If you can’t make it to New York, you can probably find a package of Nathan’s at your local grocery store. In 2018, 11-time winner Joey Chestnut downed a record 74 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. The iconic Coney Island hot dog stand sponsors the annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Nathan’s may only be the fifth-most-popular hot dog in America, with 28.85 million people choosing the brand in 2017, but these “famous” hot dogs have certainly earned their name. Joey Chestnut and Matt Stonie compete in the 2017 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest | Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images These generic hot dogs run the gamut from Sam’s Choice Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs, which have “a cheapness that perfect for entertaining large groups of people you don’t really know of care about,” according to Thrillist, to slightly fancier dogs from stores like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Store-brand hot dogs were snapped up by 24.75 million people in 2017.
ArmourĪnyone who was chowing down on hot dogs in the late 1960s likely remembers the Armour Hot Dogs TV jingle, “The Dog Kids Love to Bite.” (Ad Age declared it the second-greatest hot dog jingle of all time.) Fifty years later, Armour hot dogs are still going strong, with 18.46 million Americans choosing the brand in 2017. The company makes beef hot links and beef smoked sausage, as well as products like cheddarwurst and jalapeno and cheddar sausages. Hillshire FarmsĪbout 17 million Americans consumed Hillshire Farms hot dogs in 2017. The budget-friendly franks cost just 17 cents apiece, according to Cheapism, and are sold at stores like Walmart. The company’s original franks are made with chicken and pork, not beef, though an all-beef dog is also available. Just over 12 million Americans ate Eckrich hot dogs in 2017. (Fun fact: Angelenos consume more hot dogs every year than any other city in America, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.) Today, 10.56 million Americans eat Farmer John hot dogs every year. since the 1950s, and fans wolfed down 2.6 million in 2016 alone. The dogs have been sold – steamed or grilled – at Dodger games in L.A. You might know Farmer John’s most iconic product by another name – Dodger Dogs. These are the top 10 most popular hot dog brands in the U.S. While Ball Park is the top dog when it comes to sales, it’s hardly the only brand on supermarket shelves. The other remarkable point was, in both categories, the clear preference of our tasters for the top three beef dogs and top two combinations over the vividly collapsing enthusiasm for the stragglers.A little girl eating a hot dog | Seiya Kawamoto/iStock Remarks about it included “It smells like burnt rubber” and “It tastes like Elmer’s Glue.” Our tasters enjoin those cooking for vegetarians to serve classic vegetarian dishes rather than mock meat products. The veggie dog was remarkable for having been spat out by almost every taster, even those from different sessions who had not witnessed previous reactions. However, slipped in among the beef, the buffalo was a much less popular meat. Admittedly, in the case of beef and buffalo, it was a matter of comparing apples and pears. We also tasted two novelty styles: Heartland Buffalo and Yves Veggie Cuisine Jumbo Veggie Dogs. Each hot dog was poached in its own fresh water for four minutes. Hot dogs were divided into two categories: all-beef and meat combinations, though tasters were not told to which category the hot dogs belonged. The following are results from a blind tasting in The Times Test Kitchen.