The 6 Best Hot Dogs You Can Buy, According to Professional Chefs

There are plenty of ways to cook a hot dog and even more ways to top one, but when it comes down to it, a good hot dog starts with the meat. Most professional chefs search for a frank that is juicy and full of meaty flavor with a snappy, bouncy texture. Whether it’s a premium Wagyu wiener or a ballpark classic, these are the six hot dogs that chefs love to grill.

Sabrett Natural Casing Beef Frankfurters

Available at hot dog carts around New York City, Sabrett beef hot dogs are a favorite for Berenice de Araujo, chief culinary officer of JF Restaurants. “The audible snap when you bite in is what a hot dog is supposed to do,” she says. 

Sabrett’s dogs are also the go-to for 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton, who likes to grill her franks. “Get a little char on them and enjoy snapping that casing.”

Allen Brothers All-Beef Jumbo Steakhouse Hot Dog Frank

“For serious all-beef sausages and franks, Allen Brothers is hard to beat,” says 2011 F&W Best New Chef Ricardo Zarate. The Chicago-based company is over a century old, specializing in Wagyu beef from farms around the country. Zarate loves all the company’s sausages — especially the hickory-smoked Texas Wagyu smoked sausages and skinless Wagyu hot dog franks. “The meat is the star, so I keep the bun light and the condiments minimal.”

Hebrew National Beef Franks

Not only is Hebrew National Food & Wine’s favorite hot dog, it’s also 2000 F&W Best New Chef Michael Leviton’s. Raised kosher, Leviton ate Hebrew National Beef Franks throughout his childhood. “So much of what we love as adults is framed by what we grew up on,” he says. But his love for the hot dog brand goes beyond nostalgia. “I really like that garlicky-beefy bite.”

44 Farms Angus Uncured Beef Franks

Austin-based Edgar Rico, a 2023 F&W Best New Chef, often sources his meat from 44 Farms in Cameron, Texas. “I already knew their beef was incredible, but their hot dogs are next-level,” says Rico. “They have that perfect, satisfying snap and the flavor is deep, clean, and high-quality. It ruins regular hot dogs — in the best possible way.”

Vienna Beef Frankfurters Natural Casing

In Chicago, no hot dog brand can compete with the popularity of Vienna Beef. Its hickory-smoked beef frankfurters are traditionally served on a poppy seed bun, topped with mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato, sport peppers, celery salt, and a pickle. Naturally, it’s the dog of choice for born-and-raised Chicagoan and 2012 F&W Best New Chef Erik Anderson.

Kayem Beef Hot Dogs

2020 F&W Best New Chef Douglass Williams doesn’t cook pork at home, so he always reaches for an all-beef hot dog — specifically the one from Kayem, a fourth-generation family-owned Polish meat company in Chelsea, Massachusetts, that makes the Boston Red Sox’s official Fenway Frank. “It’s such a good, solid, workhorse hot dog,” he says. “I just bought a 40-pack from the store yesterday. All of my years in the restaurant industry and I just figured out we can freeze hot dogs for preservation.”