I grew up in Wisconsin, where bratwurst cooked in beer were a commonplace. You could get them anywhere. Restaurants served them; people made them at home. Hot dogs bathed in beer were less popular. (In a place where you can easily score a bratwurst, why would you settle for a hot dog?) But, as the movie “The Irishman” proved when it was released, beer-cooked hot dogs loomed large for many people in the rest of the United States.
A 25-second scene in that Martin Scorsese film shows Robert DeNiro as Frank Sheeran, the Irish gangster of the title, picking up some dogs in Miami at a place called Lum’s. “There ain’t a better hot dog in America,” the character declares in a voiceover.
Lum’s, now defunct, was a restaurant chain born in Miami Beach in 1955, when Stuart and Clifford Perlman, two brothers from Philadelphia, bought a small diner on 41st Street from a Massachusetts native named Barnett Carvin, who founded the restaurant in 1950. The 16-seat joint’s calling card was hot dogs steamed in beer and the Perlmans kept it on the menu. (Where Carvin got the idea to cook hot dogs in beer, and why the place was called Lum’s, has been lost to time.) Though the Perlmans had other business concerns, they actually worked the place a lot of the time.
The Perlmans were not the first people to cook hot dogs in beer. Given Germany’s long histories with both sausage and suds, the practice is almost certain to have been a regular one in that country long before Lum’s came along. And as early as 1949, the Cedar Lake Resort in Sheboygan, Wis., was regularly advertising its “specialty” of beer-steamed hot dogs.
But it was Lum’s that ran with the idea. The year after buying the diner, the enterprising Perlmans had opened a second branch. By 1961, there were four Lum’s in Florida and the company had gone public. Eventually, Lum’s would boast more than 400 locations, including shops in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Spain, and West Germany. In some socially conservative states, there were local battles over whether to issue Lum’s a liquor license, without which they could not make their signature product.
By the 1970s, beer-steamed hot dogs were everywhere from Maine to California, and not always made by Lum’s. A Fort Lauderdale restaurant called Brownie’s even had the temerity to advertise its “famous beer-steamed hot dogs” on Lum’s home turf.
You can’t buy a Lum’s dog today. The chain changed hands several times starting in the 1960s and went steadily downhill. The original location closed in 1983. The final Lum’s, in Nebraska, steamed its final frankfurter in 2017. So, if you want the Lum’s experience, you have to make a hot dog at home. A number of recipes purporting to be the Lum’s original have popped up on the internet in recent years and they are similar enough to each other to smack of truth.
Lum’s hot dogs were not steamed solely in beer, but a sort of a beer broth, composed of one part beer, two parts water, one teaspoon each of sugar, garlic powder, and caraway seeds, and a quarter of an onion chopped fine. This is brought to a boil. The wieners are then simmered in the liquid for 15 minutes.
Details on the two primary ingredients in the Lum’s formula — the dogs and the beer — are frustratingly few. I could find no account of what brand of hot dog Lum’s used, only that it was a quarter-pound specimen. It’s hard to find a dog that size in the markets these days, so go as big as you can, or just use your favorite brand. As to the beer, Budweiser was specified in a 2005 article in the Miami Herald. It’s not a very imaginative choice, but it makes sense, since Bud was and still is cheap, and is available nationwide.
“The Irishman”’s brief scene depicts the grill man dosing the hot dogs with beer as they simmer on the grill. This does seem to have been the way Lum’s did it, first steaming the sausages in the beer broth and then briefly grilling them.
One thing no article I have uncovered discusses was the custom condiment Lum’s put on its hot dogs: sauerkraut spiked with sherry. The topping is even mentioned prominently on old Lum’s menus. That means Lum’s hot dogs actually received two doses of liquor! No wonder they had a devoted fan base.
There is no recipe for this “sherry-flavored sauerkraut,” as Lum’s called it. So I simply heated up some sauerkraut in a quarter cup of dry sherry. (Don’t use the sweet stuff.) I recommend going this extra mile. The dog by itself tasted good, but with the sauerkraut — which you had to pay extra for at Lum’s — it was great and truly unique in flavor.
The Perlman brothers, it turned out, were not particularly interested in giving the world an excellent hot dog. They were businessmen and Lum’s was just one of their ventures.
In 1969, Stuart and Clifford Perlman got into the gaming industry, buying Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for $58 million. (That’s a lot of hot dog sales!) They sold off Lum’s the same year. The Perlmans’ holdings eventually included Caesars Tahoe, Caesars Boardwalk Regency in Atlantic City, plus resorts in the Poconos and other interests. But they were stopped cold when they applied for a permanent gaming license in New Jersey. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission turned them away “because of alleged ties to unsavory characters,” according to the Miami Herald.
Maybe the connection between the hoods in “The Irishman” and Lum’s wasn’t all that far-fetched after all.
Hot dogs and beer are natural partners, and boiling hot dogs in beer vs water can be a real flavor revelation. While beef or chicken broth increases the meaty flavors in hot dogs, cooking them in beer adds mellow, complementary flavors while keeping the frankfurters plump and juicy.
