Celebrate July 4th with a hot dog: Best cities for hot dogs, America's favorite hot dog

There's something incredibly American about relishing the day off with a hot dog straight off the grill on the Fourth of July, but figuring out which hot dog is the best hot dog is a different story. But, regardless of the age-old debate, which are the cities that buy the most hotdogs?

There are so many ways to serve a person a wiener in a bun that arguing over which is the best combo of condiments and veggies to throw on top of it feels like another great American pastime.

Should you put ketchup on a hot dog? What about mayonnaise? Do we microwave the dog, boil it, or toss it on the grill? It feels like everyone has an opinion on how and how not to make a dog.

"A lot of people are leaving out the diced onions and the mayonnaise," said Vanessa Lara, 30, the co-owner of Coney Burger in Miami. "So, those are not getting enough credit."

But one thing is certain: Americans from every background love to eat hot dogs.

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Which American cities eat the most hotdogs?

Americans spent $8 billion on hot dogs last year, stated the Hot Dog and Sausage Council. But the following are the top 10 U.S. cities that purchased the most hot dogs in 2023:

1. Los Angeles
2. New York
3. Dallas
4. Chicago
5. Boston
6. Houston
7. Philadelphia
8. Miami
9. Washington, DC
10. Phoenix

What is America's favorite hot dog?

Costco's Kirkland Signature Beef Hot Dogs was as ranked the No. 1 store-bought hot dog by the Washington Post. Beating out Nathan's Angus Beef Franks in second and Oscar Mayer Classic Beef Uncured Franks in third.

However, according to a 2021 survey of 1,000 Americans from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, the favorite regional style of hot dog is the New York style, closely followed by the Chicago style and then the Michigan Coney dog.

Lara told USA TODAY that her favorite hot dog "has to be the chili dog from Coney Burger. "There's no other."

In another survey, the council found that 76% of participants preferred to wash down their dog with a soda.

How do you make a good hot dog?

People are googling how to make different types of hot dogs, and the following are some of the Nation's most searched on googled, according to Delish:

• Chicago-style hot dog: An all-beef frankfurter is placed into a poppy seed bun and topped with "yellow mustard, neon-green sweet pickle relish, chopped white onion, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers and celery salt," states New York Times Cooking.
• Korean hot dog- A corndog, with a hot dog, cheese, rice cakes, or fish cakes at the cent, that's dipped in batter and coated in bread crumbs, then deep fried and topped with fries, cereal, ketchup and/or sugar, according to Delish and Stella 'n' Spice.
• Coney Island hot dog- Hot dog with a steamed bun, meat sauce, chopped onions, and mustard

Hot dogs bring nostalgic feelings

The battle of favorites between New York and Chicago dogs might be controversial and get heated at times (similar to Chicago-style pizza vs. New York-style), but the nostalgic feelings that hot dogs bring to Americans from every background are something that can't be argued about.

For Lara, who was born in Venezuela but moved to Miami with her family when she was 5 and grew up in the U.S., hot dogs are filled with nostalgia.

"When I think of hot dogs, I think of families coming together around the grill, and to me, that is an American feeling," said Lara. "The feeling of just gathering around the grill and like being the first to grab the bottle of ketchup and being the first to run to the potato chips and just awaiting that moment, I feel like that is so American."

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.