Wrigley Field to offer hot dogs from the past for centennial

April 18, 2014 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Wrigley Field turns 100 this year. And beginning on Wednesday, the iconic stadium kicks off a season-long tribute to the past. That means much more than hot dogs; in fact, there will be specials at every home stand covering the past 10 decades.

Hot dogs and sausages have always been mainstays at the Friendly Confines, but in honor of the centennial celebration, the kitchen staff is cooking up a "greatest hits" from the past century.

Think dogs like a Reuben, with sauerkraut, pastrami, Louie dressing and Swiss on top. Or from the '70s, dogs topped with pulled pork, slaw and fried onions. There's even a dog inspired by Buffalo.

"[In the] 1960s, that's when Buffalo wings were popular," said David Burns, the chef from Levy Restaurants who runs the food program at Wrigley. "So we took pulled chicken with Buffalo sauce, we put it on top of a Vienna hot dog, and we topped it off the blue cheese coleslaw, so you still have that crisp, blue cheese taste when you're having the wings."

There's more than just dogs of course, including a new line of decade-inspired sandwiches.

"[In] 1910, the Reuben sandwich came about, so we're showcasing a traditional Reuben sandwich," Burns said. "And then the breaded pork."

That would be from the 1920s.

"A recipe I found was breaded pork chops," Burns said. "So I took that and kind of twisted it up into something today - breaded pork loin with caramelized onions, spicy mustard and ciabata bread."

Other sandwiches include a hot Italian grinder, and from the '50s, the "Elvis", featuring a panini with peanut butter and banana. But since he can't take creative license, Burns adds a bit of bacon to it as well. He says there are several more surprises in store throughout the season.

"And then, as we go into the other decades, we're going to be featuring different items of that decade as a special," Burns said.

So even though every home stand is going to feature a different decade this year, you can always find these four hot dogs at the Decade Dog stand in the concourse. That includes the Reuben, the Buffalo, the Pulled Pork and the classic Chicago Dog.

Incidentally, The White Sox also have a few new menu items at U.S. Cellular Field this year, including bacon-on-a-stick and a massive ice cream sundae.

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