Community Corner

40 Hot Dogs Ranked From Best to Wurst

They're graded on calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium and protein.

Editor's Note: Patch enjoyed bringing this story to you on last Independence Day, and we thought it worthy of a reprise.

Before you bite into that July 4th picnic frankfurter, check out this survey reported in The Daily Beast. Most of the hot dogs mentioned in this survey are sold in Los Angeles markets.

According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, we'll be scarfing down 150 million franks today, which the council says is enough to stretch from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, more than five times.

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"At their worst, hot dogs are little more than processed, fatty meat and fillers loaded with carcinogenic preservatives. But, some dogs aren’t so bad, full of all natural, lean protein without added nitrites," reports The Daily Beast.

Some of Patch's very favorite franks are on the deadly list.

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First, here's the list of the unhealthiest hot dogs:

  1. Beef Frankfurter, Dietz & Watson
  2. Grillmaster Hearty Beef Franks, Ball Park
  3. Pork & Beef Frankfurters, Thumann's
  4. Jalepeno Peppers Cheese Franks, Dietz & Watson
  5. Beef Frankfurter, Usinger's
  6. Beef Franks, Ball Park
  7. Beef and Cheddar Franks, Oscar Mayer
  8. Premium Beef Franks, Oscar Mayer
  9. Angus Selects Hot Dogs, Oscar Mayer
  10. Beef Franks, Hatfield
  11. Old Fashioned Beef Hot Dogs, Papa Cantella's
  12. Angus Beef Franks - Original, Ball Park
  13. New York Brand Beef Franks, Dietz & Watson
  14. Skinless Beef Franks, Nathan's Famous
  15. Famous Beef Franks, Nathan's Famous
  16. Beef Franks, Hebrew National
  17. Beef Frankfurters (Natural Casing), Boar's Head 
  18. Franks, Vienna Beef
  19. Pork & Beef Frankfurter (Skinless), Boar's Head 
  20. Beef Frankfurters Pushcart Style, Thumann's

But, don't despair. Here's the list of healthiest hot dogs:

  1. All Natural Buffalo Hot Dogs, Buffalo Guys
  2. Organic Turkey Hot Dogs, Applegate Farms
  3. Organic Chicken Hot Dogs, Applegate Farms
  4. Organic Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs, Organic Prairie
  5. Organic Beef Hot Dogs, Applegate Farms
  6. Smoked White Turkey Franks, Ball Park
  7. Gourmet Lite Beef Franks, Dietz & Watson  
  8. Fat Free Franks, Ball Park  
  9. Fat Free Beef Franks, Ball Park  
  10. Fat Free Beef Franks, Hebrew National
  11. Fat Free Wieners, Oscar Mayer
  12. Beef-Pork Frank, Coleman Natural  
  13. Uncured Beef Frank, Let's Be Frank 
  14. Lite Beef Frankfurters (Skinless & Natural Casing), Boar's Head 
  15. Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs, Rocky Dogs
  16. Old Fashioned Turkey Hot Dogs, Papa Cantella's  
  17. Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs, Organic Prairie  
  18. Turkey Franks, Jennie-O  
  19. Light Wieners (made with turkey and pork), Oscar Mayer
  20. Chicken Franks, Foster Farms  

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