The Schanfigg "Hot Dog"
Hot dogs are the talk of the town again. They’re even being served in First Class by the national carrier.
And this summer, we’re launching our very own homemade hot dog at the BelArosa Chalet. The star of the show: a homemade farmhouse bratwurst from the Schanfigg valley, sustainably produced and exceptionally delicious.
For once, it’s all about the sausage. A very special sausage, to be precise. We’re talking about a traditional Swiss «Buure» bratwurst. Made from Angus beef and seasoned with Alpine herbs, it is produced right here in the region using meat from an organic farm. «Farm-to-table» may be on everyone’s lips these days, but it is a philosophy we have lived by from the very beginning.
Found in Langwies
We went looking and found exactly what we needed: the butcher’s shop that crafts our sausage. Kathrin and Peter Sprecher run the «Sonnenrüti» farm butchery in Langwies. Kathrin is a trained chef, while Peter is a qualified butcher and farmer. Together, they have been running their own small butchery from their home since 1994. Since 2021, the business has specialised in humane on-farm slaughter. The Sprechers also operate their own sausage-making and meat-drying facilities.
Farmers by passion
Peter Sprecher’s parents began raising suckler cows on their farm back in 1988. Peter and Kathrin took over the agricultural business in 1996. In 2001, they added a modern free-stall barn to ensure that the cows have plenty of room to move, even in winter. The animals are fed exclusively on hay and grass. From May to October, they graze on the pastures surrounding the farm and on the nearby Alpine meadows.
A sizzling combination
Our head chef, Daniel Burghardt, has turned his vision of an Arosa hot dog into reality with this bratwurst created especially for the chalet. The recipe is incredibly simple: fine bread from our local baker, with the star ingredient in the middle, topped with cucumber relish, crispy onions, and saffron aioli. It tastes amazing.
The bread also plays a key role. It comes from Martin Mayer at the "Vuaillat" bakery and wraps the hearty farmhouse bratwurst in a fine crust with a light, airy center. At the BelArosa Chalet, Schanfigg agriculture, traditional butchery, expert baking, and our head chef’s creativity all come together in one delicious moment.
From nose to tail
Our sister establishment, "HEIMELI" – the inn in Sapün with its own alpine hut, which is part of the Kasper family collection – also sources all its meat specialties from the "Sonnenrüti" farm butchery:
The finest cuts from Sonnenrüti Farm Butchery
The finest bread from Vuaillat
A curious name: "Hot Dog"
Where does the name «hot dog» actually come from, one might wonder.
According to legend, a butcher from Frankfurt placed a cooked sausage – a «Frankfurter», or «Wienerli» as we call it – in a bread roll with mustard. Long and slender, the sausage was said to resemble a dachshund.
The nickname «hot dog» is thought to have evolved from this image of a dachshund-shaped sausage served in a bread roll. What our dachshund lady Yoko thinks about the story is probably best left unsaid. One thing is certain: she is no fan of «hot dogs».
