"best hot dogs" news and stories

With baseball in full swing, we couldn't help but salivate over Delish's round-up of Home Run Hot Dogs across the country. Between the Houston Astros "Most Wanted" Dog (hot dog with chopped beef brisket BBQ sauce, topped with chopped onions and salty kosher pickles) and the Milwaukee Brewers Bratwurst (pork and beef brats doused with a secret stadium sauce and topped with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard), Slashfood's ready to take a cross-country trip. Think we'll stop off at Nationals Park first for a Ben's Chili Half Smoke.

Does your favorite dog make the list? Check out the Top 24 over at Delish.

What is the best hot dog? We're not talking about the best places to get a hot dog, because not everyone is going to travel around the country to find a great one. Sometimes, you only want to travel as far as your local market. Not a problem - you can find some great hot dogs there! Just as with the frozen pizza review, these are rated on a scale of 1-10. Since all the brands seem to be popular, there are not "worst" picks on this list because even the mild tasting Ball Parks have appeal. In general, when choosing dogs, you wil generally be better off paying for an all-beef dog in terms of quality and flavor. Just remember one thing: don't boil your dogs. You'll get a much better flavor and texture through grilling, frying, broiling or even toasting them.

• Boar's Head - Larger than most other brands, Boar's Head dogs are also a bit more expensive. You can taste the quality in these juicy, all-beef  franks. 10/10
• Nathan's Famous - Famed for their eatability, these all-beef franks come in both skinless and encased varieties. The skinless ones grill up excellently, with a beefy flavor and flavorful smell, while the cased dogs have a great "snap" when you bite into them. 9/10
• Hebrew National - These dogs are beefy with high-quality meat. Even the reduced fat variety of this all-beef brand is worth a bite. They have a nice snap, grill up well and tastes great. If you over-cook them, though, the casing can get a little tough. 8.5/10