Taste Test: Battle of the Upstate New York Hot Dogs
| Brand | Price | Description | Tasters' Comments | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegmans White Bockwurst Style Hot Dogs, Natural Casing | 1-pound package $3.49. | Thick, short, white links, a mixture of pork, beef and veal. | The tasters' favorite hot dog. Comments ranged from great to excellent. Good crunch, smoky fl avor, great texture and aroma. Not a traditional hot dog; it’s similar to bratwurst. | 9 |
| Wegmans White Bockwurst Style Hot Dogs, Skinless | 1-pound package, $3.39. | Thick, short, white links, a mixture of pork, beef and veal. | Tasters split on this one. Everyone preferred the crunch of the Wegmans Natural Casing version, but some also liked this skinless version. | 8 |
| Hofmann Hot Reds (also known as Hofmann's German Brand Franks) | $3.99 per pound, also available at hofmannsausage.com. | Long, thin, red links, a mixture of beef, pork and veal. "Syracuse" style. | The tasters liked this one although they didn’t love the texture, which was softer than the traditional all-beef frank. It had a real "ballpark" fl avor. A bit greasy, but good for kids. | 7 |
| Hofmann White Snappy | $3.99 per pound, also available at hofmannsausage.com. | Long, thin, white links, a mixture of pork and veal. | Another "Syracuse" dog. Similar to weisswurst, a tender veal sausage. Spicy with hints of mustard; defi nitely an adult taste. | 7 |
| Wegmans Red Hot Dogs, Natural Casing Frankfurts | 1-pound package, $3.49. | Thick, short, red links, a mixture of pork and beef. | Basic ballpark style dog would appeal to kids. Smells like a hot dog, looks like a hot dog; a safe choice. | 6 |
| Zweigle’s Natural Casing Pop Open White Hots (Cooked Sausage) | 1-pound package, $3.99, also available at newyorkstyledeli.com. | Thick, short, white links, a mixture of pork, beef and veal. | Tasters were split. Some thought this one was good and some thought it was bland and rubbery. | 6 |
| Zweigle’s Skinless White Hots (Cooked Sausage) | 1-pound package, $3.89, also available at newyorkstyledeli.com. | Thick, short white links, a mixture of pork, beef and veal. | Salty and tasted like ground sage. | 5 |
| Zweigle’s Natural Casing Pop Open Texas Hots Brand Frankfurts | 1-pound package, $3.99, also available at newyorkstyledeli.com. | Thick, short, red links, a mixture of pork and beef. | A bad version of a ballpark-style dog: greasy, rubbery with an undesirable flavor. | 2 |
GRAPHIC: The Washington Post
