Fayetteville, WV (WOAY) – Every region has its own hot dog. In West Virginia, it comes one way: chili, mustard, onion and slaw, ideally on a grilled bun. National Hot Dog Day fell on Wednesday, and Newswatch 4 went looking for some of Fayette County’s best examples of the state’s signature dog.
At Cantrell’s Ultimate Rafting, the difference starts with the chili. Director of Operations Jason Stover said the recipe has been in the family for years.
“We use a homemade chili. It’s Cantrell’s mother’s recipe, actually,” Stover said. “He made it himself for years, and he finally passed it down. That, of course, makes a major difference on a hot dog if you have good chili on it.”
The result is a dog where the slaw hits first, bright and crunchy, before the chili settles in behind it and the mustard cuts a sharp line through the middle.
A few miles up the road near the New River Gorge, the Swiftwater General Store puts the same care into every order, long after National Hot Dog Day has passed. Cook Wyatt Moses said quality ingredients set their version apart.
“All beef hot dogs, we make our own chili, make our own slaw,” Moses said. “We have special toasted English buns, which really elevate those dogs to the next level.”
That one plays sweeter, with a soft sweetness in the slaw that rounds off the chili’s heat. A different dog than the first, and just as good.
Though, according to those in the know, the toppings are only part of the story.
“You can put the same stuff on it, but it doesn’t have the same flavor,” said Jackie Howlett, who works at Swiftwater. “Maybe it’s the chili, maybe it’s the slaw, maybe it’s the cooks, but it’s all the love.”
No topping starts more of an argument than the slaw. Food lovers talk about an unofficial “slaw line” that splits the state into slaw and no-slaw country. Fayette County sits firmly on the slaw side, and opinions came easy.
“A dog is a dog, however you want. I’ve had a lot of those northern dogs that are really, really good, so I can’t hate on it,” Stover said. “But if you’re dead set on saying that slaw shouldn’t be on a dog, you’re wrong.”
Howlett put it more bluntly, saying slaw skeptics up north “need to get their vitamins through the greens.”
Not everyone behind the counter agrees. Moses admitted he breaks the mold.
“I’m not a big slaw guy,” he said. “I know I’m breaking stereotype, but I’m not big on slaw.”
And sometimes a little pressure changes a mind. Cantrell’s guide Dion Carroll started out a skeptic, then thought better of it on camera.
“Personally, I’m not a big fan of slaw, but, you know, everybody has their own…” Carroll said, before quickly reversing course after his boss chimed in: “I’m fired. Slaw is amazing.”
National Hot Dog Day comes around once a year. In Fayette County, the West Virginia dog is on the menu every day.
