{{Short description|American hot dog}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Infobox food | name = Half-smoke | image = Weenie Beenie Halfsmokes.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = Half-smokes from Weenie Beenie | country = United States | region = Washington, D.C. | creator = | course = Main course | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Pork, beef | variations = | calories = | other = }}
A '''half-smoke''' is a type of hot dog found in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region.<ref name="obamanyt">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/arts/16chil.html | work=The New York Times | title=A Monument to Munchies | first=David | last=Carr | date=January 16, 2009 | access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Larger, spicier, and with more coarsely-ground meat than a regular hot dog, the sausage is often half-pork and half-beef, smoked, and served with herbs, onion, and chili sauce.
==Ingredients and preparation== The etymology of "half-smoke" possibly comes from the original half-pork, half-beef composition, the ingredients and smoked method of preparation. Another possible explanation is that the texture and flavor is halfway between smoked sausage and a regular hot dog. Yet another explanation is that it refers to cooks cutting the sausage in half when grilling.<ref name=Briggs>{{Citation | author = Erica Brosnan | title = Half-smokes inspire wholehearted love in D.C. | newspaper = The Washington Times | date = July 3, 2016 | url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/3/half-smokes-inspire-wholehearted-love-in-dc/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160710063705/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/3/half-smokes-inspire-wholehearted-love-in-dc/ | archive-date = July 10, 2016 | access-date = August 30, 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Composition of the sausages varies by brand and some brands even make more than one kind. A half-smoke can be half pork, half beef, all beef, or anything in between. It can be steamed instead of smoked.
==History== The company thought to be the originator of the sausage, Briggs & Company, was sold by its owner, Raymond Briggs, in 1950 without clarifying the origin of the name.<ref name=Briggs/> The products sold under the name generally have a genuine or artificial smoke flavoring and coarser texture than a regular hot dog; these are the key features that distinguish them.<ref name=missinglink>{{cite news|author=Jamieson, Dave|date=January 26, 2007|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=561&navCenterTopImg|title=The Missing Link|work=Washington City Paper|access-date=January 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125135916/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=561&navCenterTopImg|archive-date=January 25, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Briggs started selling his half-smokes in about 1930. Eventually, Briggs was sold to another meat distributor, where, by some accounts, the quality of the meat declined.<ref name=Briggs/>
==Venues== [[File:Chili Half Smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl - 4496498687.jpg|thumb|A half-smoke with potato chips from Ben's Chili Bowl.]] Numerous hot dog carts in Washington, D.C., sell steamed half-smokes, with those on Constitution Avenue catering to tourists and those on Pennsylvania Avenue and many other hot dog carts throughout the downtown area serving federal employees. Half-smokes are the "official dog" of the Washington Nationals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/04/the-new-nationals-dog-washington-dcs-half-smoke.html|title=The New Nationals Dog: Washington D.C.'s Half Smoke|work=seriouseats.com|access-date=July 26, 2015}}</ref> The most prominent location is often cited as Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington's U Street neighborhood, which has long been a center of Black Washington, and was an essential stop for President-elect Barack Obama in 2009.<ref name="obamanyt"/>
Another popular location for half-smokes is the Weenie Beenie in South Arlington, Virginia, located near the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park trail. Founded in 1950, it pre-dates Ben's Chili Bowl. Among newer purveyors is Meats & Foods, on Florida Avenue just east of Ben's Chili Bowl, which makes its own handmade version of the sausage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/half-smoke-washington-dc-sausage.html|title=Don't Leave Washington DC Without Trying its Signature Half-smoke|last=Oh|first=Brian|date=December 2, 2015|website=seriouseats.com}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|United States|Food}} * Chili dog * List of hot dogs * List of sausages * List of smoked foods
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
{{Hot dog variations}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Half-Smoke}} Category:American sausages Category:Food and drink in Washington, D.C. Category:Hot dogs Category:Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Category:Smoked meat