Hot Dogs: The Rules, The Rituals, The Glory
This week on Flavorphiles, we’re giving hot dogs the serious culinary examination they obviously deserve.
Tanner and Jerry start with a Hot Dog Martini — made with “dirty hot dog water” gin, mustard oil, pickle oil, and a poppy seed/celery salt rim — before breaking down what actually makes a great dog: the meat, the snap, the bun, the toppings, and why ketchup may be the enemy.
Then Eric Mittenthal, President of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, joins the show to walk us through the official hot dog etiquette guide. After that, competitive eater Katie Prettyman takes us behind the scenes of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, from training and stage pressure to how someone even gets started in competitive eating.
Finally, we travel the world through hot dogs — from Chicago and Sonora to Iceland, Japan, and beyond — and declare the one we think deserves the crown. Hopefully it inspires your next cookout.