Puka Dog

 (courtesy of Hawaiian Magazine) 

So I was in Hawaii last week - on Kauai specifically - and I found a very unexpected culinary creation. I went to Hawaii expecting to mostly subsist on sunlight and pineapple, but as soon as we landed my sister started telling me about how she could not wait to have a Puka Dog. Now, I know what you're thinking, the name looks like Puke - and it is basically pronounced Puke-a-Dog - which made me a little wary too, but seriously this was one Polish Sausage worth traveling for. Also, Puka means 'hole' in Hawaiian so it refers to the hole they make in the bun for the dog. I do know at least one person in my life who is simply in love with 'tube meat' as she calls it, but for the rest of you who might not be quite as enamored, you must understand, hot dogs worth traveling for are few and far between. Normally I'll eat a hot dog once or twice a year, usually outside on a hot summer day while visiting someone lucky enough to have a backyard and a grill, two things I lack. As much as I enjoy the hot dog, when it comes to the bun and the topping options, I am left wanting. Well, not at Puka Dog. They have perfected the hot dog, the bun, and the sauces. You order your Puka Dog as follows:

Pick your dog - Polish Sausage or Veggie Dog

Pick your Garlic Lemon Secret Sauce - Mild, Spicy, Hot, or Hot Hot

Pick your Fruit Relish - Mango, Pineapple, Guava, Papaya, Coconut, Banana, or Star Fruit

Pick your Mustard - There are options here, but just get the Lilikoi, trust me

So you're probably asking yourself why I am writing about this since no one I know lives anywhere near Kauai or has plans to go there any time soon and the answer is this - THE SAUCES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE! They are affordable and so delicious you will want to eat them right out of the jar. But, if you can contain yourself and want to be a normal human being (overrated) you can use them as a topping for almost anything you might be making from sandwiches to meat to fish, even veggie protein products. Oh and to help you pick, the Pineapple relish is the best one and the Secret Sauce is really not that hot, so if you like spicy go for the Hot or the Hot Hot. Check them out: www.pukadog.com 

 (courtesy of Puka Dog)