Hot Dog Fever Sweeps the Nation, Local Grocers Stock Up for Holiday Weekend

What will stretch from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles more than five times this Fourth of July? 

If you guessed the number of hot dogs Americans will consume over the holiday weekend, you would be correct. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates about 150 million hot dogs will be grilled and devoured by the time the last sparkler has fizzled out Monday.

To be ready for this annual demand, grocers in the area have been stocking up.

Greg Fowler, a meat clerk at  at Maple and Coolidge, said while there is always a steady market for dogs, summer months definitely show higher sales. He said Oscar Mayer brands are best-sellers in his store, but he noted that Troy shoppers prefer the bun-size variety over any other dog on the floor. 

“When we have a sale on a particular brand, that’s the one we’ll sell the most of at that time,” Fowler added.

on Maple Road has a full supply of organic, uncured chicken, turkey and beef hot dogs marketed by Applegate Farms. The market said it goes through about four cases of the hot dogs each week during normal months, but summer holidays and weekends show a marked rise in sales.

on Maple Road has a variety of fanciful frankfurters, including those from specialty hometown maker Dearborn Sausage Co. and nationwide favorites such as New York’s Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters and Chicago’s Vienna Beef wieners. Of course, the store also carries traditional franks by Ball Park, which come in beef, turkey, low-fat and bun-size varieties.

Koegel Meats in Flint answers the demand of hungry Michiganders by increasing production by about 30 percent to 40 percent every summer. That’s over and above its staggering output of 13 million pounds of frankfurters and other lunch meats every year.

Topping It Off

Deciding what type of hot dog to eat doesn’t seem to be nearly as hotly contested as what to put on a dog.

Dirty Harry fans will recognize fictional Harry Callahan’s stance on the proper topping for this portable meal with his stern admonition: “Nobody, I mean NOBODY, puts ketchup on a hot dog."

Yet walk into most any backyard barbecue, and you are likely to find not only ketchup, but also the requisite mustard and relish. 

Renee Freeman, 53, of Troy said she enjoys crowning her dog with baked beans or even leftovers.

“Last time we had sloppy joes, both my husband and I put that on our hot dogs, and it was delicious,” Freeman said.

Troy High School student Grace LaBelle, 14, said she prefers her frankfurter with a simple smear of mustard and ketchup most of the time.

“I like chili dogs, too,” she said.

Devoted coney fans often order takeout chili so they can serve their own coney dogs at home. For coney cravers too far from Michigan for a classic coney, National Coney Island offers coney kits through its website.

Missing a taste of home, brothers and Windy City natives Scott and Gary Lukas brought Chicago-style hot dogs to Troy 24 years ago when they opened on Rochester Road.   

Their menu fare has been so popular with Troy diners and catering customers that they expanded into a new location in Clinton Township that can seat up to 90 diners.

Scott Lukas said the “Hippo Dog," which comes spilling over with mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle, sport peppers and seasoning, is the restaurant's most popular item.

Counting It Up

Ranging from 21 grams of fat in a foot-long to a mere 3.5 grams in an organic chicken wiener, diners can expect to find an average sodium count of about 500 milligrams per link, no matter what style. But calories, salt and fat don’t stop Americans from partaking, with the nation's hot dog eaters accounting for about $1.6 billion in sales each year.

Indeed, competitors in Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City take eating this protein-packed treat to a new level each Fourth of July. 

The world record holder is Joey Chestnut of San Jose, CA, who downed 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This year's contest will be televised at 11:30 a.m. Monday on ESPN3.com.

Closer to home, area residents can compete in the South Lyon Area hot dog-eating contest during Pumpkinfest in October or visit the Corner Bar in Rockford any time of year to try to gain entry into the Hot Dog Hall of Fame by consuming vast numbers of chili dogs.