…Bacon’s got a new best friend. And his name is fudge.

Classic Simpson’s lines aside, I did recently come across a new partner for one of my all time favorite foods — the hot dog.

Those who know me, know of my long standing love of hot dogs. All things hot dog.  I can’t get enough of them and the joke has been made that my body won’t decay after I die due to the massive amount of nitrates I’ve ingested via hot dogs. I can easily eat ten in a single sitting.

Now one may think that there’s not a lot of innovation left in the hot dog world. That the entire concept is played out. That hot dogs are relegated to backyard BBQs and the kid’s menu. Not so, my friend. Not so.

I’ve tried many a fine hot dog topping in my day. I love Chicago style dogs with yellow mustard, nuclear green relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, a pickle slice, peperoncini, and a dash of celery salt. i love New York style dogs – either grilled or boiled right off the cart. And of course, my own special toppings set: honey mustard, jalapeno slices and melted cheddar cheese. I could go on and on.

The new addition to my list of favorite hot dog toppings is simple in it’s application and huge in taste and flavor while still being completely complimentary to the hot dog itself. (One may argue that all the best hot dog topping by definition are simple in application.)

It is this simple application of flavor that makes me so fascinated by this topping (as well as being addicted to it — I’ve already eaten four just to ensure it really is as good as I think.)

This new hot dog topping is: Pastrami.

Salty, smokey, spicy, juicy delicious pastrami. Piled high on a grilled hot dog and slathered with brown mustard.

It’s so good that I’ve been kicking myslef asking “why didn’t I think of this?”

And naturally, it’s got me thinking “what other tasty deli meats would go well on a hot dog?” Perhaps, I should try them all?

I don’t know why I never thought of adding other meats to my hot dog. I mean, it seems like the perfect thing. I’ve always been a big fan of what I like to call “the barnyard sampler” — a hot dog made with turkey, chicken, beef and pork. I’ve had bacon wrapped hot dogs before. Maybe I should add some pepperoni to my next hot dog. Or salami, or capicola? The varieties are endless. And so delicious.

(A tip of the hat to my friend Bob who I believe first coined the term “barnyard sampler.”)