"chicago-style" news and stories

I'll be honest, I have no idea if this is actually something that they do regularly in Chicago, or if it is just the name for the style of cooking, but either way it is still one of my favorites. Whenever I go to a steakhouse I order mine Chicago-style, which essentially is cooked to order in the center, but charred on the outside.

Just thinking about this last night was enough to make me brush the snow off my barbecue. I added some spices to a rib-eye cut and tossed it on the grill, no recipe required. Since I like my steak rare to medium-rare, I simply cooked the steak on the maximum heat setting my barbecue has, and grilled each side for about 3-4 minutes. If you like your steak more well-done, cook on medium heat until it almost reaches your desired doneness, then crank the heat or even pan-fry at the end, just to sear the outside.

I'm sure there is a long, detailed story as to why this method of cooking is referred to as "Chicago-style", so if any of you out there know, feel free to enlighten me.

All the Chicago beef and hot dog fans out there should appreciate this one. GreaseFreak.com is a photographic survey of meaty Chicago fare like beef sandwiches, hot dogs, chili, Italian subs, burgers and (shrug) turkey clubs. While the site's host, Peter Strazzabosco, claims to not be a fast food expert, he does a good job of outlining the qualities one should look for in aforementioned foods. He also rates each of his "intimate shots of greasy edibles" with stars for taste, presentation and ambiance. As you might imagine, the list of hot dog places is quite extensive.