The American Hot Dog

Hot Dog

The two names give it away: a frankfurter is Frankfurt, a wiener is Vienna. The American hot dog is that emigrant sausage in a soft split bun, and a natural casing makes the lineage audible as a snap.

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• The American Hot Dog

White Hot

Rochester's pale pork, beef, and veal hot dog, grilled from the cool edge of the grate and dressed with mustard, onion, and meat hot sauce.

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• The American Hot Dog

Texas Weiner

Clifton's Hot Grill has deep-fried beef-and-pork Texas weiners since October 13, 1961, dressed all the way with mustard, raw onion and a thin house chili.

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• The American Hot Dog

Texas Hot Weiner

A deep-fried all-beef dog dressed in one strict order, mustard then onion then a fine cinnamon-clove Greek meat sauce. Order it all the way, the Paterson way.

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• The American Hot Dog

Sonoran Hot Dog

Bacon-wrapped, griddled, and tucked into a bolillo over warm pintos, the Sonoran dog came up from Hermosillo's night carts and reached Tucson by 1993.

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• The American Hot Dog

Seattle Dog

Hot dog with cream cheese (often grilled into the bun), grilled onions, and sriracha or jalapeños.

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• The American Hot Dog

Scrambled Dog

Hot dog chopped up and mixed with chili, oyster crackers, onions, pickles, and hot sauce in a bowl; Columbus, GA specialty.

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Ripper Hot Dog

A ripper is a New Jersey hot dog fried until its natural casing splits open on purpose, ordered by degree: in-and-outer, ripper, weller, or cremator, from Rutt's Hut in Clifton since 1928.

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• The American Hot Dog

Red Hot

Rochester's red hot is pork and beef, cured and smoked; its white-hot counterpart is the same trimmings left uncured. The two are sold as a pair, and the cure is the entire difference between them.

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• The American Hot Dog

Newark Hot Dog

Deep-fried frankfurters, split in the oil, packed with fried potatoes, peppers, and onions into a torn pocket of pizza bread. Newark's own, born at a 1932 card table.

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New England Hot Dog

New England's hot dog is defined by its bun: pan-baked so its flat sides never crust, then deliberately re-crusted with butter and a griddle. The frank inside stays plain on purpose.

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• The American Hot Dog

Mother-in-Law

Tamale on a hot dog bun topped with chili; Chicago South Side specialty.

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Michigan Hot Dog

Plattsburgh's red-sauce dog: a steamed top-loader, a natural-casing frank, thick cumin-spiced beef sauce, and onions ordered "buried." The name was on a shop in 1927.

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• The American Hot Dog

Maxwell Street Polish

Grilled Polish sausage on a bun with grilled onions and yellow mustard; Maxwell Street Market original.

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Kansas City Reuben Dog

Hot dog topped with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing; KC's Reuben-inspired hot dog.

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Italian Hot Dog

Newark's Italian hot dog packs a hollowed pizza-bread pocket in strict order, dog first, then peppers and onions, fried potatoes crowning the top. Born from Jimmy Buff's 1932 card-game stand.

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Half-Smoke

Larger, spicier half-pork, half-beef smoked sausage on a bun with chili, onions, and mustard; Ben's Chili Bowl famous.

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Fenway Frank

The Fenway Frank is cooked twice, boiled to hold then griddled for snap, served on a New England split-top roll with mustard and relish, and it tastes of the ballpark first.

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Fenway Frank (Expanded)

Boiled Kayem beef frank served at Fenway Park in a New England-style top-split bun with choice of toppings; over 1.5 million sold per Red...

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• The American Hot Dog

Dodger Dog

Ten-inch pork hot dog grilled or steamed, served at Dodger Stadium since 1962; America's most famous ballpark frank, 2+ million sold per ...

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Detroit Coney Dog

Two coney shops share one wall in downtown Detroit, and the argument between them is the dish: a natural-casing beef dog under loose beanless chili, mustard, and a cold heap of raw onion.

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Danger Dog

Bacon-wrapped hot dog grilled on an illegal street cart outside LA clubs and concerts, topped with grilled peppers, onions, mayo, ketchup...

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Corn Dog

A frank on a stick is dipped once in cornmeal batter and dropped into hot oil, the coating sealing in a single pass. No bun, no assembly: the carrier and the cooking are one step.

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• The American Hot Dog

Connecticut Hot Dog

Hot dog served in a split-top bun with sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

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• The American Hot Dog