There are few things better on a summer day than a hot dog fresh off the grill.
But which hot dog should you get?
Every region of the country has its favorites. In New York, it’s Nathan’s hot dogs. In Chicago, it’s Vienna Beef hot dogs. Around Philadelphia, it’s Hatfield hot dogs.
But there are certain hot dogs that are staples wherever you go shopping. We picked five of these hot dogs and tested them to see which one was the best grocery store hot dog.
Which hot dogs were tested?
Here are the five national brans hot dogs we tested: Johnsonville Classic Pork Hot Dogs, Hebrew National Beef Franks, Oscar Meyer Wieners, Ball Park Franks and Nathan’s Beef Franks.
We tested the following brands:
Johnsonville Classic Pork Hot Dogs
Hebrew National Beef Franks
How were they tested?
We did two tests to find out which is the best grilled hot dog and which is the best boiled hot dog. No condiments were used while testing the hot dogs so we could get the true flavor of the hot dog.
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Grocery store hot dog test results
Here are the five hot dogs out of the pot and fully boiled.
5. Ball Park
Ball Park hot dogs are made with chicken and pork.
On the grill: Ball Park hot dogs plump up just like their old commercials say. It’s a solid hot dog, but nothing special. It does break apart at the ends from the cooking, which could cause flare-ups on your grill.
In the pot: Again, they plump when you cook them, but the flavor suffers. They taste like a generic hot dog. It’s not a bad flavor, but for best results, you’ll need condiments.
4. Oscar Meyer
Oscar Meyer wieners are made of pork, turkey and chicken.
On the grill: Oscar Meyer is better than Ball Park. It’s a traditional wiener with the taste you’ve grown to love. They don’t blister or break like the other hot dogs, which might be due to the meat inside.
In the pot: Here’s where Oscar Meyer shines. It tastes better boiled. The flavor is good and provides a good foundation for the hot dog you want to create, whether it’s a Coney, Slaw Dog or Chicago-style.
Gere are the five hot dogs fresh off the grill and ready for testing.
3. Nathan’s
Nathan’s hot dogs are all beef.
On the grill: Nathan’s is a good grilling hot dog. It doesn’t plump up and slightly blisters, but generally holds form. On the first bite, it’s surprising how much better they are than Ball Park (which was the hot dog I tried right before it). The beef flavor is there, and the spices in it work well.
In the pot: You would think Nathan’s would be better in boiling water. On the first bite, it’s just a plain hot dog begging for condiments to make it special. It doesn’t taste like a generic hot dog, but it’s just on par with Oscar Meyer.
2. Hebrew National
Hebrew National is an all-beef hot dog.
On the grill: Hebrew National is on par with Nathan’s for grilling. The beef flavor comes through, and it doesn’t plump up like Ball Park. It’s a simple hot dog that stands out. It is a little greasy, but it’s not terrible.
In the pot: On the first bite, you taste the juices and it’s a little greasy. That said, there’s a lot of flavor. It holds up well no matter how it’s cooked and can stand alone in the bun.
1. Johnsonville
Johnsonville Classic pork hot dogs are all-pork hot dogs.
On the grill: There isn’t a Johnsonville sausage that doesn’t excel on the grill. The all-pork hot dogs are larger than other hot dogs. When you cook, watch out for the casing breaking, which could cause flare-ups on the grill. Overall, the Johnsonville hot dog has standalone hot dog flavor. Sure, you could put some mustard, onions or sauerkraut on it, and it would taste great. However, it’s not necessary. It’s a good hot dog.
In the pot: This was surprising. I understand boiling the other four brands, but a Johnsonville? It tasted just as good out of the pot as it did off the grill. I’d still prefer to grill it, but it’s good to know the flavor, firmness and snap don’t lose anything based on how it was cooked.
Best on the grill
Nathan’s wins the title, narrowly beating Johnsonville.
Best in the pot
Johnsonville won this battle over Hebrew National and Oscar Meyer.
Hot dog to avoid
Ball Park isn’t terrible and is worth it if they are on sale, but there are just better products available.
Overall, the 100% beef and 100% pork hot dogs tasted better than the ones that mixed in chicken or turkey.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: We tested 5 hot dogs. One clearly stood above the rest
