Hot dog! Just dress 'em up

Fred Rex places a custom-cooked dog in a bun for Dave Sampson at the Fred's Franks hot dog stand in Wakefield. (Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Symbol of summer, baseball, and food-on-the-go, the hot dog is every inch an American icon. It can also be surprisingly regional.

I was weaned on Chicago weenies - those blissful creations that arrive in a poppyseed bun, laden with neon-green relish, sport peppers, tomatoes, celery salt, onions, mustard, and a dill pickle spear. Hold the ketchup, of course.

Hot dogs in Massachusetts are much more subdued. You'd be hard-pressed to find neon relish at a hot dog stand here. Still, there are plenty of places in the area to get a decent dog.

Here are a few to try. Just do me a favor. Skip the ketchup.

Lawton's Famous

Frankfurts There isn't much to Lawton's (606 Canal St., Lawrence; 978-686-9603), just a narrow corridor where customers wait patiently for foot-long hot dogs, cooked to order. The simple menu with plastic snap-on letters evokes a concession stand at a high school basketball game. But, oh, the hot dogs.

Fried up in what one server called a "secret grease formula," the beef and pork hot dogs (supplied by Kayem) were bursting with flavor. The crisp and crackly skin held together a juicy center that was surprisingly light. The toasted buns from J.J. Nissen held up well beneath mounds of condiments. Lawton's only sells foot-longs, so if you go, go hungry.

The Works ($2.10) is their best-seller, a classic combination of mustard, relish and cooked onions. My tasting partner enjoyed a chili dog ($2.40), but I found the ground beef chili too dry. The Cheese Dog ($2.40) was wrapped in American cheese, an unimaginative but tasty approach.

My recommendation? Order The Works, and have Lawton's fry it as dark as you like. Customize as needed with extra yellow or spicy mustard, relish and onions. No wonder customers have been lining up here since 1929.

Elliot's Famous Hot Dogs

To me, the ultimate measure of a hot dog's worth is the "snap test," that satisfying crunch when the skin pulls away from the meat. The hot dogs at Elliot's have snaps, and in spades.

Elliot's (37 Elliot St., Lowell; 978-458-1191; elliotshotdogs.com) feels like a forgotten diner, with yellow tile walls, green-topped tables, and short wooden stools. Though this Lowell eatery has seen better days, the hot dogs are still in their prime.

The pork and beef dogs (from Kayem) are expertly steamed, grilled, or deep-fried to order. I enjoyed the All-Around ($2.30), a snappy dog with onions and a special blend of mustard and relish. The peppers and onions in the Street Dog ($2.79) were a bit on the skimpy side, but the juicy dog more than made up for minimal condiments.

All of my hot dogs arrived on toasted New England-style white bread buns. The bread was just crunchy enough to complement the savory hot dogs, without overwhelming their texture. Elliot's has been serving hot dogs for nearly 90 years, and there's no need to teach an old dog new tricks.

Fred's Franks

A master of all things grilled, Fred Rex of Fred's Franks is the kind of guy you want in your life when the weather gets warm. Presiding over a cheerful red stand in Wakefield, at the edge of Lake Quannapowitt, he serves top-notch hot dogs with innovative condiments (fredsfranks.com).

Customers place an order, receive a bun, and are encouraged to go wild with a row of condiments that includes homemade sauerkraut (sweet or regular) and special sauces. Meanwhile, Fred cooks the hot dogs to order on his egg-shaped grill, filled with lump charcoal and slabs of applewood.

Dense and juicy, Fred's hot dogs (all-beef, supplied by Pearl) have a satisfying snap. The regular hot dog ($2.50) and the jumbo dog ($4.50) are both meaty enough to stand up to Fred's spicy condiments. I found the buns too chewy, but that's a small price to pay for a tasty dog, grilled with care by a man who knows his meat.

Bad Dawgs

Paw prints line the walls of Bad Dawgs (72 Merrimack St., Lowell; 978-970-3294; baddawgs.com), a franchise that serves over 30 kinds of hot dogs. With 35 condiments, creativity is the claim to fame here.

Most of the hot dogs were tasty. Bad Dawgs uses an all-beef dog from Nathan's, grilled or steamed. Veggie or turkey dogs can be substituted. The buns weren't toasted and were too large, putting the bread-to-beef ratio out of whack.

The Naked Dawg ($1.99), which I dressed with mustard, relish, and onions, was juicy and dense. The Dalmatian Dawg ($2.99) arrived with a generous portion of shredded cheddar and bean chili good enough to eat alone. Things headed south, however, when I bit into the Poi Dog ($2.99), a strange combination of pineapple, bacon bits, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Some tastes are meant for pizza only.