Readers Digest Best of America

The May '11 issue of Readers Digest just came out with their annual "Best of America" Issue. The Cover has the picture of a Hot Dog on it. What is more American than Hot Dogs, Huh?? Unfortunately, the Article on Hot Dogs inside was a little disappointing. They did ZERO research on the subject and just took excerpts from the article in "Every Day with Rachael Ray" that was Lambasted earlier here. I guess that's what a "Digest" does, just takes articles from other sources. 
Now the dogs they selected are good dogs, but nothing new or creative was unveiled.
The dogs they chose were:
Gene & Judes Chicago Dog from River Grove, IL
Flo's Hot Dogs from Cape Neddick, ME
Pulliams Slaw Dog from Winston-Salem, NC
AND the Biggest Surprise-----
Aqui Con El Nene's Sonoran Dog from Tucson, AZ
I say that's a surprise because El Guero Canelo is generally considered hands-down the best Sonoran Hot Dog in Tucson along with BK's although I guess Aqui Con El Nene was mentioned in The Racharl Ray article. Just shows what Readers Digest knows about hot dogs.   
 

Or about good reading. "Condensing" others' words is a disgrace in literature.

Typical. And from what I understand Rachel Ray's magazine had 3 people from Serious Eats sample hot dogs from around the country, yet these people did not have total control with the ratings and what places would be included. They had to include certain popular places resulting in better and more deserving establishments being left out.
 
You want to get the best information on the best hot dogs in America? Just read the Hot Dogs, Sausages, and Bratwursts forums here on Roadfood. The posters here have more experience and are more knowledgeable about hot dogs than any magazine, newspaper, food show, or website for that matter. I've learned more from the contributors here who are from all over the country than anywhere else. I've learned of brands of hot dogs and hot dog establishments that I've never heard of before. I've even got to sample franks from other parts of the country that were sent to me. People here are passionate about hot dogs and discerning. We look for things even people who write about hot dogs do not consider. Such as the brand of hot dog being served, whether it's beef or mixed meat, the casing, how it's prepared, etc. Look at the reviews for hot dog restaurants. See how many times the brand is mentioned, whether the dog has a casing, and how it's prepared. You'll get a lot of info about the various topping combinations and the cute nicknames for the dogs and the atmosphere of the place. All secondary in my opinion. But very little info pertaining to what true hot dog aficianados look for.
 
I'm used to being disappointed when a well known publication talks about hot dogs. Better off coming here or searching out blogs written by people who truly know hot dogs and aren't swayed by superficial things.

FYI Reader's Digest owns Every Day With Rachael Ray so yeah, it's the exact same article edited down. 
 
Also, a bit more on Aqui Con El Nene from Adam Kuban at Serious Eats (who flew to Tuscon and tried dogs at Aqui, El Guero Canelo, and BK and liked Aqui Con the best) 
 
"Aqui con el Nene, Tucson: If you've already peeped the winners over on Every Day with Rachael Ray's website, you'll know that El Nene made it to the championship. This little trailer-and-tent stand on Tucson's north side gets the balance just right, with an insane amount of crisp and cool toppings contrasting perfectly with the meat, all nestled neatly (at least at first) in a soft split-top roll. Owner Salvador Gastelur spent time at Guero Canelo and BK's (Canelo's heated rival) before opening his operation in North Tucson. His dogs had a slight edge over Canelo's and BK's, we thought, with the bacon crisped just right and a nice balance of toppings."
 
from The Search For America's Best Hot Dog, The West on Serious Eats.

Pulliams in Winston Salem does make a really good dog.Ate there alot when I worked nearby

Foodbme, personally I love Flo's Hot Dogs in Maine, but it's certainly not in America's Top 5.  But writers -- myself included -- have to branch out sometimes and highlight new places.  Otherwise, they'd be lauding the same old places year after year.  There's nothing wrong with that, but even I like to see some newbies on these lists.  Gives me more fodder for debate!    Chris