Being served a straight-from-the-grill hot dog is the harbinger of summer. With that first bite, we're promised tank tops, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Hot days and cool nights. Barbecues and pool parties. In short, hot dogs are glorious. But for something so sacred, chances are that when browsing your grocery store's frankfurter section, you're not thinking too hard. You might go with a familiar brand, or a variety that's a few cents cheaper. A hot dog is a hot dog, right? Wrong!
Turns out, when you eat a bunch of hot dogs (24 to be exact!), you learn a thing or two. Not all hot dogs are created equal, it turns out.
Our top picks
Best Overall Hot Dog
Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dog
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Best Beef Hot Dog
Sabrett Frankfurters, Beef
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Best Classic Hot Dog
Hebrew National Beef Franks
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Best Pork And Beef Hot Dog
Niman Ranch Fearless Uncured Beef & Pork Franks
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Best Angus Beef Hot Dog
Ball Park Hot Dogs Angus Beef Bun Size
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The hot-dog-eating experts
It's a tough day in the office when you ask your fellow Delish editors to taste two dozen different hot dog brands. But six steadfast editors muscled through, sampling a wide range of different hot dogs and giving their thoughts and opinions.
How we chose these products
To level the playing field, all hot dogs were boiled (except the plant-based ones, which were pan-fried per their directions). There was no grilling allowed, as we felt smokiness could mask any funky or subtle flavors. Buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, and other condiments were also off the table. This tasting was all about the dogs! (That said, if you need some ideas one how to top your dogs, here are some brilliant ones).
Delish editors looked at flavor, texture, snap, and density when considering which hot dogs were best. So! As you make your most important summer plans, please keep this meticulous ranking in mind. If you need something to eat along side all these hot dogs, check out these sides.
Best Overall Hot Dog
Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dog
Sweet and smoky flavor
Light texture
The Applegate beef hot dog took our top spot for one reason: It's the dog every one of our tasters wanted at a cookout. The texture is spot on, light but not to light. As for flavor, it's "a touch sweet and a little bit smoky," said Senior Social Media Manager Zoe Becker. "I'd eat that at a barbecue!"
Best Beef Hot Dog
Sabrett Frankfurters, Beef
Well seasoned
Nice snap
If you live in New York City, you know Sabrett. It's the hot dog hawked in carts across the five boroughs, all beneath an iconic blue-and-yellow Sabrett-branded umbrella. Delish HQ is located in the Big Apple, so this brand is near and dear to many of our tasters. But nostalgia aside, it delivers. I thought it had a nice snap, and the meat was perfectly seasoned.
Best Classic Hot Dog
Hebrew National Beef Franks
Classic flavor
Hebrew National wins the best classic hot dog because "it tastes like a hot dog should taste," Becker said. There are no surprises, the snap isn't over the top, and the texture is dense, but not too thick. It's the hot dog you feed someone who has never had a hot dog—an introductory dog, if you will.
Best Pork And Beef Hot Dog
Niman Ranch Fearless Uncured Beef & Pork Franks
Nice texture
Niman Ranch sells a few different beef-based hot dogs, but we like this beef-and-pork dog the best. It mixes heritage pork with Angus beef to create a very smooth texture and mild taste.
Best Angus Beef Hot Dog
Ball Park Hot Dogs Angus Beef Bun Size
Buttery
What makes this Angus beef hot dog pop is, of course, the Angus beef, which famously has extra fat compared to other types of beef. The result? A hot dog that's "a little smoky, a little buttery," Associate SEO Editor Allison Arnold said.
Best Chicken Hot Dogs
Bell & Evans Organic Chicken Hot Dogs
Will go with any toppings
Pleasant chicken aroma
Plain flavor
Bell & Evans is best known for its chicken products, so it makes sense that they have the best chicken hot dog. Multiple tasters said this dog smelled like chicken—but in a good way!
"It's the chicken breast of chicken hot dogs," Director of Video Julia Smith said. "It'll go with any flavor."
Best Turkey Hot Dogs
Oscar Mayer Turkey Franks
Great color
Tastes like a beef hot dog
You might be surprised to know that Oscar Mayer makes a great turkey dog. The color is not suspicious, unlike a few other gray-hued turkey dogs we encountered. After being cooked, it takes on the deep red color of a beef dog, and its flavor is strikingly similar as well. It's a great option for someone who doesn't eat beef, but still wants that classic hot dog flavor.
"It's a perfect bite," Carlos Dominguez, our art director said.
