Hot Dogs...Love 'em or Hate 'em?

After 400 Posts, I figure it's time I took some responsibility and started a topic.

For the most part, people feel one of two ways about Hot Dogs. They either love 'em or hate 'em.

Of course, there is a part of the population that feels neither here nor there about the noble Frankfurter. But they are in a very small minority. Which category do you fall into?
The Bear

I like them myself, about halfway between indifferent and love.

When I'm at the VFW or the horse track I might have one but other than that would'nt go out of my way for one. I'd rather have Knockwurst to me the flavor is different. Chow Jim

It is with great regret that I announce I have failed..My 13 year old daughter, who used to go with me every Friday night on "The Great Hot Dog Hunt", now refuses to eat them. I still love em.
We used to go to all the places around Myrtle Beach that had famous
or semi-famous hot dogs. Now the only meat she eats is chicken.
Where did I go wrong!?!?

I like hot dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

I like hot dogs.

Yeah, and Sinatra could sing a little bit.

Definitely in the dislike category. I probably averge one per year, usually at a ballgame, and only a kosher dog then.

I love them.. always looking for the ultimate snap!
Although, they do not make my favorite ones anymore.
Tyson took care of that... My beloved Mapleleaf Frankfurters!
(Not Mapleleaf dogs)...

There's always a pack of Nathan's in my fridge and at least 2 more in my freezer. They're my solution for a quick no mess pick up meal, the kind of meals I'm into nowadays. I prefer them microwaved or split and grilled then plopped on a plain bun that's been grilled in a skillet that has a spoonful of leftover grease from my extra hot sausages or chorizo. No mustard or any other condiments. I don't like butter, hence the flavorful grease instead of butterfat.

So you can say I like them.

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

There's always a pack of Nathan's in my fridge and at least 2 more in my freezer. They're my solution for a quick no mess pick up meal, the kind of meals I'm into nowadays. I prefer them microwaved or split and grilled then plopped on a plain bun that's been grilled in a skillet that has a spoonful of leftover grease from my extra hot sausages or chorizo. No mustard or any other condiments. I don't like butter, hence the flavorful grease instead of butterfat.

So you can say I like them.

I did not care for hot dogs until I bought Nathans. Now I do. I wish they sold the bright green Chicago style relish in Knoxville.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Personally, I do not understand the "Nathan's" infatuation. They are good, BUT every pack I have bought has had the hot dogs full of gristle (have mentioned this in other threads, etc.). The only other choices available to me are Hebrew National & Sabbretts. I can't even get the Boar's Head franks at a Publix 40 miles or so away from my house. With that in mind, I have primarily switched over to regional brands of link sausage and occasional other smoked sausages for my fix. It took an act of congress, so to speak, to get my local food purveyor to even stock Brats or Italian links. Still in search of a good "snappy" dog...

Never have I encountered a shred of gristle in a Nathan's.

Dogs are my life.

I love making them.
I love eating them.
I love selling them.

Long live Vienna Beef!

CSD
Born in Chicago
Raised in Chicago
Moved to Wisconsin
Selling Vienna Beef hot dogs & Polish

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

Never have I encountered a shred of gristle in a Nathan's.

I know it is not me. Perhaps I can send you some from what I buy locally? Whatever. My experiences with same have caused me not to buy this brand of hot dog again. Come to think of it, I've still got one frozen pack left somewhere in my freezer. I guess I can always try them again, someday.

Adjudicator, you might check these people out.. I order from them 3-4 times a year.. been around over a hundred years.. Good brats, italian sausage and n.c. wieners. The bavarian wieners are my fav.

http://www.usinger.com/

I like them OK and probably eat about 6 to 10 in an average year. My husband loves them and always eats them when I'm away on business trips. He has this unique way of slashing a hot dog so it turns itself over on the grill as it's cooking.

quote:

Originally posted by dgschroeder

Adjudicator, you might check these people out.. I order from them 3-4 times a year.. been around over a hundred years.. Good brats, italian sausage and n.c. wieners. The bavarian wieners are my fav.

http://www.usinger.com/

Yep. Usingers products are good. Very good, to be exact. However, shipping costs amount to more than total order (not good...).

