New Surf Bud. Plus A Pink's Chili Dog At Home. Yes, you can!

Generally, since I stopped taking lessons, I surf solo. This is often nice because getting out in the water is a good way to escape the hassles and the noise of everyday life. However, it's also a necessity, since none of my friends surf. But this past weekend, I ended up surfing with a buddy. It was a nice gentle day in Santa Monica, and when I paddled out this dude happened to be next to me. We traded 'heys' and then got to talking, and it turned out he was still sort of figuring things out too. The truth is he was better than me, although he had a ways to go too, to be honest. But in between going after waves, he'd point out things I was doing right, or I'd do the same thing for him, and it was nice for a change to have a dialogue going. I think it helped me too, because I got up on several waves, and I went after way more than I usually would. So hopefully we will run into each other again because it was a nice change of pace. Oh, one other surfing note: there's a great lesson I stumbled on -- it's on You Tube, and it's this Aussie (I think) dude. He gives a really amazing lesson about the mechanics of a wave, and I've watched it a gazillion times so I can really absorb it. If you're interested you can find it here:  https://youtu.be/hVyatMUYwZw.

Later that day we were going to a barbecue at a neighbor's. The mandate was bring a side dish to share to go along with burgers and hot dogs. At first the usual things ran though my head -- potato salad, cole slaw, things like that. But I figured there would be more than enough side salads. For some reason lately also I've had Pink's on the brain. Everybody from Los Angeles -- and many from outside of the city even -- knows Pink's, the little hot dog stand at the corner of La Brea and Melrose. My standing order at Pink's is two chili cheese dogs and an order of fries (or, occasionally, onion rings). It's important to get the fries or onion rings because you need something to scoop up any chili that might fall out onto your plate.  Here is what my chili cheese dog looks like:

Pink's dogs are steamed, and they have a nice snap when you bite into them. I'm pretty sure they're all beef. The cheese is as it should be -- American, so it melts perfectly. There's always a few onions scattered on top. And then there's the chili -- it's a little spicy, a little greasy, and there are no beans. It's the kind of chili that's more of a sauce, or a condiment, and less like the kind that may or may not have beans (I know, Texans shudder at the thought of beans in chili). It's certainly a close relative to the kind of hot dog chili you find in Rhode Island, or the kind known as Coney Sauce. Regardless, Pink's chili is just delicious in that sort of decadent, you-know-you-shouldn't-be-eating-it sort of way. Oh, here's a Pink's tip -- there's always a line, so if you want to go for lunch, for example, try to get there at around 11:30.  You'll beat the crowd. But back to that neighbor barbecue, and the need to come up with a side to bring. I thought it would be cool if I could somehow duplicate Pink's chili, and a google search turned up a couple of recipes that claimed to produce something pretty close. The one I chose to adapt comes from egghead forum, which can be found at www.eggheadforum.com. I have to say the results were pretty good. Here my version simmers away on the stove.

This chili was a hit at the barbecue. People made chili cheese dogs and chili burgers, and in the end I should have doubled the recipe because it went pretty fast. So, can't get to Pink's, but want a Pink's-style chili cheese dog?  Try this:

Pink's Style Chili For Burgers And Dogs
(Recipe adapted from egghead forum.com)

1 pound ground beef (20% fat, or higher!)
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup water (or more)
2-3 tbsps. chili powder (use 3 if you like it hotter)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 tbsps. finely grated white onion
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef, breaking up into small pieces. When meat is brown, drain off fat into a glass measuring cup. You should have about 1/4 cup.
2. Add flour to the beef fat and stir to blend. Add in beef broth. Return this mixture to the skillet over medium heat. Cook the roux, stirring, until it starts to brown.
3. When roux is a nice dark brown, stir in beef and remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili sauce is the consistency you like -- if you like it thicker, cook it longer. I like it to be not too thick, so I simmered it for about 20 minutes. Also, if it gets too thick you can thin it with a little more beef stock, or just water. Taste for salt. I needed to add some more toward the end.

To make a Pink's style chili cheese dog, steam your hot dog, then slip it in a steamed bun. Line the bun with a couple of slices of American Cheese, add the hot dog, then top with chili. Squeeze on yellow mustard, sprinkle with some chopped onion and you're good to go.