Where to find the best hot dogs in America, according to Bloomberg

Any Fourth of July celebration would be incomplete without hot dogs. They go together like — well, hot dogs on the Fourth of July.

For most of us, that means grilling (or boiling... bleck) the franks and placing them in a bun. There may be condiments like mustard, relish, onions or even, yes, ketchup — but, that’s a debate for another day.

But Bloomberg claims to have found the 13 best hot dogs in America. And trust us, these dogs look nothing like your average frankfurter.

According to the article, hot dog sales were down a decade ago, but have recently made a comeback as Americans look for comfort food amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s estimated that 150 million hot dogs will be consumed this July 4.

So, if you’re looking for nontraditional fourth food, here’s where Bloomberg says you can find the best.

• The “El Pueblito” at Barrio Dogg in San Diego — The hot dog is wrapped in bacon, topped with mesquite-roasted poblano peppers, aged manchego, spicy cotija cream, crunchy fried red onions, and pomegranate seeds and served on a brioche-like bun.
• The “Cleo McDowell” at Destination Dogs in New Brunswick, New Jersey — Bloomberg describes it as a Big Mac in hot dog form. It’s topped with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
• The “Spicy McFirepants” at The Thirsty Pig in Portland, Maine — It’s got hot relish, banana peppers, pickled jalapenos and jalapeno cream cheese.
• The “Pulled Pork Chub Dog” at Flub-a-Dub-Chub’s in Chicago — This dog not only has bacon but it’s also topped with pulled pork that was simmered in guava barbecue sauce.
• The “Pimento Dog” at Boonedogs in Lexington, Kentucky — This locally produced hot dog is topped with pimento cheese, mayo, pickled red onions, bacon bits and fried green tomatoes.
• The “Miami Vice” at Sweet Dogs 305 in Miami — This chili dog is served on a buttered bun with onions, cheddar cheese, black sesame seeds and crumbled Fritos.
• The “Violet Beauregard” at Frank’s Gourmet Hot Dogs in Buffalo — It’s a charbroiled hot dog covered in blueberry-balsamic barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and onion rings served on a potato bun.
• The “Hound Dog” at The Red Hot in Tacoma, Washington — The hot dog itself is steamed and griddled and topped with peanut butter and bacon.
• The “Double Puffy Dog” at Walter’s in Mamaroneck, New York — This double-decker dog has two six-inch hot dogs griddled in a butter-based secret sauce layered with deep-fried mashed potatoes.
• The “Chucho’s Dog” at El Güero Canelo Tuscon, Arizona — The bacon-wrapped hot dog is topped with pinto beans, grilled onions, mustard, mayonnaise and jalapeno salsa and it’s served on a bolillo bun.
• The “Jack-a-Lope” at Biker Jim’s in Denver — The hot dog is made with jackrabbit and antelope meat seasoned with cherries and habaneros. It’s recommended that you order it topped with bleu cheese, bacon-red onion marmalade, lemon aioli and fried onions.
• The “Vegan Banger” at Dat Dog, New Orleans — This meatless brat has Creole mustard, sauerkraut, dill relish and grilled onions.
• The “Jersey Shore” at Max’s Bar & Grill, Long Branch in New Jersey — The locally made, foot-long frank is split and stuffed with cheese. It’s then topped with a bologna-like pork roll.

If you want to see pictures of these hot dogs, you can go to the restaurant websites or view them on Bloomberg’s website.

Which one would you order?

Looking for good hot dogs in and around San Antonio? Check out these stories on KSAT.com:

• Chicago-based hot dog joint coming to Texas this fall
• Texas Eats Season 3, Ep. 3: From hot dogs and French cuisine to a swamp truck
• These hot diggity dogs are must try at Dog Haus Biergarten Stone Oak
• Recipe: Barbacoa hatch green chile + cheese hotdogs
• Texas Eats: Texas BBQ, Seafood and Pizza