Irene Jiang / Business Insider
I compared hot dogs from Dairy Queen, Checkers, Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Costco.
- The Fourth of July is coming, meaning it's hot dog season.
- I ate hot dogs from Dairy Queen, Checkers, Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Costco to see how they'd compare.
- On a 1-5 scale, I judged them based on three criteria: sausage quality, bun quality, and overall flavor.
- Costco's behemoth brat beat its competition by far, and was also the cheapest.
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Not everyone agrees on the best way to eat a hot dog.
As an acolyte of the Chicago school, I like mine dressed in a skimpy squirt of yellow mustard. Others will slather their wieners with ketchup.
Still, the basics tenets of a good hot dog remain universal: a juicy, flavorful sausage and a soft bun that's a fluffy yet sturdy second fiddle to the meat.
In anticipation of America's favorite summer party day, the Fourth of July, I decided to eat a bunch of hot dogs and tell you all about it.
Read more: I ate soft serve from 7 major fast-food chains, and the winner surprised me.
I went to Dairy Queen, Shake Shack, Five Guys, Checkers, and Costco to see who made the best dog and the worst wurst. While Costco isn't typically what eaters think of for a fast food meal, its food court does not require a membership to eat at and the chain is one of the US' largest slinger of hot dogs.
At each joint, I ordered a basic hot dog and dressed it with mustard a la Chicago rules. I judged the hot dogs on a scale of 1-5 based on sausage, bun, and overall taste.