Facts for Kids

A hot dog is a cooked sausage placed inside a soft, partially sliced roll called a bun. People heat the sausage by grilling, steaming, or boiling it so the outside gets warm and the inside stays juicy. The sausages are often called wieners or frankfurters, names that come from cities in Germany where similar sausages were made long ago.

Hot dogs grew into popular street food in the United States and became tied to places like baseball stadiums and summer fairs. They also inspired fun events and things like the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Processed meat like hot dogs is made with added salt and preservatives, so it needs careful handling. It’s safest to heat hot dogs until they are steaming hot—about 165°F (75°C)—to kill germs that can make people sick. Some preservatives, called nitrites or nitrates, can change into harmful chemicals over many years, and eating a hot dog every day raises the long-term risk of certain digestive cancers by about 20%.

Hot dogs can also be a choking hazard for young children. Cutting them into small pieces or slicing them lengthwise makes them safer. Babies, people who are pregnant, and those with weak immune systems should be extra careful and check with an adult or doctor about eating hot dogs.

A hot dog’s main part is the sausage. Traditional sausages usually use pork or beef and include small pieces of meat and some fat for flavor. Makers add spices such as salt, garlic, and paprika to give each kind its taste. Some hot dogs use chicken or turkey, and there are even vegetarian or plant-based versions for people who do not eat meat.

Sausages come in many forms. Besides the straight hot dog, you might find a corn dog (coated in batter and fried) or a “pigs in a blanket” version wrapped in pastry. Different regions make special styles, too.

At home, you can cook hot dogs a few ways: grill them for smoke flavor, boil or steam them for softness, or pan-fry and air-fry for a crisp outside. Some people cut a hot dog in a spiral before cooking so it browns more and holds toppings better. Usually you put the cooked sausage into a bun and add condiments like mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, or cheese.

Street vendors, ballparks, and convenience stores sell hot dogs hot and ready. Topping choices change by place—some areas like chili most, while others prefer ketchup or mustard. What toppings would you try?

People argue about whether a hot dog is a sandwich. Some dictionary makers say yes, because a sandwich is food between bread. But many hot dog fans and the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council say a hot dog is its own thing and not a sandwich.

Even judges and public figures have talked about this. A famous justice said it can depend on how you define “sandwich” and pointed out that a hot dog bun is a single roll not cut all the way through. So the answer depends on how you think about bread and fillings—what do you decide?

Corn dog is what many people call a battered sausage on a stick, and in New Zealand a “hot dog” often means this battered variety. If someone in New Zealand asks for an “American hot dog,” they usually mean a sausage in a bun like you see in North America. Around the world, hot dogs take many shapes, from simple sausages in a roll to fried or grilled versions with local toppings.

Canada has long-running hot dog places too: Skinner’s Restaurant in Lockport, Manitoba, opened in 1929 and is famous for long, natural-casing hot dogs. Which country’s hot dog would you like to try?

Hot dog names and toppings change a lot across the United States, and the names can sometimes be misleading. For example, a Chicago-style hot dog is piled with mustard, tomatoes, onions, sport peppers, relish, a dill pickle, and celery salt on a poppy-seed bun. A New York–style hot dog usually has sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard on an all-beef frank.

Other places have their own special twists. In New Jersey an Italian hot dog is served with sautéed peppers, onions, and fried potatoes. Philadelphia’s Texas Tommy adds melted cheese and bacon. In Washington, D.C., a half-smoke is a smoky sausage often topped with chili and onions. Baseball parks also sell famous versions like Dodger Dogs and Fenway Franks.