HALF-SMOKE

A 'half-smoke' is a type of sausage found in Washington, D.C., United States and the surrounding region. A half-smoke is slightly larger than than a regular hot dog, spicier and with more coarsely ground meat; it is usually grilled but can be found steamed. It is commonly made of beef, pork or a combination of the two, and is served on a hot dog bun. In 2000, ''The Washington Post'' Magazine named the half-smoke as the regional food in the Washington Dish Contest. Due to their size, they are often mistaken for the Polish sausage kielbasa.

Contents

History

Venues

Notes and references

History

The etymology of "half-smoke" is unclear as the sausage is not smoked.''Look No Further! The Thrilling End Of The Grueling Search For A Washington Dish'', Washington Post, 8 October 2000 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). In the January 26, 2007 edition of the ''Washington City Paper'', reporter Dave Jamieson examined the origins of the half-smoke.
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 allegedly was eroded. Today, the general consensus of the finest half-smoke is the Weenie Beenie in the Shirlington neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, or Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington.''The Missing Link'', ''Washington City Paper'', 26 January 2007

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 a long row of vendors serving half-smokes to baseball fans on East Capitol Street outside RFK Stadium. Restaurants such as Ben's Chili Bowl often grill their half-smokes.^[1] Ben's half-smokes, which are all beef, are arguably the most renowned in the city and, once grilled, are split enough to run a line of mustard down the middle before topping with chili con carne and chopped onions. Comedian Bill Cosby is known to eat three half-smokes in one sitting during his occasional visits to Ben's Chili Bowl. Former mayor Anthony Williams often went to Ben's in an effort to improve his home-town credentials; he even went so far as to mention it in his inaugural address.

Notes and references

1. Half-smokes in the DC area forum discussion