To me, the best hot dog in the world is a dog at the OSU football stadium during game time. I am sure many sports fans think their home stadium has the best, but for some reason I look forward to it every year. It is nothing special. Maybe it is the atmosphere, weather and excitement of watching the Bucks play that help increase the flavor. Either way, I look forward to it.
While doing research on different hot dog ideas for this blog, I came across some fun facts. In 2016, consumers spent more than $2.4 billion on hot dogs in U.S. supermarkets. I had thought that hot dogs were not as popular as when I was young due to the “clean eating” trend that has taken over, but based on the stats from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, their consumption continues to grow.
It varies from state to state and from city to city, but Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other (more than 36 million pounds), beating out New York and Philadelphia. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs, (725,000) than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.
On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times. During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period. Los Angeles Dodger fans consumed 2.6 million hot dogs in 2016. Across the major leagues, fans enjoyed 19.4 million hot dogs during the 2016 season.
Top Hot Dog Consuming Cities 2016
Los Angeles
New York
Philadelphia
Boston
Phoenix
Chicago
Atlanta
Detroit
Washington, DC
Tampa
It seems that few things are left from my childhood memories, so I’m glad to see that this one American food pastime is still around to enjoy however we want. All of our Bellisari’s sauces and spreads will work well on hot dogs. Here are some unique ideas when entertaining for Memorial Day.
Heat gas or charcoal grill. Place hot dogs on grill over medium heat. Cook uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently, until hot. Remember that there are all types of buns so experiment with those as well. You can brush the bun or the dog itself and top with these unique products.
Saigon Dog - Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce and top with Saigon Slaw
Calabrian Pepper Dog - Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread, jalapenos and top with crumbled queso blanco
Fig Dog - Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread and top with caramelized onions and goat cheese
Balsamic Shallot Dog - Warm Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread and toss with cooked diced bacon. Spread generously and enjoy!
