No food is more American than the hot dog. This humble, ubiquitous tube of meat has been a hit for more than 150 years, on boardwalks and city streets, at backyard cookouts and Independence Day parades. Like our country itself, it’s a product of immigrants that has evolved to contain multitudes, from special toppings to mysterious ingredients. Bun or no bun, it’s now a part of our national DNA, a roll-up-your-sleeves alternative to those other fancy cuisines. Here’s how the sausage was made. —NATALIA GALICZA
The glizzy ’60s
Frankfurters, a beef-and-pork link brought stateside by German immigrants, went viral in the 1860s, nearly four centuries after they were invented in the old country. By 1939, hot dogs were so American that the White House served them to the king and queen of England on a picnic with the Roosevelts, bolstering the U.S.-British alliance on the verge of World War II. “Hot dog diplomacy” became a soft-power staple, fueling relations with the former Soviet Union, Middle East and Europe.
54.5% meat
The USDA requires that hot dogs — like bologna — contain this minimum majority of meat, often trimmings and scraps. Fat is capped at 30%, water at 10% and “binders and extenders” like milk or cereal at 3.5%. It’s all ground into a paste with salt, sugar and spices like nutmeg, paprika and coriander, cured with nitrites and smushed into casings — tubes made from sheep intestines, beef collagen or cellulose. Most are sold “skinless,” the casing removed after cooking.
70 dogs per capita
The average American eats nearly six hot dogs each month. That’s 20 billion nationwide each year, per the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, or at least 2 billion pounds’ worth — more than 3,500 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty. By city, Los Angeles eats the most, but New York, Dallas, Chicago and Boston are not too far behind.
19+ regional varieties
We are not the same. New Yorkers favor sauerkraut and brown mustard. Chicago dogs come in a poppy seed bun with relish, veggies and celery salt. Other folks may add chili or fish cakes. Beef franks rule the East Coast; the West Coast leans into poultry. Americans don’t distinguish between hot dogs and the stubby, beef-and-pork frankfurter or its longer, more slender relative, Vienna’s “wiener.” Industrial cheese-injected wieners are also hot dogs; but Polish dogs are not.
27’ x 8’ x 11’
That’s the size of a Wienermobile, Oscar Mayer’s 89-year-old marketing gimmick. Six such hot dog-shaped vehicles traverse the nation’s highways with 12 drivers, less than 1 percent of all applicants for this coveted position. Costco, the membership wholesaler, continues another venerable campaign, selling 100 million hot dog and soda combos each year for just $1.50 each — the same price despite 40 years of inflation, at the co-founder’s personal insistence.
98 mph
That’s how fast dogs shoot from the notorious hot dog cannon, wielded by the “Phillie Phanatic” at Philadelphia Phillies baseball games. At least four other pro sports teams have adopted the beloved contraption since its 1996 debut. Hot dogs have been sold at sports stadiums since the 1800s. Today, fans consume about 8,000 dogs at every Major League Baseball game, amounting to 20 million wieners across a six-month season.
76 dogs in 10 minutes
Competitive eater Joey Chestnut set this record at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2021, downing almost 17 pounds of beef — like swallowing 44 billiard balls. Since 1972, contest champs have eaten more than 1,509 franks. One hot dog can shave 36 minutes off a person’s healthy lifespan. High sodium can cause cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, while nitrates and nitrites have been linked to breast and prostate cancer.
“I love hot dogs. I love ’em in buns. I love them outside of buns. I love them with baked beans. I just like hot dogs. ... May there be many, many more hot dogs served in our wonderful land.” — Mitt Romney on National Hot Dog Day, July 19, 2023
This story appears in the July/August 2025 issue of DeseretMagazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.