Al Bohl, a retired artist and educator from Bossier City, has spent 18 years perfecting the Howdy Dawg

by Chris Jay
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When Al Bohl greeted me on the front porch of his Bossier City home on a recent Tuesday evening, the first words out of his mouth were: âThis is embarrassing.âÂ
And, for some reason, the story that follows probably would embarrass some people. But I donât think itâs embarrassing; I think itâs American.
Al and his beatific wife, Doris, live in a picturesque subdivision just off of Benton Road, where all of the streets are named after things that were plowed under in order to make way for the streets.
Al was wearing a kitchen apron emblazoned with an anthropomorphic wiener: his beloved Howdy Dawg. Taking a closer look at the apron, I could make out the specific shades of Welchâs grape jelly, Frenchâs mustard, and a variety of other unknown condiments that had splattered and dripped over the years.
Al has spent eighteen years developing a batter and technique for chicken-frying hot dogs. He calls it the Howdy Dawg, and itâs more than a chicken-fried hot dogâitâs entertainment.
âWhen you bite into a Howdy Dawg, youâre biting into an amusement park,â he said, showing me to the kitchen. On a small island in the center of the kitchen, Al had staged his mis en place: a small deep fryer, an assortment of wieners and sausages, strips of bacon, kitchen tongs, and a vat of Alâs secret batter.Â
I took a seat at the bar and watched as Al battered and dredged the first round of wieners. Doris settled in on a neighboring stool and we waited for Alâs signal that it was time to eat.
Eighteen years ago, Al said, he and some business partners developed a concept for a country and western theatre in Bossier Cityâa place with regular live music showcases like youâd find in Bransonâand Al was placed in charge of conceptualizing an on-premises country music museum and gift shop.
âAlso, we wanted to have somewhere people could get something to eat before the theater opened or during intermission,â he said, keeping a close eye on the sizzling Howdy Dawgs. âWe had to design a food that wouldnât be messy. It just hit me: Howdy Dawg!â
While the original plan for the country music theatre didnât work out, Al continued to tinker with the concept of the Howdy Dawg. He wrote a jingle, designed a mascot, and named value meals and promotions. Over the years, Al estimates that he iterated fifteen or more versions of Howdy Dog batter.
âThe problem was my batter,â Al said solemnly. âIâve been tweakinâ my batter.â

âThe ones in the past, the crust would fall off,â Doris added. âThe thickness of the crust was inconsistent, and it would fall off.â
As we spoke about Alâs failed batter experiments, the energy in the room dipped. Everyoneâs voice lowered several decibels, as if we were talking about a child whoâd dropped out of school and begun setting park equipment on fire.
âHave you seen The Hot Dog Program?,â Al asked, shaking off the spectre of inferior batters from his past. âIt is an excellent documentary about hot dogs. It shows all of the different ways that hot dogs are cooked. I was just so inspired by it, and I got to thinking: what about a chicken-fried hot dog?â

Al would like to produce his own sausage, but logistics and costs are a challenge.
âYouâve gotta order five hundred pounds of wieners at a time,â Al said, shooting me a look over the rims of his hip Warby Parker spectacles. That look quietly communicated that Dorisâas supportive of Alâs hot dog obsession as she has beenâwould never go for storing fifty cases of wieners in the garage.
Al began to gather dipping sauces, and Doris and I moved to the dining table as he fished Howdy Dawgs out of the fryer.
Al brought a platter of toasted buns and a stack of golden brown Howdy Dawgs to the table, and the three of us began to eat. Silence fell over the table. The sensation of a crunchy hot dog really is a satisfying one, and the breading was delicious, crisp and flavorful.
âCan you imagine a Howdy Dawg with coleslaw and jalapenos?,â Al marveled.
âAl,â Doris said, letting her husbandâs name hang in the air like a Chopped judge. âThis is the best crust so far. I have to admit it. You told me you had it down, but I said: âIâll believe it when I see it.â But this is good. One hundred percent, Al, you nailed it.â
Al beamed back at Doris.
âItâs about time,â he said. âI feel so vindicated.â

As we each ate several Howdy Dawgsâsampling different sauces like remoulade, Thai chili sauce, and grape jellyâI could see that Al remained lost in thought. I mentioned that he seemed pretty preoccupied, for a guy who had just completed an eighteen-year-long project.
âIâm thinking about a special kind of potato that could go with it,â Al said.
âBut are you really done with the dog?,â I asked. âOr are you gonna lay in bed thinking about how to make this thing better for the rest of your life?â
Al thought about it.
âThat is probably correct,â he said.
âIâll say it,â Doris said. âHe will never stop.â
âYouâre kinda quiet yourself,â Al said to me.
I admitted that I was worried that this story didnât really have an ending.
Doris, now chomping into a crisp slice of chicken-fried bacon, said something barely audible.
âSing your song, Al,â she said proudly.
So, for the first time in Stuffed & Busted history, I am ending a story with a link to a media file. If youâd like to hear Al Bohlâone of the most creative people Iâve ever knownâsing the Howdy Dawg jingle, here it is:
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