Aldi's Vienna Beef Hot Dogs Bring The Taste Of Chicago To Every Home
The Chicago-style hot dog is an American food icon. It's not the only gift the Windy City has given the culinary world, but even if it were, it would be enough. Of course, by now, in a food world that is increasingly globalized, you don't need to look far to find a Chicago dog, including well outside of Chicago. There's a good chance you can find its core ingredients in any grocery store, including the much-beloved Aldi.
That's what one Aldi-centric Instagram account discovered. "Aldi has you covered with their version of Vienna beef hot dogs (the best ever)!" they wrote. "Have you tried them yet?!" The picture shows a package of the retailer's Parkview Chicago Style Beef Franks, the Vienna Beef logo adorning the lower right-hand corner (the brand boasts of being "Chicago's Hot Dog Since 1893").
The enthusiasm is shared over on the r/Aldi subreddit under the heading "These chi dogs by Vienna Beef make me so happy." While neither thread seems to have much in the way of people confirming Parkview franks' quality ("These are what I buy all the time. Very good!" reads a comment on another Instagram post), there are plenty of comments on the Reddit thread from people professing their love and loyalty for the classic Chicago dog.
What is the relationship between Parkview and Vienna Beef?
"I'm rather surprised the Vienna Beef logo is on their [sic]," wrote one user on the r/aldi thread. "You would think they would not want to advertize [sic] they make cheaper, private label stuff." Another Redditor pointed out that the Parkview franks aren't necessarily cheaper, but in any event, the partnership between Parkview and Vienna Beef has been going strong for quite some time.
A 2011 post on Vienna Beef's Facebook page announced "VB is available in Aldi stores May – September nation wide!" Fast-forward to 2021 and an Instagram post questioning the relationship between Aldi and the hot dog manufacturer. "Check the label," the Chicago-based company wrote in a comment, "they are Vienna Beef!"
So it seems clear: Vienna Beef and Aldi have an arrangement, and it appears to be a longstanding one. There may, however, be a wrinkle. Though there are plenty of Parkview franks listed on the Aldi website, none of them have the Vienna Beef logo on them. This may mean that, per the brand's 2011 Facebook post, these Chicago-style franks are only available seasonally or in limited quantities.
Can you find other Chicago dog ingredients at Aldi?
Chicago-style hot dog lovers may be able to grab their most essential ingredient at their go-to for discount groceries, but what of the toppings and other accompaniments? Yellow mustard is easy enough to find, as are pickles and relish, and onions and tomatoes are basic enough produce items that you should be able to find them in Aldi's produce section.
As for the poppy seed buns, the celery salt, and those famously difficult-to-find sport peppers that Chicago swears by, there's no indication that anything like them is going to be widely available at Aldi, though given how quickly their inventory can turn over, you may have a shot. You can always try other grocery stores; poppy seed hot dog buns are common enough. As for those famously Chicago-exclusive sport peppers, they'll be a tougher find, though you could always substitute. Pickled jalapeños, serranos, or peperoncinis should do the trick.
Another, more surefire option for these ingredients is simply to go directly through the Vienna Beef website, which ships the ingredients for a Chicago dog virtually anywhere. Or you could just leave the ingredients off. Whether or not you can then call it a Chicago dog is probably up for debate in that case, but as long as you don't let ketchup anywhere near the thing, you should be good.