Dogma pop-up preaches hot dog gospel

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sat, September 30, 2023 | 01:28

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Dogma pop-up preaches hot dog gospel

Posted : 2022-06-28 14:32

Updated : 2022-06-29 15:06

Dogma Hot Dogs / Courtesy of Dogma Hot Dogs

By Jon Dunbar

One of the latest brands to be making waves in Seoul's restaurant scene is Dogma Hot Dogs, a pop-up that's set to have its second official event this Sunday at The Workshop in Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood.

Although the name sounds a little pious for a sausage in a bun, it's actually meant as a combination of "hot dog" and "ak-ma" (devil).

"A friend came up with the name pretty quickly," Jake Hanus, founder of Dogma, told The Korea Times. "I like the juxtaposition of the theological term being intertwined with the devil."

Hanus debuted Dogma to the world on June 21, at an event in Groove Coffee Roasters in northeastern Seoul. The menu offered three hot dogs: the chili dog, kimchi dog and spicy slaw dog, but Hanus also sprung an unannounced kraut dog on customers as a secret menu item. The event was a big success, with all hot dogs selling out by the end.

"Every dog was loved by different people for different reasons," Hanus told The Korea Times. "Also, I get some people might not want to try a kimchi dog and that's alright. To me though, it just makes sense. It's very different from, but also similar to sauerkraut. I first made a version of it eleven years ago and have been tweaking it since. If you like Korean barbecue, this dog is directly inspired by it and I hope you get that vibe when you take a bite."

Jake Hanus serves hot dogs at a Dogma pop-up held at Groove Coffee Roasters in northeastern Seoul, May 21. / Courtesy of Dogma Hot Dogs

Hanus was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he grew up eating chili dogs at local joints like Rudy's and Tony Packo's. He went to university in New York, where he worked at the Upper West Side Shake Shack, back when it was one of two locations. After moving to Korea in 2011, he found the country not lacking good food, but rather than travel long distances seeking out good restaurants, he worked on improving his cooking skills.

"A little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to cook the one thing that I thought I had a genuine cultural connection to ― that's a hot dog," he said. "Some kids grow up eating 'kimchi jjigae.' Others have tamales. I have hot dogs. So I want to be the best hot dog man I can be."

He makes almost everything that goes into his hot dogs from scratch. He makes the sauerkraut from fermenting Korean cabbage, and he uses kimchi he made with his relatives. To make the hot dogs, he grinds, seasons and stuffs beef into sheep casings. The only part he admits comes from outside is the bun, admitting he's an "amateur baker," while also adding that he's looking for someone to bake a custom bun for Dogma in the future.

He's hoping to introduce hot dogs as the next big thing in Korea's foodie scene. "Hot dogs are able to win over that Korean demographic that helped popularize authentic tasting burgers, pizza and sandwiches," he said. "I think the most important part, though, is making an unapologetically authentic and delicious version of a hot dog. If it's very good, they will come."

He shouted out Hassdog, a similar pop-up operation active in Seoul a few years ago. "He made great dogs and all credit goes to him for taking that first brave step," he said.

Hanus has also seen others doing similar things, such as making house-made sausages. "I'm glad to see it and hope we can all get the interest in 'craft' hot dogs up," he remarked. "A rising tide lifts all boats."

He hopes to develop Dogma in a few ways. First, he's hoping to open a food truck. "Hot dogs are an ideal street food," he said. "You can hold it in the sleeve and walk with it. I hope to post up and serve at parks, events or anywhere that would have me."

He's also excited to try making other kinds of hot dogs, including smoked, lamb and pork versions, and he's considering selling the hot dogs to other businesses, in stores or online.

Dogma's Jake Hanus prepares hot dogs. / Courtesy of Dogma Hot Dogs

Asked the age-old question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich, Hanus leaned toward no. "My instinct tells me that a hot dog is not a sandwich, for the same reasons a taco isn't a sandwich," he said. "Then again, here in Korea, a hot dog is served on a stick, battered, deep-fried and rolled in sugar. And a sandwich is seventy percent made of salad ingredients. So what do I know?"

The next pop-up at The Workshop starts this Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit fb.com/DogmaKorea for more information.

jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr