives you a lot more control over keeping the seeds consistently spread out and sprinkled.
Here’s my poppy seed hot dog bun recipe. I get 7 buns out of this recipe when I am making sausage sandwiches but 8 buns if I am making a sandwich with a smaller-sized hot dog.
Top split poppy seed hot dog or brat buns
A top split poppy seed hot dog or brat bun that is soft and squishy and ready for sandwiching. You should be able to get 7 brat-sized buns or 8 hot dog-sized buns out of this recipe.
Get RecipeCheddar cheese brat buns
Since one of the sausages that Bobak’s sent me was smoked cheddar I felt we could make a cheddar-focused bun and create a super cheesy sausage sandwich. I decided to bake the bun with a bunch of cheddar cheese in the dough and then add some on top as well.
I’ve probably shared too many photos of buns already in this blog post, but here are two more. You’re welcome.
If you need a cheesy hot dog bun recipe I’ve got you covered with this recipe.
Cheddar cheese hot dog or brat buns
With cheese in the dough and cheese on top of the dough, this hot dog bun recipe has got your cheesy needs covered. You should be able to get 7 brat-sized buns or 8 hot dog-sized buns out of this recipe.
Get RecipeNow we can get to the meat of this sausage sandwich blog post.
Three different sausage sandwiches
I created three options for pretty easy sausage sandwiches you can make inside or outside. For each of these, I cooked them either on an indoor griddle or an outdoor griddle (on my gas grill). But you can also grill these sausage on a charcoal or gas grill and for the two sausage sandwiches that require cooked onions, you could grab a cast iron skillet and cook those onions right on the grill with the sausages (if you can find space).
First, I’m making a sausage sandwich that’s also a Chicago classic.
Maxwell Street Polish sandwich
The Maxwell Street Polish sausage sandwich originated in Chicago, made by a man named Jimmy Stefanovic in 1939. Stefanovic was originally selling sausages and pork chop sandwiches out of a hot dog stand at the corner of Maxwell Street and Halsted Avenue that he bought from his aunt who no longer wanted the business. Fast forward to today and Jimmy’s family still owns and runs Jim’s Original which is no longer on Maxwell Street but it still has a menu with several items that Jimmy was selling back in 1939.
Jim’s Original’s menu lists the ingredients on a Maxwell Street sausage sandwich as a juicy, crunchy, and sweet smoked Polish sausage, a hot bun, a layer of yellow salad mustard, a mountain of sweet colossal Spanish onions grilled to perfection, and an abundance of spicy hot sport peppers.
I don’t have a ton of history ordering Maxwell Street Polishes because I typically go for a Chicago dog, but that may be something I change in the future. I really enjoyed the Maxwell Polish sandwiches I ate and made this week and I will be much more likely to veer down Maxwell Street when visiting future Chicago hot dog stands.
If you’re going out looking for one, you should not assume that a Polish sausage sandwich at a typical Chicago hot dog stand will be prepared “Maxwell Street” style. Double-check before you order because sometimes a “Polish” in Chicago will have the same toppings as a Chicago hot dog.
If you want to learn a lot more about the Maxwell Street market and how the Maxwell Street Polish came about, you can watch this Maxwell Street-focused tiktok from Jim at the Sandwich Tribunal or go read his recent very informative blog post about Maxwell Street.
My grills are on the roof of our townhouse which is two floors above my kitchen. This means I have to make checklists and multiple trips when I grill. I use a lot of sheet pans and makeshift “bowls” out of aluminum foil to keep all the ingredients together and safe.
I used the Bobak Sausage Company brand Maxwell Street Polish sausage for this sandwich.
Maxwell Street Polish sandwich
A Chicago classic sausage sandwich. The addition of sweet griddled onions on top of a savory sausage makes for a pretty good sandwich experience. Thanks to Bobak Sausage Company for providing the sausages for this sandwich.
Get RecipeCheesy goodness sausage sandwich
When I saw that Bobak Sausage Company had sent me a smoked cheddar sausage, I figured why not go all in on the cheese with my cheesy hot dog bun.
First cheesy test run
I have seen folks online making “grilled cheese hot dogs” or some variant of that technique where they flip the hot dog upside down on a pile of cheese that’s cooking on a hot griddle so I decided to try that technique on my own with one of Bobak’s smoked cheddar sausages.
I did this test run indoors on my cast iron griddle. I used one of the poppy seed and non-cheesy buns that was a little bit wider than the rest of the batch and I didn’t get the cheese under the sausage as melty as I wanted. I did achieve a really good cheese crust on the top though. The bun is super soft, the sausage is meaty and a little bit smoky and the top crust sells the whole concept as a successful one. I moved from this practice run into the actual version on the outdoor griddle the next night.
Cheddar has a lot of oil it in which helps with this process and as the oil cooks off on the griddle, the cheese starts to firm up and it becomes a bit of a crispy blanket on top of the hot dog. In theory, the cheese under the sausage should be melty from the heat of the meat, but I let my sausage cool off too much while grating the cheese. I wasn’t fully prepared for this test but I got it right in future cheesy goodness sausage sandwich attempts.
