Maxwell Street Polish: Difference between revisions

Maxwell Street Polish
	Polish sausages, with the accompanying onions, on the grill with mustard and sport peppers in containers to add.
Type	Sandwich
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Chicago
Main ingredients	Bun, kielbasa, onions, yellow mustard, optional sport peppers

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A Maxwell Street Polish consists of a grilled or fried length of Polish sausage topped with grilled onions and yellow mustard and optional pickled whole, green sport peppers, served on a bun. The sandwich traces its origins to Chicago's Maxwell Street market, and has been called one of "the classic foods synonymous with Chicago".^[1]

History

This sandwich is widely said^{[by whom?]} to have been created by Jimmy Stefanovic,^{[citation needed]} a Macedonian immigrant^[2] who took over his aunt and uncle's hot dog stand in 1939 (now called Jim's Original) located at Maxwell and Halsted in Chicago's old Maxwell Street market district.^[3] The Express Grill, which is located right next door to Jim's, advertises itself as the "Original Maxwell St. Polish" on its marquee, although it arrived after Jim's and serves almost an identical menu.^[4] Due to their virtually undivided storefronts and 24-hour service at the original Halsted Street location of both stands, Jim's Original and Express Grill had an added element of confusion for the casual observer not attentive to the change in signage a matter of feet in distance. Despite the competition, the Maxwell Polish sausage sandwich soon grew to be one of Chicago's most popular local offerings, along with the Chicago-style hot dog and the Italian beef sandwich.

Due to the University of Illinois Chicago's South Campus development the Maxwell Street market district was razed and the two stands moved in 2005. After decades of coexisting at the intersection of Halsted and Maxwell Streets, the two have relocated their side-by-side competition a half block east onto Union Avenue, adjacent to the Dan Ryan Expressway on-ramp at Roosevelt Road.^[5]

Maxwell Polish are a staple of hot dog stands and today are found throughout the city and suburbs, including at restaurant chains such as Portillo's^[6] and Brown's Chicken,^[7] and is available at most sports venues in the area serving concessions. Most of the 24-hour stands (such as the original Express Grill and its neighboring competition, Jim's Original) also serve the pork chop sandwich popularized alongside the Polish sausage sandwich during the days of the old Maxwell Street market.^[8]

As of September 2021, the Jims Original stand announced that they will be closed from 1-6am due to pressure from the landlord, UIC over "neighborhood safety reasons".^[9]^[10]

The sign at the original Express Grill location on Halsted
Price list at the Express Grill
The menu at Jim's Original.

Sausage

The main feature of the sandwich is the sausage, which is widely available in grocery and specialty retail stores throughout the Chicago area. It is typically marketed as the "Maxwell Street" variety, which is a Chicago-specific variation of kielbasa distinguished by it being typically more seasoned and made from a combination of both beef and pork.^[11] The two largest manufacturers of this particular style of Polish sausage in Chicago are Vienna Beef and the Bobak Sausage Company.^[12]^[13]

In media

Jim’s Original on Halsted was in the film Brother 2.

References

^ Clark, Sandy Thorne. (2006-6-26), "Getting a taste of Chicago: City's signature flavors have tourists and locals lining up for more, more, more", Chicago Sun-Times, S1.
^ Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22), "'Tis the Seasonings: How Do Local Polish Butchers Elevate Sausage to an Art Form? With Generous Use of Spices and More", Chicago Sun-Times, archived from the original on 2008-10-23, retrieved 2016-03-24
^ "Welcome - Jim's Original". Jimsoriginal.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
^ [1]
^ Fuller, Janet Rausa (2005-09-19), "Rival Polish sausage stands are heading home; New locations near UIC designed to emit less onion odor", Chicago Sun-Times, 6.
^ "5 places to..." (2008-01-18). SouthtownStar, T04.
^ Knowles, Francine (2004-07-2). "Brown's Beefs Up", Chicago Sun-Times, 53.
^ Eng, Monica; Leroux, Charles (2004-10-01). "The Original Maxwell Street Market", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
^ "End of era: 24-hour Chicago hot dog joint will close overnights at landlord's request". Audacy.com. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
^ Esposito, Stefano (2021-09-03). "Jim's Original, home of the Maxwell Street Polish, told it can no longer stay open all night". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
^ Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22). "Help for the Kielbasa Conundrum", Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original Archived 2010-08-19 at the Wayback Machine on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2015-10-31. "A lightly smoked, Chicago-born sausage that's a cross between kielbasa and a natural-casing hot dog, typically made from a finely ground or emulsified mixture of pork and beef, strongly flavored with pepper and garlic, and usually served grilled or fried on a bun and covered with fried onions."
^ [2]
^ "Bobak's Sausage Company | Chicago". Bobak.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

External links

[1] Clark, Sandy Thorne. (2006-6-26), "Getting a taste of Chicago: City's signature flavors have tourists and locals lining up for more, more, more", Chicago Sun-Times, S1.

