What Makes Hawaii's Puka Hot Dog So Unique?

With every region having its own spin on the classic hot dog –- from the chili-smothered West Virginia hot dog to the "dragged through the garden" Chicago-style dog –- it makes sense that a place with such a distinctive food culture as Hawaii would have its own too. Enter the puka dog.

This is a hot dog where the bun has been hollowed out rather than split. The toppings –- anything from garlic lemon sauce to relishes made from papaya, pineapple, banana, or a variety of other sweet fruits –- can be spread in the hole, or "puka" as it's known in the Hawaiian language. Then, in goes the grilled Polish sausage, and it's ready to eat.

The puka dog is a relatively recent arrival to the rich, diverse world of Hawaiian cuisine. In fact, it was the opening of the Puka Dog hot dog stand on the island of Kauai in August of 2000 that seems to have introduced and popularized the concept. From the outset, the owners of Puka Dog sought to include local ingredients and flavors in their concoctions.

Today, both Puka Dog and Hula Dog — a spin-off of the original after the husband-and-wife owners' split – maintain locations around the Hawaiian islands. A Hula Dog location even opened in the Orange County town of Newport Beach, though it now appears to have been permanently closed.

Along with the aim of recreating distinctly Hawaiian flavors, another technique makes the puka dog particularly unique. The puka dog bun, with its circular opening for the hot dog, is made not just by hollowing out the bun with a spoon, but by running a heated steel pole through its center, which also cooks the bun from the inside out.

The puka dog bun also makes this food even more portable than your regular hot dog, since it traps the toppings in with the sausage itself rather than just having them rest on top. As you would expect, this makes it a lot easier to eat on the go, and no doubt has contributed to its popularity.

All of this has helped the puka dog establish itself as among the best hot dogs in the state of Hawaii. The original Puka Dog has been included on the Travel Channel's list of "World's Best Hot Dog Heavens." Anthony Bourdain even visited the spot in a 2008 episode of "No Reservations" and loved it. High praise indeed.

Making the puka dog even more sought after is that, at least according to the Puka Dog website, its signature bread is only available at the brand's own chain locations — which means you likely can't find it in the bread aisle of your local grocery store next to the rest of the hot dog buns. True, you could try making your puka bun at home, though finding a metal rod you can safely heat on your own might prove challenging.

As for the sauces that typically go on a puka dog, those are also likely proprietary. The website touts the garlic lemon sauce as "secret," and one gathers they aren't too keen on sharing the recipe for any of their relishes either. So while you could try replicating it in your kitchen at home, getting an authentic puka dog may require a plane ticket to Hawaii.