Portsmouth Old City Jail Hot Dogs

"I'm posting this primarily for historical reasons but I like a couple of these "plain dogs" now and then. Back when I was a young state park ranger (1973), I used to have to take an occasional arrestee from my park into town, to the Portsmouth, (Ohio), "Old City Jail". Nowadays, there is no such place as all prisoners go to the new County Jail. The Old City Jail was pretty dreadful, occupied mostly by "the regulars," winos and other derelicts. Anyway, if I took a prisoner in around lunch or supper time, I usually got drafted into helping old Sergeant Thompson feed the inmates. There wasn't a lot of staff (usually just him and me), and we'd fire up the old electric range to boil a huge pot of water. I'd holler in at the trustee for an inmate count and we'd double that number to know how many hot dogs we needed, usually about 60 or so. When the hot dogs were done, the men lined up inside the jail and, through a hole in the steel door, we'd hand each man two slices of bread with two hot dogs on top. That's what each man got for lunch and that's what they got for supper too -- 2 hot dogs and a pop can (with the top cut out) full of cold milk. There was no mustard nor were there any other condiments. Sergeant Thompson always said that if you gave them mustard, it was hard on their stomachs since most of these poor men lived exclusively on cheap wine when they were on the outside. Once in awhile I'd have a couple of these dogs along with the trustee and I must say that I enjoyed those little meals and the appurtenant conversation. Trustees know a lot of things. In any case, if you're in a mood to have something fast and simple, there are certainly worse things that you could eat! Oh yeah, breakfast? They got 2 day-old glazed donuts and a hot cup of boiled coffee -- no cream, no sugar. *.*"
 
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photo by Andi Longmeadow Farm photo by Andi Longmeadow Farm
photo by Andi Longmeadow Farm
photo by Outta Here photo by Outta Here
Ready In:
20mins
Ingredients:
2
Serves:
6
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ingredients

  • 12 hot dogs (cheap ones)
  • 12 slices bread, day old
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directions

  • Boil the hot dogs in 2 quarts of water for 15 minutes.
  • Allow them to drain and lay a hot dog on a piece of bread. No condiments are necessary.
  • Enjoy!

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Reviews

  1. Great story! When I was a kid I thought this was how everyone ate hot dogs! To this day I do not like mustard on my hot dogs, though I do prefer a bun over white bread :) Thanks for the stroll done memory lane.
     
  2. My husband and I are from Portsmouth!! Thanks for the interesting story, I had fun reading it...and the hot dogs ain't that bad either ;)
     
  3. WOW! I love the story, i dont like mustard either but i must put on the ketchup
     
  4. Love this story! I remember this how my grandpa ate them when he just wanted something quick. Not to bad for fast lunch! Thanks for reminding me!
     
  5. Growing up in a large family with very little money...we ate these alot when my dad was cooking and my mom was working. Love your story too, makes these even more special. Thank you so much for sharing!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I am a retired State Park Resort Manager/Ranger. <br /><br />Anyway, as to my years in the State Park System (retired now), I was responsible for 4 restaurants/dining rooms on my park and my boss at Central Headquarters said I should spend less time in my kitchens and more time tending to my park budget. I spent 25 years in those kitchens and worked with some really great chefs over those years, (and some really awful ones too!) <br /><br />I spent THOUSANDS of hours on every inch of that park and adjacent state forest (60,000 acres) and sometimes I miss it. But mostly I miss being in that big beautiful resort lodge kitchen. I miss my little marina restaurant down on the Ohio River too. I served the best Reuben Sandwich (my own recipe -- posted on 'Zaar as The Shawnee Marina Reuben Sandwich) in both the State of Ohio and the Commonwealth of Kentucky down there and sold it for $2.95. Best deal on the river! <br /><br />They (friends and neighbors) call my kitchen The Ospidillo Cafe. Don't ask me why because it takes about a case of beer, time-wise, to explain the name. Anyway, it's a small galley kitchen with a Mexican motif (until my wife catches me gone for a week or so), and it's a very BUSY kitchen as well. We cook at all hours of the day and night. You are as likely to see one of my neighbors munching down over here as you are my wife or daughter. I do a lot of recipe experimentation and development. It has become a really fun post-retirement hobby -- and, yes, I wash my own dishes. <br /><br />Also, I'm the Cincinnati Chili Emperor around here, or so they say. (Check out my Ospidillo Cafe Cincinnati Chili recipe). SKYLINE CHILI is one of my four favorite chilis, and the others include: Gold Star Chili, Empress Chili and, my VERY favorite, Dixie. All in and around Cincinnati. Great stuff for cheap and I make it at home too. <br /><br />I also collect menus and keep them in my kitchen -- I have about a hundred or so. People go through them and when they see something that they want, I make it the next day. That presents some real challenges! <br /><br />http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/shawnee.htm</p>
 
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