[2] Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22), "'Tis the Seasonings: How Do Local Polish Butchers Elevate Sausage to an Art Form? With Generous Use of Spices and More", Chicago Sun-Times, archived from the original on 2008-10-23, retrieved 2016-03-24

[3] "Welcome - Jim's Original". Jimsoriginal.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.

[4] [1]

[5] Fuller, Janet Rausa (2005-09-19), "Rival Polish sausage stands are heading home; New locations near UIC designed to emit less onion odor", Chicago Sun-Times, 6.

[6] "5 places to..." (2008-01-18). SouthtownStar, T04.

[7] Knowles, Francine (2004-07-2). "Brown's Beefs Up", Chicago Sun-Times, 53.

[8] Eng, Monica; Leroux, Charles (2004-10-01). "The Original Maxwell Street Market", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-24.

[9] "End of era: 24-hour Chicago hot dog joint will close overnights at landlord's request". Audacy.com. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2021-09-03.

[10] Esposito, Stefano (2021-09-03). "Jim's Original, home of the Maxwell Street Polish, told it can no longer stay open all night". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-09-03.

[11] Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22). "Help for the Kielbasa Conundrum", Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original Archived 2010-08-19 at the Wayback Machine on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2015-10-31. "A lightly smoked, Chicago-born sausage that's a cross between kielbasa and a natural-casing hot dog, typically made from a finely ground or emulsified mixture of pork and beef, strongly flavored with pepper and garlic, and usually served grilled or fried on a bun and covered with fried onions."

[12] [2]

