Photo: Brent Hofacker (Shutterstock)
When I was a kid, there were essentially two kinds of hot dogs in my life: The plastic-wrapped pack in the refrigerator that could be boiled, grilled, or pan-fried, then slapped in a bun, and served as a quick lunch, and the Sabrette hot dogs my father would buy me on the way home from Little League games, even if (as was typical) I’d just struck out four times and missed every fly ball that came my way.
Hot dogs are a staple not only in the U.S., but all over the world. Essentially just a sausage of some type wrapped in a bun of some sort and topped with condiments and trimmings, it’s an easy, affordable street food that’s become iconic. It’s also incredibly versatile, and many different regions of the country (and the world) have come up with their own twists on the concept—there are literally dozens of hot dog styles to choose from. Here’s a rundown of the many, many different kinds of hot dogs in this world.
One caveat about this list: We’re excluding corndogs. Corndogs are delicious, but they are not, technically, hot dogs.
