PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Yinzer Dogs, a food truck peddling franks, fries, kielbasa sammiches, pop and pierogies, might be the most Pittsburghy thing in Pittsburgh.

Saddened by the pandemic closing of the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland, a group of locals started an eatery that catered to the Pittsburgh palate. The team includes comedian Jim Krenn, KDKA Radio host Larry Richert, chef Doug Mariani, cartoonist Rob Rogers, “Growing Up Yinzer” author Dick Roberts and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino.

That’s like a Culinary Steel Curtain!

This summer, a 900-square-foot, brick-and-mortar shop with an expanded menu is scheduled to open at 1908 Penn Ave. in the Strip District, right next to Roland’s. Until then, Yinzer Dogs is running wild through the City of Champions.

I met up with Krenn and Roberts Dahntahn at One Oxford Center, the truck’s regular Wednesday lunch spot. (I was running late due to construction delays and Krenn was behind because he had to save a South Side parking space for his girlfriend. Having no chair available, he just stood in the middle of the street until she arrived. That’s the epitome of Pittsburgh romance!

We chatted over natural casing dogs reminiscent of The O’s, grilled kielbasa loaded with peppers and onions on Cellone’s Italian bread, hand-cut spuds and Yinzer Bites, tiny pierogies dusted with a magical seasoning that turns your belly into a bottomless pit. I want Mariani — whose family ran Bloomfield’s legendary Pleasure Bar for 25 years — to know that I housed a basket of ‘em and still craved more.

YINZER BITES | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Let’s go pit, indeed.

These guys aren’t strangers to selling sentimental snacks. Their parent company, Yinzer Cards, specializes in humorous greetings you can snail-mail to your friends, family and Pittsburgh ex-pats. Proceeds benefit Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter in Ohio Township.

Before unleashing the hounds via food truck, Yinzer Cards partnered with Canonsburg-based Sarris Candies to launch a line of Steel City-centric sweets, including chocolate Yinzer Bars and dark chocolate-covered popcorn called Pittsburgh Pothole Filler. On a hot summer day, nothing chills you aht quite like an ice-cold can of Allegheny River Water. The cola (we don’t say soda in black-and-gold country) and several other flavors are brewed in collaboration with Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop and canned by Appalachian Brewing Co.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Even after decades doing comedy, Krenn says this is the most fun he’s ever had on the job. Working with friends can be a slippy slope, but their meetings are 90 minutes of jaggin’ arahnd.

“That’s what I love about the partnership,” he says. “Everyone pitches in with their own expertise and everyone gets along. We want to keep it going through quality, caring, loyalty and charity.”

The Strip District native hopes Yinzer Dogs restaurants pop up throughout the region and  become beloved joints where generations of ‘Burghers can go to enjoy a good meal and chew the fat with their nebby neighbors.

Jeet jet?