The Polish Boy is a sausage sandwichnative to Cleveland, Ohio. It consists of a link of kielbasa placed in a bun, and covered with a layer of french fries, a layer of barbecue sauce or hot sauce, and a layer of coleslaw. While the sausage is typically grilled, some establishments will quickly deep fry the sausage after grilling and prior to assembling the sandwich. While Polish Boys can be found at various establishments throughout Cleveland, a popular place is Freddie's Southern Style Rib House, known for their southern style barbecue sauce. Esquire named theirs as one of the best sandwiches in America, calling it "soul on white." Chef Michael Symon cited the Polish Boy as "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network, where he featured Seti's Polish Boys on the show. Seti's version is unique because of optional chilli and cheese that can be added to your sandwich. Chef Gregby Camp from “Mickey Flickey’s Amazing Wings” appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to teach the audience how to make a Cleveland Polish boy. Chef Camp suggests toasting the bun to give it better flavor and to hold the sandwich together. His sandwich features just enough coleslaw to taste, homemade french fries and their Amazing Comeback Barbecue Sauce.
Variations
Hot Sauce Williams, a restaurant on Cleveland's East Side, features a variation that includes the addition of smoked and barbecued pork shoulder to the sandwich and was featured in June 2010 on the Travel Channel'sMan vs. Food. Host and food enthusiast Adam Richman tried their Polish boy, which featured the restaurant's signature hot-sauce. Since the airing of the episode, Hot-Sauce Williams changed the type of french fries used in the sandwich and removed the pork shoulder from its components. B&M Barbecue, a Cleveland BBQ chain, calls this variant of the Polish Boy with pork shoulder a "Polish Girl".
Reception
The Daily Meal reviewed the Polish boy with "his is one serious sandwich; keep your Tums at the ready" in their article "12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of".