Best Plant-Based Hot Dog
Field Roast Signature Stadium Plant-Based Hot Dogs
Vegan
Flavorful
We had high expectations for the plant-based hot dogs, and this stadium dog from Field Roast delivered.
"As a hot dog lover, I can be fed that and feel good about it," Joanna Saltz, editorial director, said. It's made of mostly water, canola oil, pea protein, and potato starch, but gets its flavor from spices like smoked sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and nutmeg. Its hot dog-like ruby color comes from beet root and cherry powder. "It almost tastes like bacon," Dominguez said.
Best Spicy Hot Dogs
Hillshire Farm Beef Hot Links
Spicy flavor
We knew immediately that these Hillshire Farms Beef hot links would make our top picks. Before using words to describe the taste, we were greeted by a symphony of oohs and ahhs.
"I really like that," Becker said.
"[It has] a really good kick," Saltz added. "Definitely something I would serve as a surprise to a crowd."
Best Snap
Feltman's Natural Casing Uncured Beef Hot Dogs
Snappy casing
You can probably tell by the name, but Feltman's of Coney Island started in a hot dog cart in 1867 on Coney Island. It claims to make the first modern American frankfurter, and while that may or may not be true, it certainly offers the hot dog with the best snap.
The dogs' smoked natural casing locks in flavors, while its firm, snappy texture delivers delightful bite upon bite.
Most Flavorful Hot Dogs
Fork in the Road Honest Dogs
Simple ingredients
Balanced flavors
What makes these dogs so honest? Well, the ingredients are pretty simple: Pasture-raised beef, water, onion, garlic, mustard, paprika, celery powder, vinegar, salt, sugar, extractives of paprika, natural flavors.
I guess that's what makes them the most flavorful in our book. Both Dominguez and Saltz described the flavor as sweet, while Becker applauded them for tasting well-balanced.
Best Texture
Wellshire Premium Uncured Beef Franks
Juicy
Good consistency
When a hot dog is described as "plump," as Dominguez said, and "fluffy," as I said, it automatically wins best texture. This Wellshire beef frank may look like any other hot dog on the market, but the meat inside the casing is soft (but not spongy), firm (but not dense), and juicy (but not wet). Wins all around!
Best Splurge Hot Dog
Boar's Head Uncured Beef Frankfurters
Sometimes you want to splurge on a hot dog. You want it to taste like a hot dog, but better. For those instances, we recommend Boar's Head uncured beef frankfurters. They're pricey at $9 for about eight links, but so worth it. Dogs boast a delightfully smoky flavor, thick casing, and a paprika-forward aftertaste.
Best Budget Hot Dog
Oscar Mayer Classic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs
If you're balling on a budget, these Oscar Mayer originals are the best cheap dogs around. You can find them in just about any grocery store for about $0.40 each and although the texture is a little mushy, the flavor is really beefy.
Best Budget Runner-Up Hot Dog
Oscar Mayer Classic Uncured Wieners
While this Oscar Mayer weiner didn't exactly stand out from the pack for its flavor, snap, or texture—in fact, it tasted pretty much identical to our Best Budget pick, Oscar Mayer's Classic Beef dogs—we can't argue with its reasonable price and what we'll call the nostalgia factor. "[It] reminds me of childhood," Smith said. Think of it like the classic cafeteria-style hot dog you used to top with too much Heinz ketchup and sweet relish.
Best Hot Dogs For Grilling
365 Uncured Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs
Floral notes
Dense texture
You might be wondering: What makes us think these 365 beef hot dogs are good for grilling if our taste test only consisted of boiled franks? Well, both Arnold and myself picked out a distinctive floral flavor in these dogs, which we think would pair nicely with a grill's smokiness. Who new a hot dog could be that nuanced?
Best Ballpark Hot Dogs
Nathan's Famous Skinless Beef Franks
Nostalgic
Balanced flavor
You might associate this brand with Coney Island, which is home to Nathan's original location, but it's also the official hot dog of MLB. So when Arnold said these classic franks "taste like a hot dog I would get at a baseball game," she isn't wrong. You can find them at the stadiums of the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and the New York Yankees, to name a few!
Best Hot Dogs For Steaming
Nathan's Famous Angus Beef Franks
Great texture and flavor
For times when firing up the grill feels like too much, make these Nathan's Angus beef franks. Their flavor is buttery, creamy, and almost luxurious—even when steamed.
"I didn't think I would like this one as much as I did," Saltz said. Serve it up Chicago-style and you've got a gourmet meal.
Felicia LaLomiaFood & Culture EditorFelicia LaLomia is the Food & Culture Editor for Delish.
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