[13] "Bobak's Sausage Company | Chicago". Bobak.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Sausage from Chicago}}
+{{short description|Sausage sandwich from Chicago}}
 {{Infobox prepared food
 | name             = Maxwell Street Polish
 | image            = Maxwell Street Polish at Jim’s original August 2021.jpg
 | image_size       = 250px
-| caption          = Polish sausages, with the accompanying onions, on the grill with mustard and Jalepeño peppers in containers to add.
+| caption          = Polish sausages, with the accompanying onions, on the grill with mustard and sport peppers in containers to add.
 | alternate_name   =
 | country          = [[United States]]
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==History==
-This [[sandwich]] is widely said{{by whom|date=December 2020}} to have been created by Jimmy Stefanovic,{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} a [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]] immigrant<ref>{{Citation|last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title='Tis the Seasonings: How Do Local Polish Butchers Elevate Sausage to an Art Form? With Generous Use of Spices and More |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=2008-10-22 |url=http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1234644,FOO-News-polish22.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023025436/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1234644%2CFOO-News-polish22.article |archive-date=2008-10-23 |access-date=2016-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> who took over his aunt and uncle's hot dog stand in 1939 (now called Jim's Original) located at Maxwell and Halsted in [[Chicago|Chicago's]] old [[Maxwell Street#The Maxwell Street Market|Maxwell Street market]] district.<ref>{{cite web | title = Jim's Original website | url = http://www.jimsoriginal.com | access-date = 2008-10-27}}</ref> The Express Grill, which is located right next door to Jim's, advertises itself as the "Original Maxwell St. Polish" on its marquee, although it arrived after Jim's and serves almost an identical menu.<ref>[http://expressgrillinc.com/news/default.html Express Grill - News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Due to their virtually undivided storefronts and 24-hour service at the original Halsted Street location of both stands, Jim's Original and Express Grill had an added element of confusion for the casual observer not attentive to the change in signage a matter of feet in distance. Despite the competition, the Maxwell Polish sausage sandwich soon grew to be one of Chicago's most popular local offerings, along with the [[Chicago-style hot dog]] and the [[Italian beef]] sandwich.
+This [[sandwich]] is widely said{{by whom|date=December 2020}} to have been created by Jimmy Stefanovic,{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} a [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]] immigrant<ref>{{Citation|last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title='Tis the Seasonings: How Do Local Polish Butchers Elevate Sausage to an Art Form? With Generous Use of Spices and More |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=2008-10-22 |url=http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1234644,FOO-News-polish22.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023025436/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1234644%2CFOO-News-polish22.article |archive-date=2008-10-23 |access-date=2016-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> who took over his aunt and uncle's hot dog stand in 1939 (now called Jim's Original) located at Maxwell and Halsted in [[Chicago|Chicago's]] old [[Maxwell Street#The Maxwell Street Market|Maxwell Street market]] district.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jimsoriginal.com/|title=Welcome - Jim's Original|website=Jimsoriginal.com|access-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> The Express Grill, which is located right next door to Jim's, advertises itself as the "Original Maxwell St. Polish" on its marquee, although it arrived after Jim's and serves almost an identical menu.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110830145348/http://expressgrillinc.com/news/default.html] </ref> Due to their virtually undivided storefronts and 24-hour service at the original Halsted Street location of both stands, Jim's Original and Express Grill had an added element of confusion for the casual observer not attentive to the change in signage a matter of feet in distance. Despite the competition, the Maxwell Polish sausage sandwich soon grew to be one of Chicago's most popular local offerings, along with the [[Chicago-style hot dog]] and the [[Italian beef]] sandwich.
-[[File:THE Maxwell Street Polish Hot Dog Stand.jpg|thumb|right|Maxwell Street Polish Hot Dog Stand in service at 4 in the morning in 2008.]]
+[[File:Gold Mine Corner, Chicago 1993 (20654974).jpg|thumb|right|Maxwell Street Polish for sale in 1993]]
+[[File:THE Maxwell Street Polish Hot Dog Stand.jpg|thumb|right|Maxwell Street Polish Hot Dog Stand in service at 4:00 AM in 2008.]]
 Due to the [[University of Illinois Chicago]]'s South Campus development the Maxwell Street market district was razed and the two stands moved in 2005. After decades of coexisting at the intersection of Halsted and Maxwell Streets, the two have relocated their side-by-side competition a half block east onto Union Avenue, adjacent to the [[Dan Ryan Expressway]] on-ramp at [[Roosevelt Road]].<ref>Fuller, Janet Rausa (2005-09-19), "Rival Polish sausage stands are heading home; New locations near UIC designed to emit less onion odor", ''Chicago Sun-Times'', 6.</ref>
-Maxwell Polish are a staple of [[hot dog stand]]s and today are found throughout the city and suburbs, including at restaurant chains such as [[Portillo's]]<ref>"5 places to..." (2008-01-18). ''SouthtownStar'', T04.</ref> and [[Brown's Chicken]],<ref>Knowles, Francine (2004-07-2). "Brown's Beefs Up", ''Chicago Sun-Times'', 53.</ref> and is available at most sports venues in the area serving concessions. Most of the 24-hour stands (such as the original Express Grill and its neighboring competition, Jim's Original) also serve the pork chop sandwich popularized alongside the Polish sausage sandwich during the days of the old Maxwell Street market.<ref>Eng, Monica; Leroux, Charles (2004-10-01). [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-10-01/entertainment/0410010367_1_onions-maxwell-street-market-yellow-mustard "The Original Maxwell Street Market"], ''Chicago Tribune''. Retrieved 2016-03-24.</ref>