If youre interested in recreating this retro recipe or using beer for cooking your hot dogs in other ways, theres no need to sacrifice an expensive microbrew. Instead, spend a few bucks on a cheap six-pack. If you dont care to drink the remaining beer, you can always save it for future hot dog cookery or use it to make beer bread or beer cheese sauce instead.
One ingredient can help make even plain hot dogs more exciting if youre willing to spare a splash or two of beer. If youre steaming the hot dogs, including beer in the water adds extra flavor. If youre boiling them, the addition of alcohol may even help to speed up the cooking process. If you fry or bake hot dogs, simply add some beer to the pan. By using beer in place of oil or butter, you will lessen the fat content. Plus, youll give your franks flavor from whatever style of beer you use.
Were not sure who came up with the concept of cooking hot dogs in beer, although Wisconsin-style bratwurst recipes have called for braising brats in beer forever, so its not such a stretch to apply the same method for a similar sausage. However, one restaurant chain took the concept and really ran with it. Lums was established in Florida in the 1950s and built its reputation on beer-steamed hot dogs. By the 1970s, Lums had over 400 franchises and even a few overseas outposts. Sadly, the last Lums closed up shop in 2017 but, thanks to the internet, its hot dog recipe remains. Reportedly, the famous Lums dog was simmered for 15 minutes in a 2:1 mixture of water and beer flavored with 1 teaspoon each of caraway seeds, garlic powder, and sugar, as well as some chopped onion. The hot dogs were finished with yet another splash of beer and a few minutes on the grill.
Hot dog hacks often center around unique things to add, such as crushed potato chips, kimchi, or cranberry sauce. However, we probably pay far less attention to the best ways to cook hot dogs. Sure, you can boil, steam, grill, or fry hot dogs in a pan, but theres not much you can do to jazz up the cooking process. Or is there?
By the 1970s, beer-steamed hot dogs were everywhere from Maine to California, and not always made by Lum’s. A Fort Lauderdale restaurant called Brownie’s even had the temerity to advertise its “famous beer-steamed hot dogs” on Lum’s home turf.
But it was Lum’s that ran with the idea. The year after buying the diner, the enterprising Perlmans had opened a second branch. By 1961, there were four Lum’s in Florida and the company had gone public. Eventually, Lum’s would boast more than 400 locations, including shops in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Spain, and West Germany. In some socially conservative states, there were local battles over whether to issue Lum’s a liquor license, without which they could not make their signature product.
You can’t buy a Lum’s dog today. The chain changed hands several times starting in the 1960s and went steadily downhill. The original location closed in 1983. The final Lum’s, in Nebraska, steamed its final frankfurter in 2017. So, if you want the Lum’s experience, you have to make a hot dog at home. A number of recipes purporting to be the Lum’s original have popped up on the internet in recent years and they are similar enough to each other to smack of truth.
Details on the two primary ingredients in the Lum’s formula — the dogs and the beer — are frustratingly few. I could find no account of what brand of hot dog Lum’s used, only that it was a quarter-pound specimen. It’s hard to find a dog that size in the markets these days, so go as big as you can, or just use your favorite brand. As to the beer, Budweiser was specified in a 2005 article in the Miami Herald. It’s not a very imaginative choice, but it makes sense, since Bud was and still is cheap, and is available nationwide.
A 25-second scene in that Martin Scorsese film shows Robert DeNiro as Frank Sheeran, the Irish gangster of the title, picking up some dogs in Miami at a place called Lum’s. “There ain’t a better hot dog in America,” the character declares in a voiceover.
Cooking with Chris – How to make a Beer Boiled Hot Dog
FAQ
Why do people put hot dogs in beer?
Should you boil hot dogs before grilling?
Why do some people boil hot dogs?
What happens if you boil beer?
Can you put beer in hot dogs?
If you’re steaming the hot dogs, including beer in the water adds extra flavor. If you’re boiling them, the addition of alcohol may even help to speed up the cooking process. If you fry or bake hot dogs, simply add some beer to the pan. By using beer in place of oil or butter, you will lessen the fat content.
Can You boil Hotdogs in water?
Sure, you can boil your hotdogs in water — especially nice if you want the condiments themselves to be the star of the show — but if you want the meat to take center stage and burst with mouth-watering flavor, it’s better to use beer. It’s not just the hot dog sausages that can be cooked with beer for a flavor revolution.
How do you cook Hotdogs with beer?
Heat water in a pot on the stove. You need enough water to cover the hotdogs and then another few inches This method is the most popular because it plumps up the hotdogs, and the beer makes them incredibly tasty. This is similar to the above boil method, with the difference that you replace 1 ½ cups of water with beer instead!
How long do you boil Hotdogs?
Hotdogs need to be boiled for around 6 minutes or longer if you are cooking a large quantity of them or cooking from frozen. The ways in which to prevent hotdog skins from splitting depends on the cooking method that you are using. If you’re boiling the hotdogs, then simply pierce a few holes into the hotdogs with a fork before boiling.