If you bake it in flaky pie crust and coat it with an apple mustard drizzle, will they eat it?
That seems to be the question posed by Guy Fieri’s latest adventure into the heart of the American gastronomy — emphasis on American, and also heart, the latter of which may need to be cleaned out with a vacuum after you indulge in one.
Inspired by a Chevrolet ad campaign from the 1970s with a catchy jingle that proclaimed “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet go together in the good old U.S.A.,” a new culinary creation from the Mayor of Flavortown will be making its major league debut in Dyersville, Iowa, on Thursday at the MLB at Field of Dreams game.
Though it doesn’t include any chopped Camaro parts, Guy Fieri combined two of the other elements from Chevy’s classic campaign to create his new ballpark snack: the Apple Pie Hot Dog.
Initially being offered exclusively to attendees of Thursday’s game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, the Apple Pie Hot Dog features an all-beef frank, apple pie filling and bacon jam enveloped in a pie crust and topped with an apple mustard drizzle, apple pie spice and demerara sugar.
“As a long-time Chevy guy, it’s awesome to be working together on this funky throwback snack for the MLB at Field of Dreams game,” Fieri said. “I can’t wait to see the reactions from fans as they take their first bite.”
Though the decadent dessert dog is debuting as a one-time-only offering, Chevrolet brand partnerships manager Emily Weaver says “the sky’s the limit” if Fieri’s take on the classic ballpark fave is received well.
“It’s the perfect blend of savory and sweet. It’s dinner and dessert,” she tells InsideHook “A little salt, a little acid, zero fat and just the right amount of heat. To be frank, I just hope people have as much fun with it as we had making it.”
Incorporating Fieri into that production process like he was a member of one of Chevy’s assembly lines in Detroit was a key component of creating the dish. “Guy is a natural fit,” Weaver says. “He’s got a lot of enthusiasm and love for the Chevrolet brand and he’s one of the most fun, energetic celebrity chefs in the space. In a lot of ways, he represents a modern twist on classic cooking and was the perfect person to bring Apple Pie Hot Dogs to life.”
In addition to giving Fieri a way to flex his culinary muscles in a way that really only he can, putting the new dog into the lineup at the concession stands in Dyersville is also a way for Chevy to revisit a classic campaign.
“The original commercial aired in 1975 and highlighted beloved, quintessential, ‘American’ staples,” Weaver says. “Bringing back the jingle with a new spin was a way to invoke nostalgia amongst a modern fan base. The campaign is a fun, lighthearted, and unexpected way for us to celebrate our heritage while drumming up excitement for what’s to come.”
It also provides a reason to revisit one of the most meaningful debates of any decade past or present.
“It’s controversial and going public with this is risky, but I can’t, in good conscience, call a hot dog a sandwich. Contrary to what Siri says,” Weaver says. “The Apple Pie Hot Dog, therefore, is not a sandwich either. It’s more of a savory pastry.”
If you can’t make it to Flavortown’s new location on Thursday, here’s Fieri sharing the new recipe.
The first Major League game ever held in the state of Iowa, MLB at Field of Dreams will be played at 7 p.m. ET and nationally broadcast on FOX.
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