Americans' Hot Dog Preferences: Made With Beef, In a Natural Casing and Enjoyed With Betty White

As we celebrate our nation's independence, many Americans will gather around the grill to enjoy an all-American hot dog, and that makes it the perfect time to celebrate National Hot Dog Month. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimates that Americans will eat 150 million hot dogs on July 4th alone and while they enjoy many different kinds of hot dogs, research commissioned by the NHDSC and conducted online by Harris Poll provides new insight into what kinds of hot dogs are preferred.

A majority of Americans say beef hot dogs are their favorite, with 61 percent choosing beef as their preferred meat in hot dogs pork ranked second (12 percent) and turkey third (7 percent). Americans seem to like their hot dogs with some snap as 38 percent who eat hot dogs said they prefer a natural casing on a hot dog while 25 percent enjoy their hot dogs skinless and 25 percent have no preference.

A hot dog is best enjoyed among friends and the research found that Betty White (31 percent) is the famous person (past or present) with whom Americans who eat hot dogs would most like to share a hot dog. The 95-year-old White has said she regularly enjoys hot dogs for lunch on the set of her TV shows. Hot dog magnate Oscar Mayer and baseball legend Babe Ruth tied as the next most popular choices at 14 percent each.

"At a time when so many issues divide us, hot dogs stand as a food that unites," said NHDSC President Eric Mittenthal. "Whether people enjoy them with beef or pork, natural casing or skinless, hot dogs are a food that is truly beloved."

Send a Joke, Win Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are also a food that inspires plenty of smiles and humor, and in that spirit the NHDSC is seeking the best (tasteful) hot dog jokes. Hot dog fans can send their best joke, limerick or pun to contest@hot-dog.org for a chance to win a $250 gift card for hot dogs and other great prizes. Second prize is a $100 gift card for hot dogs and third prize is a $50 gift card for hot dogs. Entries are due by Wednesday, July 12 and NHDSC Facebook fans will choose the winner which will be announced on National Hot Dog Day, July 19. Full contest details are available here.

The NHDSC will celebrate with regular Hot Dog Month updates on its Facebook page and on Instagram. More hot dog facts, figures, folklore and more is available at http://www.hot-dog.org.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of National Hot Dog and Sausage Council from May 19-23, 2017 among 2,048 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,801 eat hot dogs. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Eric Mittenthal.