+Maxwell Polish are a staple of [[hot dog stand]]s and today are found throughout the city and suburbs, including at restaurant chains such as [[Portillo's]]<ref>"5 places to..." (2008-01-18). ''SouthtownStar'', T04.</ref> and [[Brown's Chicken]],<ref>Knowles, Francine (2004-07-2). "Brown's Beefs Up", ''Chicago Sun-Times'', 53.</ref> and is available at most sports venues in the area serving concessions. Most of the 24-hour stands (such as the original Express Grill and its neighboring competition, Jim's Original) also serve the pork chop sandwich popularized alongside the Polish sausage sandwich during the days of the old Maxwell Street market.<ref>Eng, Monica; Leroux, Charles (2004-10-01). [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/10/01/the-original-maxwell-street-market-first-with-its/ "The Original Maxwell Street Market"], ''Chicago Tribune''. Retrieved 2016-03-24.</ref>
-As of September 2021, the Jims Original stand announced that they will be closed from 1-6am due to pressure from the landlord, [[University of Illinois Chicago|UIC]] over "neighborhood safety reasons".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-02|title=End of era: 24-hour Chicago hot dog joint will close overnights at landlord's request|url=https://www.audacy.com/wbbm780/news/local/24-hour-chicago-hot-dog-joint-will-now-close-overnights|access-date=2021-09-03|website=www.audacy.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Esposito|first=Stefano|date=2021-09-03|title=Jim’s Original, home of the Maxwell Street Polish, told it can no longer stay open all night|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2021/9/3/22656152/jims-original-maxwell-street-polish-no-longer-open-all-night-uic-cites-crimes|access-date=2021-09-03|website=Chicago Sun-Times|language=en}}</ref>
+As of September 2021, the Jims Original stand announced that they will be closed from 1-6am due to pressure from the landlord, [[University of Illinois Chicago|UIC]] over "neighborhood safety reasons".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-02|title=End of era: 24-hour Chicago hot dog joint will close overnights at landlord's request|url=https://www.audacy.com/wbbm780/news/local/24-hour-chicago-hot-dog-joint-will-now-close-overnights|access-date=2021-09-03|website=Audacy.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Esposito|first=Stefano|date=2021-09-03|title=Jim's Original, home of the Maxwell Street Polish, told it can no longer stay open all night|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2021/9/3/22656152/jims-original-maxwell-street-polish-no-longer-open-all-night-uic-cites-crimes|access-date=2021-09-03|website=Chicago Sun-Times|language=en}}</ref>
 <gallery widths="160px" heights="200px">
@@ Line 38: / Line 39: @@
 ==Sausage==
+The main feature of the sandwich is the sausage, which is widely available in grocery and specialty retail stores throughout the [[Chicagoland|Chicago area]]. It is typically marketed as the "Maxwell Street" variety, which is a Chicago-specific variation of ''kielbasa'' distinguished by it being typically more seasoned and made from a combination of both [[beef]] and [[pork]].<ref>Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100819011149/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642%2CFOO-News-polish22a.article "Help for the Kielbasa Conundrum"], ''Chicago Sun-Times''. Archived from [http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642,FOO-News-polish22a.article the original] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819011149/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642,FOO-News-polish22a.article |date=2010-08-19 }} on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2015-10-31. "A lightly smoked, Chicago-born sausage that's a cross between kielbasa and a natural-casing hot dog, typically made from a finely ground or emulsified mixture of pork and beef, strongly flavored with pepper and garlic, and usually served grilled or fried on a bun and covered with fried onions."</ref> The two largest manufacturers of this particular style of Polish sausage in Chicago are [[Vienna Beef]] and the Bobak Sausage Company.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130205162724/http://www.viennabeef.com/products/item.asp?PRODUCT_ID=3] </ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bobak.com/|title=Bobak's Sausage Company &#124; Chicago|website=Bobak.com|access-date=May 21, 2024}}</ref>
+==In media==
-The main feature of the sandwich is the sausage, which is widely available in grocery and specialty retail stores throughout the [[Chicagoland|Chicago area]]. It is typically marketed as the "Maxwell Street" variety, which is a Chicago-specific variation of ''kielbasa'' distinguished by it being typically more seasoned and made from a combination of both [[beef]] and [[pork]].<ref>Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100819011149/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642%2CFOO-News-polish22a.article "Help for the Kielbasa Conundrum"], ''Chicago Sun-Times''. Archived from [http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642,FOO-News-polish22a.article the original] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819011149/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642,FOO-News-polish22a.article |date=2010-08-19 }} on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2015-10-31. "A lightly smoked, Chicago-born sausage that's a cross between kielbasa and a natural-casing hot dog, typically made from a finely ground or emulsified mixture of pork and beef, strongly flavored with pepper and garlic, and usually served grilled or fried on a bun and covered with fried onions."</ref> The two largest manufacturers of this particular style of Polish sausage in Chicago are [[Vienna Beef]] and the Bobak's Sausage Company.<ref>[http://www.viennabeef.com/products/item.asp?PRODUCT_ID=3 Vienna Beef - Vienna® Beef Franks and Sausages - Vienna® Beef Polish Sausage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.bobak.com/?co=aboutus Bobak Sausage Company: Home<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+* Jim’s Original on Halsted was in the film ''[[Brother 2]]''.
 ==See also==
-{{commons}}
 * [[Chicago culture]]
-* [[Chicago-style hot dog]]
 * [[Hot dog variations]]
 * [[List of hot dogs]]
 * [[Maxwell Street Depot]]
 * [[Polish Boy]]
+* [[The Wieners Circle]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 56: / Line 58: @@
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060129184132/http://users.rcn.com/cowdery/jims.jpg A famous Chicago Maxwell Street Polish sign]
 * [http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/35501/the-survivor The survivor: Jim's Original accepts no imitations.]
+* [https://lazicdeli.com/maxwell-street-polish Lazic Deli/Harczak's Sausage Company has been making their own Polish sausage since the 1950s and uses it for their Maxwell Street Polish Sausage sandwich.]
+{{commons}}
 {{Hot dog variations}}
 {{Sandwiches}}

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