America’s Best Hot Dog: Should We Let Chicago And Jersey Fight It Out?

ACROSS AMERICA — Hot dogs are an important part of regional culture, and we didn’t get a simple answer when we asked what city gets bragging rights for the best franks in our National Hot Dog Day survey.

“Seriously,” said an Evanston (Illinois) Patch reader who is loyal to Chicago Dogs, “you need to ask?”

“A garden on a bun,” an Illinois Patch reader agreed. “Just scrumptious.”

Chicagoans pile pickle relish, pickled peppers and tomatoes on a Vienna beef dog swaddled in a poppy seed bun and season the whole thing with celery salt, but New Jersey — now that’s the place to go for a dog, countered many Garden State readers who were among about 150 people who completed our informal survey.

Nothing beats the Italian hot dog, a Westfield Patch reader contended: “It’s a complete meal — hot dog, potatoes, onions and peppers in pita bread.”

Loyalties are fierce.

“They are not piled high with literally another meal — potatoes? — and they let the taste of the hot dog shine,” a reader loyal to the Chicago Dog practically sneered.

‘It Ain’t Even Close’

“New Jersey has the best dogs, and it ain’t even close” the regional ambassador for the Northeast to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council said with authority, waxing poetically about the sheer variety of dogs available in the Garden State. Of special note is The Ripper, a dog unique to the Jersey Shore invented by Royal and Anna Rutt at Rutt’s Hut, where they’re still served today. These natural-casing dogs are cooked in a deep fryer until they split, leaving a crisp dog with a crunchy casing.

“The best in New Jersey — check that — in the USA,” a Manasquan-Belmar Patch reader said of the Rippers at Rutt’s Hut in Clifton. “Deep-fried perfection.”

New York got quite a few shout-outs, too. People in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia defended their states’ dogs, too.

Americans eat about 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Sold at baseball games since 1893, they’re found at restaurants and street carts, backyard barbecues and town festivals. They’ve been eaten on the moon. Mickey Mouse’s first on-screen words in 1929 were “hot dog!”

‘Your Go-To Comfort Food’

Once a New York hot dog connoisseur, always a New York hot dog connoisseur, some readers said.

“For me, it’s always been the New York City street vendor ‘dirty water dog’ — cooked for hours in hot water (usually a Sabrett) and served on a hot steamed bun with mustard and sauerkraut,” said a Springfield (New Jersey) Patch reader. “It’s always your go-to comfort food.”

The best dogs don’t come from a cart or hot dog joint, but from “the homes of born-and-raised New Yorkers,” a Southbury (Connecticut) Patch reader said.

“We know the best — sauerkraut, spicy mustard,” the reader said. “If you did something different, you did it wrong.”

A Saline (Michigan) Patch reader defends Detroit’s Coney Islands — hot dogs topped with all-meat chili, yellow mustard and chopped onions. The combination, the reader said, “is heaven on earth.”

“Cincy Chili with Shredded Cheese — the real Coney Island,” a Cincinnati Patch reader said.

Connecticut hot dogs got a few votes, too. “We avoid ketchup,” a Shelton-Derby Patch reader said. A Vernon Patch reader noted the “taste, snap and natural casing” on the frankfurters made by E.E. Muckes & Son, a historic meat processor based in Hartford.

A Branford Patch would head out of state for a Michigan, topped with “a super flavorful, thick, ground beef sauce with spices” that borrows from the Coney Island.

‘Best ... On Planet Earth’

An Across Pennsylvania Patch reader defended dogs found in Erie, Pennsylvania, as the “best stand-alone hot dog on planet earth.” It starts with the quality of the hot dog, the reader said, but the “add-ons — onion, ketchup, mustard relish, chili, cheese, etc. — only make them more delectable.”

“Try a Norfolk Dog,” a Herndon (Virginia) Patch reader said. “You won’t be disappointed.”

It’s “skinnier than most dogs with a distinctive snap to the casing when you bite in,” the reader said, adding the Norfolk Dog stands up well against hot dogs from other regions of the country.

A Waukesha (Wisconsin) Patch reader is partial to Parisian-style dogs — “foot longs served on a baguette topped with melted Gruyere cheese, diced shallot and Grey Poupon.”

“I used to live in North Carolina,” an Upper Dublin (Pennsylvania) Patch said. “North Carolinians love a Carolina dog ‘all the way’ — topped with chili, slaw, onions, and mustard. Nothing more, and nothing less. The cold crunch of the slaw with the warm chili is a great combo.”

Yann’s Hot Dogs in Fairmont, West Virginia, could be worth the drive just for the experience. Yann’s is an eight-seat shack with no hours — when they run out of dogs, they close up shop for the day — and no sign outside, said a Bellmore (New York) Patch reader.

“They’re simple dogs, spiced right, toppings available, and you get yelled at for ordering wrong,” the reader said. “No ketchup!”

Not only do readers have refined hot dog palates, they have favorite vendors.

“They make my mouth water just thinking about them,” a Benicia (California) Patch reader said of top dog, a retro joint whose “tubesteaks” include favorites from other parts of the country.

That’s got to be a relief for people with hot dog allegiances in many parts of the country.