Make Your Own Maxwell Street Polish

 

The Maxwell Street polish sausage sandwich, referred to as the “Maxwell Street Polish” for short, consists of Polish sausage topped with yellow mustard and grilled onions served on a steamed bun. It may also be topped with pickled sport peppers.

The sandwich was invented in 1943 by James “Jimmy” Stefanovic, an immigrant from Macedonia who ran Jim’s Original hot dog stand on the corner of Maxwell and Halsted streets, right in the heart of the Maxwell Street outdoor market. Stefanovic also invented the pork chop sandwich.

According to Chicago food historian Bruce Kraig, sausage is eaten with grilled onions and mustard in Germany, and many Jewish immigrants who lived in the neighborhood at the time hailed from Germany. Joe Stefanovic, son of James, thinks his dad also grilled the onions for the smell. The sport peppers may have been added because of the influence of Greek or Italian vendors at the outdoor market or may have been due to early Mexican influence.   

European Jews established the open-air street market near Roosevelt Road and Halsted Streets in the late 19^th century. Soon other immigrants started to come to the market, including the Irish, Italians, Greeks, Poles, and Russians. People came to the market to buy everything from shoelaces to ethnic foods and also to listen to music by street performers. When African Americans came to the neighborhood after World War I, they brought blues music. Maxwell Street was quite a place. 

To make things more interesting, the Express Grill, located next door to Jim’s Original, also advertised the “original Maxwell St. Polish” on its marquee, although it opened after Jim’s Original. The original Maxwell Street Market area has seen new construction and development with the expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus and the addition of high-income housing to the area. However, the outdoor market has since moved to Des Plaines Street, and both Jim’s Original and the Express Grill  have relocated to Union Avenue to continue their rivalry.

Maxwell Street Polish sandwiches are now served at hot dog stands across the Chicago area. They can also be found at chains such as Portillo’s and Brown’s Chicken. It’s no wonder this humble sandwich is so popular; just a few simple ingredients come together to make something unique to Chicago and truly delicious.

Maxwell Street Polish

*This recipe has been adapted from a recipe found on Carolyn’s Cooking blog.

Yields: 8 sandwiches

Ingredients:

For the onions:

2 tbsp. oil

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

Salt to taste

For the sausages:

2 tbsp. oil

Polish sausage sliced to fit on 8 buns

8 plain hot dog buns

Yellow mustard

Pickled sport peppers (optional)

Instructions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and let them sit for a few minutes to develop some color, then stir. Add salt to taste. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until the onions are browned and translucent but not quite carmelized. Place the onions in a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil and add the sausages. Cook the sausages for 5 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp.

Place the buns on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until steamy. Add a sausage to each bun and top with onions, mustard, and sport peppers, if desired.

Sources:

Eng, Monica, and Leroux, Charles, “The Original Maxwell Street Market—First with Its…” Chicago Tribune (October 1, 2004). 

Lee, Dennis. “Meet the Maxwell Street Polish, the Unsung Hero of Chicago’s Hot Dog Stands,” The Takeout (April 28, 2021). 

“Maxwell Street Polish,” Wikipedia. 

Mazzocco, Carolyn. “What Is A Maxwell Street Polish?” Carolyn’s Cooking (March 15, 2022). 

“The Original Maxwell Street Polish Sausage Stand,” Jim’s Original. 

Ruzich, Joseph. “The Maxwell Street Market.” Forgotten Chicago: Examining Vintage Postcards (April 14, 2020).