How Ohio Gives The Classic Hot Dog A Polish Twist

Philadelphia has the cheesesteak and New Orleans has the Po' Boy, but these aren't the only tasty iterations of a hot sammie the U.S. has to offer. Enter the Ohio Polish boy, a hearty twist on the classic hot dog that's smoky, sweet, and tangy in every bite.

A fusion of culinary features from Ohio's rich Eastern European and Black communities, the Polish boy is made with a chunky Kielbasa sausage instead of a regular frankfurter. A staple of Polish cuisine, kielbasa is often mistaken for andouille sausage, but they're not the same thing (both are smoked, but the former is flavored with herbs while the latter is far spicier). This chunky sausage alone lends the hot dog a distinctive heft, but after it's stuffed into a regular hot dog bun, it's topped with hot fries and a dollop of coleslaw, giving it a super satisfying bite. Finally, the dog is finished off with a dash of smoky, tangy barbecue sauce in an ode to the city's barbecue roots.

While many credit the creation of this Cleveland dish to Virgil Whitmore Sr — a barbecue pioneer who opened his first restaurant in 1942 — its origins aren't 100% clear. It's true that Whitmore did much to popularize the Polish boy in the '60s and '70s, but his own surviving family members have stated that other eateries were selling an identical menu item at the same time.

The Polish boy was a resourceful amalgamation of some key ingredients already available in Ohioan barbecue joints, such as fries and coleslaw. Since each of these items was relatively cheap, the result was a filling dish that was both affordable and inviting.

Some of the popular eateries that originally sold this Cleveland creation have closed over the years, such as Hot Sauce Williams and Seti's Polish Boys, but there are plenty of other restaurants that serve it as standard. A few have even come up with their own culinary improvisations. For instance, chef Michael Symon tops his Kielbasa sausage with smoked pulled pork, coleslaw, and habanero hot sauce, as seen on Instagram. Billed as a "Polish Girl" at his restaurant Mabel's BBQ, this riff on the Ohioan classic is even meatier than the original and switches the barbecue sauce's tangy sweetness for the fruity hit of a zingier hot sauce. It also swaps the hot dug bun for a denser hoagie roll.

Of course, the Polish boy is not to be confused with a Polish hot dog. This substantial meal features a skinnier spiced frankfurter made of pork and beef that's topped with caramelized onions, peppers, and mustard (versus the fries, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce found in a Polish boy).