Okie Dokie Smokies Raises the Bar on Edmonton's Hot Dog Game

It's easy to make a good hot dog. A great one? That's where Okie Dokie Smokies comes in.

Located next to High Dough on Calgary Trail in Strathcona Junction, Okie Dokie has been in business since December 2025, already collaborating with Edmonton staples like Little Wolf, Farrow, Otto, and Boxer.

"It starts with a sausage," says Jarrett Gauthier, who runs Okie Dokie. Gauthier spent five years falling in love with sausage-making—first at a friend's charcuterie shop in Vancouver, then running a charcuterie program at Eleanor & Laurent and La Petite Iza. "I've been passionate about barbecue for a while now," he says.

On the lunch menu sit two hot dogs: the German Brat—all-pork German-style Bratwurst with sautéed onions and mustard on a bun—and the Jalapeno Cheddar Dog, topped with smoked pulled pork, Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce, and sweet pickled jalapenos on a toasted bun. The latter, Gauthier promises, is "over the top."

"A hot dog is a blank canvas," he says. "You can put whatever you want on it and usually it can't go wrong."

What makes Okie Dokie's sausages stand out isn't just passion—it's precision. Gauthier keeps a spreadsheet tracking the exact ratios of water, spices, and bindings to ensure perfect results every time. The shop works in small batches, giving him room to get creative. He guarantees some of his creations can't be found anywhere else in Edmonton.

The barbecue half of the business demands patience. "We have a Texas-style smoker behind the shop," Gauthier says. "I've been cooking briskets there and that's a 12-hour process. Being passionate about what you're doing helps too." After soaking in maple wood smoke, the brisket either goes home with a customer or becomes the centerpiece of Okie Dokie's Tipsy Texan Sandwich.

You can also take home the German Bratwurst and Jalapeno Cheddar sausages, plus other options including Char Siu, Italian Fennel, all-pork Smokies, Andouille Smokies, and Texas all-beef hot links.