And the wiener is....

Today I'm celebrating Hot Dog month

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, consumers in 2007 spent more than $4.1 billion on hot dogs and sausages in US supermarkets, equaling more than 1.5 billion pounds bought at retail stores alone. Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch from Washington DC's RFK Stadium to San Francisco's AT&T Park. New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city. However, Chicago O'Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs than LA International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined. On July 4th, Americans enjoyed 150 million hot dogs, which would stretch from DC to LA over five times. Hot Dog Season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. During the season Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs or 818 every second. US soldiers in military posts around the world consumed 2.4 million hot dogs last year.

I like a good hot dog every once in awhile, at the football game, at the baseball game, after roasting wieners over a campfire, and when I need a solid menu win with my nephews. I prefer a bit of chili on my dog too if I'm at home. Hot dogs are often topped with a variety of condiments, including mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, tomato (chopped, sliced, or in wedges), pickles, celery salt, cheese, avocado, canned corn, chili peppers, and baked beans, to name a few. (Did Wikipedia really say canned corn? baked beans?) I was surprised to see so many hot dog variations described on Wikipedia. I personally like a simple hot dog, preferring just a bit of ketchup (despite the recommendation of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council). I guess I just haven't grown up yet. Plus, my family eats ketchup on almost everything! On my first visit to New York City, I just had to buy a hot dog from a street vendor (without the mustard, sauerkraut, and onions though). I have not yet bought a hot dog from a street vendor in Chicago yet.

I only have hot dogs at my house about once a year. I ponder about what type of wieners to buy: the cheapest, the most expensive, the mysterious meat wiener, all beef, all turkey, bun length, the plumpest, etc. I don't dare look at the ingredients too closely. I generally don't want to think about the ingredients and how the wieners are made. However, I found two videos (part 1 and part 2) that show the entire process of how hot dogs are made. I'm not sure I feel much better, but now I know the clue on the packaging for the wieners I don't want to purchase.

When I think of hot dogs, the hot dog eating contest sponsored by Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in Coney Island every July 4th comes to my mind. It is the largest hot dog eating contest in the world. The 2007 winner set a record, eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. I heard that he won again in 2008, but did not break that record. I found several methods that can be used to win the next hot dog eating contest at your local fair:

• Standard - Skip a meal or two and pig out
• Stretch it - Gradually eat more and more every day, eating bulky food and drinking plenty of water to stretch your stomach and train your muscles to hold the food down.
• Dunk 'em - Dunk the hot dog in water before eating it to make it go down easier
• 'Ala Japanese - Separate the meat from the bun. Eat the meat and then smash the bun into a tiny wad and eat it separately. The 2006 winner used a variation of this approach, focusing on a pair of hot dogs at a time by eating two buns simultaneously, followed by consuming two meats simultaneously.
• Solomon method - After separating the wiener from the bun, break it in half and put the two pieces in your mouth simultaneously --- cutting down on the chewing time.
• Wiggle - Wiggle your body as you're eating to help the food go down and encourage it to settle more compactly in the stomach.

Here's an interesting video with some tips on how to beat the competition in a hot dog eating contest:
How to Win a Hot Dog Eating Contest

As posted on VideoJug

FYI - unless you're in a hot dog eating contest, you might find the Hot Dog Etiquette video useful:

As posted on YouTube by hotdogcouncil

Image credit: The Evil Beet