The Search for America's Best Hot Dog

How did Every Day with Rachael Ray decide on the country's hottest dog? First, we enlisted tasters: three frank-obsessed guys from the blog Serious Eats (seriouseats.com), who promptly hit the road, chowing down on franks in no fewer than 56 cities and towns. Somewhere between Maine and Arizona, it became clear that we are in the middle of a hot dog renaissance, made up of a few different factions.

Regional Powerhouses
This country is chockablock with famous hot dog purveyors: Chicago stands like Superdawg; Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit; Papaya King in New York City; and in L.A., Pink's. Can they stand up to their new competitors?
Swank Up-and-Comers
The concept of gourmet hot dogs kicked off about a decade ago with Hot Doug's in Chicago, Biker Jim's in Denver and Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, Connecticut, all manned by former restaurant chefs who decided to fancy up the humble hot dog. Could we in good conscience bestow the crown upon a $9 free-range hot dog served with silverware?
Local Underdogs
As we traversed the country, we discovered hot dog traditions that are unique to certain regions. At Gus's Hotdogs in Watervliet, New York, you can order 3-inch mini dogs by the dozen; at Sandy's Famous Hot Dogs in Columbia, South Carolina, all-beef dogs are slathered in pimiento cheese. Philly is known for a frank-and-fish cake combo, while Cleveland has its fry- and slaw-covered Polish Boy. These, plus North Jersey's Italian hot dog and upstate New York's Michigans, are beloved by locals but largely unknown to the rest of the nation. Can they hold their own against the big boys?
Street-Level Brawlers
Some of the wildest combinations we found came from street-cart vendors. Bacon-wrapped, Mexican-style Sonoran dogs; Thai dogs topped with mango, peanuts and fish sauce; Colombian perros calientes layered with pineapple, ham, crushed potato chips and raspberry mayonnaise. Are these newfangled fads, or the wave of the future?

What did we learn? A hot dog is never just a hot dog. Perhaps more than any other food, what one person considers a classic wiener is staggeringly different than the dog his cross-country friend cherishes-and each region has an army of dedicated fans as loyal to their brand of frank as they are to their local team.

Let the games begin! See the stand-out 64 »

Did your local make the cut?

The Sweet 16: WEST
Monster Dog, seattlemonsterdogs.com
At Seattle stands like Monster Dog, you can slather cream cheese on dogs nestled in outsize rolls topped with a fistful of caramelized onions.

Pink's Hot Dogs, pinkshollywood.com
At this institution, founded in 1939, the 10-inch Stretch is a snappy Hoffy-brand dog that's steamed, then grilled, then topped with meaty chili, mustard and raw onions.

Top Dog, topdoghotdogs.com
We tried much of Top Dog's long menu-and loved the lemon chicken dog-but judged the spot based on its perfect all-beef frankfurter.

Aqui con el Nene, 520-312-1666
This trailer dishes out our favorite Sonoran, a baconwrapped frank piled with pinto beans, chopped tomato, onion, cotija cheese, salsa, mayo, ketchup and mustard.

The Sweet 16: SOUTH
Nu-Way Weiners, nu-wayweiners.com
Nu-Way Weiners (yes, it's spelled that way) opened in 1916, and locals still pack the booths. The dogs are neon red and griddled to a crispy well-done, and come topped with a Greek chili scented with cinnamon and allspice.

Sandy's Famous Hot Dogs,
Sandy's sells some of the bestlooking dogs we sampled-fat, spicy all-beef franks topped with chili and sweet slaw, or creamy pimiento cheese, a Southern staple more often found on burgers but perfectly at home on a dog.

Pulliams Barbeque, 336-767-2211
This century-old shack is known for its "toasted" hot dogs, topped with yellow mustard, homemade chili and a mound of the creamiest, whitest slaw you've ever seen.

Pete's Famous Hot Dogs, 205-252-2905
Owner Gus Koutroulakis has been cooking up 6-inch franks since 1948. Dropped into a mustard-smeared bun, the "special" is topped with sauerkraut, onions, ground beef and sweet onion sauce.

The Sweet 16: EAST
Flo's Hot Dogs, floshotdogs.com
The wait for a dog at Flo's can be two hours long-and it's only open four hours a day. Bright pink snappy dogs are steamed and stuffed into pillowy New England rolls.

Jimmy Buff's, jimmybuff.com
While we liked their famous Italian dog, what secured Buff's spot in the Sweet Sixteen were the foot-longs drowned in slowcooked, beefy chili.

Papaya King, papayaking.com
The special all-beef Sabrett dogs are made with one secret ingredient-which we've never been able to identify-and have that sought-after snap.

Crif Dogs, crifdogs.com
Of the myriad dogs at Crif, our favorite is the Jon-Jon Deragon, deep-fried and topped with cream cheese, fresh scallions and a sprinkling of "everything bagel"-salt, garlic, sesame and poppy seeds.

The Sweet 16: MIDWEST
Lafayette Coney Island, 313-964-8198
We sampled Coney Island hot dogs (chili dogs) all over the country, but none came close to being as snappy or juicy as Lafayette's grilled, longer-than-the-bun franks.

Hot Doug's, hotdougs.com
Owner Doug Sohn, who describes the spot as a "sausage superstore and encased meat emporium," serves his franks with an array of toppings, including foie gras.

Senate, senatepub.com
The menu lists six dogs; this one's on brioche, with ham, béchamel and a poached egg.

WINNER! Gene & Jude's, 708-452-7634
Their transcendent dog is topped with mustard, onion, relish, sport peppers and fries.
Read more about the big winner of our national search »

By Ed Levine, Hawk Krall and Adam Kuban | Photography by Levi Brown

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