My love for hotdogs led me to finding Roadfood 5 years ago.. So my vote is cast for Love 'em

I Love a great hot dog,especially done right on a griddle,no roller grills for me,seared to perfection,by an experienced hot dog artist,with some cooked onions,or kraut or meaty ,no bean homemeade spicy chili,I even like them plain.Growing up in NJ,I grew up eating Sabrett's.My mom would go to the local distributor and buy 5 lb bags of number 8's,and bags of kraut,cooked onions and rolls.I thank god I grew up in a quality hot dog conscious home!LoL! I am now also partial to Nathans,I always have a pack in the fridge.I can't stand a nasty,mushy, no snap,no taste,sweep the slaughter house floor meat,pink cheap hot dog.Unless it's Nathans,Sabrett,Hebrew National or Boars head (in that order as far as preference),I won't eat it,atleast here on the east coast,I know there are great regional brands in other parts of the country.Unfortunately my fiance' grew up on cheap hotdogs,she grew up in a big country family in PA,where any hot dog was a treat,and she thinks I am nuts paying almost $4 for a pack of Nathans at the supermarket,and gets mad when she used to brings home cheap nasty store brand hot dogs and I won't eat them and give them to our dog.I took her to the Mecca of "the hot dog universe" last year when we went to the original Nathans in Coney Island.I went there a bunch of times as a kid with my family,but she never was there,and smelling the salt air,and the neon lights lighting up the night and the history the place exudes,she started to come around to what a hot dog is all about.Needlas to say she does not bring home any hotdogs from the supermarket anymore unless they are Nathans or Sabrett,and she has seen the light!I love a great Hotdog!
Jim

I like them. I'd say I love them if I could get any decent ones locally, but there are none here or, as far as I can tell, anywhere within a 75-mile radius! Neither a grocer nor a stand to be found.

When I lived in Evanston, IL, I inhaled VB hotdogs when I wasn't eating an Italian beef "combo" i.e., with Italian sausage.

As I had indicated earlier, I sure do like Nathans but Hebrew National is by far my favorite. Some hae indicated that they found them too salty. I have not experienced that.

The value of this forum is that you reallly learn. I hae found things that I use to think were good had far superior competitors. Perhaps I will find out the same thing about Hebrew Nationals.

I have enjoyed the comments from CSD and the guy from LA that has the web site. I am sorry that I forgot his name. It was something like Doggy Dog??? Sorry.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

Never have I encountered a shred of gristle in a Nathan's.

I know it is not me. Perhaps I can send you some from what I buy locally?

No thank you. Not if they have gristle in them.

There are times when nothing but a dawg will do! Burger and dawgs at a cookout are a given. A pot full of boiled dawgs just says parade or PARTY! Don't forget the kraut and onions!

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7


I have enjoyed the comments from CSD and the guy from LA that has the web site. I am sorry that I forgot his name. It was something like Doggy Dog??? Sorry.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

You're thinking of Steve Doggie Dog... http://www.hotdogspot.com/

quote:

Originally posted by festivalfood


I Love a great hot dog,especially done right on a griddle,no roller grills for me,seared to perfection,by an experienced hot dog artist,with some cooked onions,or kraut or meaty ,no bean homemeade spicy chili,I even like them plain.Growing up in NJ,I grew up eating Sabrett's.My mom would go to the local distributor and buy 5 lb bags of number 8's,and bags of kraut,cooked onions and rolls.I thank god I grew up in a quality hot dog conscious home!LoL! I am now also partial to Nathans,I always have a pack in the fridge.I can't stand a nasty,mushy, no snap,no taste,sweep the slaughter house floor meat,pink cheap hot dog.Unless it's Nathans,Sabrett,Hebrew National or Boars head (in that order as far as preference),I won't eat it,atleast here on the east coast,I know there are great regional brands in other parts of the country.Unfortunately my fiance' grew up on cheap hotdogs,she grew up in a big country family in PA,where any hot dog was a treat,and she thinks I am nuts paying almost $4 for a pack of Nathans at the supermarket,and gets mad when she used to brings home cheap nasty store brand hot dogs and I won't eat them and give them to our dog.I took her to the Mecca of "the hot dog universe" last year when we went to the original Nathans in Coney Island.I went there a bunch of times as a kid with my family,but she never was there,and smelling the salt air,and the neon lights lighting up the night and the history the place exudes,she started to come around to what a hot dog is all about.Needlas to say she does not bring home any hotdogs from the supermarket anymore unless they are Nathans or Sabrett,and she has seen the light!I love a great Hotdog!
Jim