The second cheesy attempt
After the practice run, I decided to make a full effort outside on the grill with a few of my cheddar cheese hot dog buns. I felt that the sandwich was really good as it was, but I also decided that the vinegary and spicy bite of a pickled Jalapeno might be a great addition to all that cheese.
The pickled jalapenos are obviously an optional ingredient, but I think it worked really well and pushed the cheesy sausage sandwich over the top. Slice up some pepperoncinis and use those if you want a little less spice in your cheesy goodness sausage sandwich.
I attempted this cook on a griddle that replaces one side of the grill grates on my gas grill. It was super bright outside and that caused a whole lot of issues for me with the lighting for photos and video. So I didn’t capture too much of that attempt other than a couple of photos.
The sausage sandwich turned out great and the pickled jalapenos put it over the top for me, but I just didn’t get the best photos or video that I needed for use here. So I made a third attempt indoors again to try to get it right.
I used the Bobak Sausage Company brand Smoked Cheddar Sausage for this sandwich.
The third and final cheesy sausage maneuver
Here’s my final, fully tested cheesy goodness sausage sandwich recipe. It’s pretty easy to pull off as long as you have a hot griddle or large cast iron skillet available.
Warning: this cheesy goodness sausage sandwich is very tasty, but it’s not the prettiest sandwich you’ll make or see.
Cheesy goodness sausage sandwich
This cheesy sausage sandwich packs two different textures of cheese—melty and gooey cheddar cheese as well as crispy fried cheese. A bit of pickle-y jalapeno brings a tiny bit of tartness and heat. Thanks to Bobak Sausage Company for providing the sausages for this sandwich.
Get RecipeAre we done yet?
I figured I’ve already tackled two sausage sandwiches this week and that’s enough for one week, right? Ok, maybe it’s not quite enough.
One more for the road!
Seattle-style smoked sausage
I’ve never been to Seattle, but it seems like their Seattle-style dog is a bit of a moving target. All of the versions I have seen online have cream cheese and jalapenos. Many have grilled or griddled onions but some have crispy fried onions. Some have brown mustard but from a lot of the photos online, yellow mustard is also used often. And finally, sriracha does seem to be an option but it doesn’t seem to come on all of them.
Please feel free to comment below to tell me if I’m wrong about any of this. I really know very little about the specifics of a Seattle-style hot dog other than what I’ve read online.
With that said, now let me try to make a few Seattle-style sausage sandwiches and convince you that I’m a knowledge expert on the topic.
Once again, just like with the Maxwell Street Polish, we’re back with some caramelized onions. They are top-notch ingredients on hot dogs and burgers and they’re cheap to obtain so it’s not surprising that they became a go-to option for dressing hot dogs or sausage sandwiches.
These aren’t really caramelized onions, but they’re about halfway there. I like them so that they are softened and just starting to take on a very light caramel color. This means they’re not quite as soft as fully caramelized onions and they still have some texture which is noticeable in a sausage sandwich.
Sliced sausage
The sausage or hot dog in a Seattle dog is often sliced and griddled as a split dog. I did that with the Bobak Sausage Company smoked brats that I received and made my Seattle-style sausage sandwiches that way. This is a good way to cook a smoked sausage in my experience because they come to temperature faster and this technique gives you a lot more surface area for searing.
I used the Bobak Sausage Company brand Smoked Brat Sausage for this sandwich.
Cream cheese is a perfect hot dog ingredient
I’ve said it to anyone who will stop and listen to me—cream cheese is a fantastic ingredient to add to a hot dog. It’s creamy, it’s already melty in texture like cheese and it has a tiny bit of twang that is noticeable in a hot dog where there aren’t 20 other ingredients competing for attention. Even if there are a lot of exciting ingredients (like a Seattle dog) the cream cheese still brings a texture that you just don’t get with other ingredients.
Try it out. Add cream cheese to your next hot dog with mustard and onions. It really holds its own in a hot dog.
Now, let’s build a couple of Seattle-style sausage sandwiches. Here’s a little animated gif that shows all the ingredients getting added.
Note: if you’re from Seattle do not be angry when you realize in the next few photos that I used a homemade poppy sausage brat bun. This is not traditional. The buns just so happened to be extremely fresh and I rolled with it. They’re also kinda pretty.
Seattle-style sausage sandwich
This is a slightly spicy and super savory sausage sandwich inspired by Seattle-style hot dogs. Sweet griddled onions, spicy jalapenos, and robust brown mustard bring large amounts of flavor to this sausage sandwich. Thanks to Bobak Sausage Company for providing the sausages for this sandwich.
Get RecipeCheck back next week
I should be back from vacation next week and I typed the words you’re reading about two weeks ago so I have no idea what sandwich I’m going to be writing about next week. But come back and be surprised along with me to find out what it is! It should be fun.