Jim,
Growing up in Jersey, I'm sure you've tried Best. What do you think of them? I prefer them to Nathan's, Sabrett, and the rest. Especially the natural casing ones you can get at the factory.

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

quote:

Originally posted by festivalfood


I Love a great hot dog,especially done right on a griddle,no roller grills for me,seared to perfection,by an experienced hot dog artist,with some cooked onions,or kraut or meaty ,no bean homemeade spicy chili,I even like them plain.Growing up in NJ,I grew up eating Sabrett's.My mom would go to the local distributor and buy 5 lb bags of number 8's,and bags of kraut,cooked onions and rolls.I thank god I grew up in a quality hot dog conscious home!LoL! I am now also partial to Nathans,I always have a pack in the fridge.I can't stand a nasty,mushy, no snap,no taste,sweep the slaughter house floor meat,pink cheap hot dog.Unless it's Nathans,Sabrett,Hebrew National or Boars head (in that order as far as preference),I won't eat it,atleast here on the east coast,I know there are great regional brands in other parts of the country.Unfortunately my fiance' grew up on cheap hotdogs,she grew up in a big country family in PA,where any hot dog was a treat,and she thinks I am nuts paying almost $4 for a pack of Nathans at the supermarket,and gets mad when she used to brings home cheap nasty store brand hot dogs and I won't eat them and give them to our dog.I took her to the Mecca of "the hot dog universe" last year when we went to the original Nathans in Coney Island.I went there a bunch of times as a kid with my family,but she never was there,and smelling the salt air,and the neon lights lighting up the night and the history the place exudes,she started to come around to what a hot dog is all about.Needlas to say she does not bring home any hotdogs from the supermarket anymore unless they are Nathans or Sabrett,and she has seen the light!I love a great Hotdog!
Jim

Jim,
Growing up in Jersey, I'm sure you've tried Best. What do you think of them? I prefer them to Nathan's, Sabrett, and the rest. Especially the natural casing ones you can get at the factory.

Our local store started stocking Best.. Stocked right next to the Koegels.. But looking over the dog, it wasn't bun length style, more like the size of store brands (8/1 size - but shorter and fatter). Is this the norm for Best? Seems as we get more dogs from other regions, they are more or less bun length (Dietz and Watson being an example)..

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic
Our local store started stocking Best.. Stocked right next to the Koegels.. But looking over the dog, it wasn't bun length style, more like the size of store brands (8/1 size - but shorter and fatter). Is this the norm for Best? Seems as we get more dogs from other regions, they are more or less bun length (Dietz and Watson being an example)..

Vic, the Best's at your store are "kiddie sized" dogs. They also retail a 4/1, 7" "Dinner Frank," found at Sam's Clubs in Illinois and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, not in Michigan.

CSD

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

Jim,
Growing up in Jersey, I'm sure you've tried Best. What do you think of them? I prefer them to Nathan's, Sabrett, and the rest. Especially the natural casing ones you can get at the factory.

Does the Best company have a web site? A search brought up zillions of unrelated sites--too general.

Here is the site for Best Provisions, Newark, N.J., which, I doubt, distributes to the Midwest. http://www.bestprovision.com/
This is a superior hot dog. It's the one a lot of us New Jerseyans are always touting.

More than likely, the Best you're talking about is actually known as Best Kosher. It's a division of Sara Lee, and is based in The Windy City.
The Bear

The only Best dogs I've seen in the Columbus area are the ones from Chicago -- unfortunately.