Ketchup + Hot Dog = FAILURE?
 

I recently watched a Food Network program, I think it was "The Secret Life of..." and they happened to be featuring hot dogs. So far, so good.

The host went to some hot dog place in Chicago or New York or something, and at the end he went around asking people what condiments they liked to put on it. Everyone there answered "mustard," and again, so far so good. The host, though, was like "I like some ketchup on my hotdog" and the atmosphere suddenly changed. The employees and proprietors seemed to think putting ketchup on a hotdog was either very childish or completely tasteless, and they wouldn't even put any on the host's hot dog.

Now, this is troubling as I thought ketchup on hot dogs was NORMAL. Sure, mustard is great too or mayonnaise if you like that sort of thing, but I'll always go for ketchup if it's there.

Is ketchup on hot dogs a Bad Thing and I'm simply just out of the loop? Or did the host just happen to go to a really uptight place? What condiments do you typically prefer on your hot dog?

Chicago (as I understand it), is notorious for not putting ketchup on their hot dogs. It's like a regional faux pas or something.

Ketchup on hot dogs are awesome, I have no idea what they're smoking. I drown my hot dogs with sweet relish and ketchup.

It's a food network program, I'm sure they think weiners are childish and a true hotdog for them is tofu with mustard and caviar or something stupid like that.

Well french people don't like ketchup and everyone who thinks they know what tastes good think they're french.

I personally put Mexico's favorite condiment Tapatio on hot dogs. In fact I put that and Warshashire (sp) sauce on everything I eat.

Food Network is hardly in possession of what I'd call a snooty taste.

I think you need to read through my little anecdote again, maybe.

I'm just overexagerating, I just find that those food TV shows always like to make everything I don't like. They always take things I like and destroy it by mixing them, and adding odd things. TV network have completly oposite tastes in food so since I like ketchup on my hotdogs food shows automatically have to disagree.

I don't see why they don't think hotdogs are childish as a whole though, stupid ketchup hating chefs...

I didn't mean to give the impression that Food Network thought hotdogs were childish, I meant those guys who worked at the restaurant thought that putting ketchup on them was. Like, something a kid might do. Or, as kat said, I suppose it might just be some huge regional preference.

And in case it wasn't clear, the guy wasn't in some fancy pants restaurant, it was just a big local hot dog place. Casual stuff (BUT NO KETCHUP).

oh, I thought you were talking about one of those fancy type things with chefs wearing poofy white hats. It could have been just that one resteraunt was full of kechup hating cooks. Maybe if the host person just went down the street to another location he could get ketchup with it. I've run across a few cooks that won't allow you to "ruin" their food with something they don't like ex: fish and chips - VINEGAR NOT ALLOWED

Okay, now that one's just silly.

Malt Vinegar and Fish and Chips were MADE for each other. :(

I put ketchup on my hot dogs, but only if I don't have chili and cheese available. Chili Cheese Dogs = WIN!

But yeah, I think it's pretty stupid to try and say that ketchup is not a good thing to put on hot dogs. I'd put ketchup on my hot dog over mustard any day, and, in fact, I would never put just mustard by itself on a hotdog (I'd have to mix it with ketchup or something, because plain mustard by itself is just to tart for me).

We all know that mustard was actually developed by terrorists and that real americans put ketchup on their hot dogs.

Chiming in to confirm that chili cheese dogs are, in fact, far superior to ones with only ketchup. The Original Hotdog Shop here in Oakland makes them the best, too.

I despise ketchup in general; I actually prefer to dip my french fries in mustard.

I especially hate when a burger has both tomato and ketcup. Tomato-flavor overload, blegh.

That's interesting. I always put ketchup and sweet relish on my hotdogs since that's what my family has always used. I’m not too fond of mustard in general.

I don't use ketchup with fries though.

I am a big hotdog fan. I usually put relish, onions, tomatoes, mustard and ketchup on my dogs. They end up looking crazy.

As always, Wikipedia has the answer

I prefer my hotdogs without ketchup. I don't MIND ketchup, but mustard is clearly superior. Some onions on top just make it that much better. Rockgamer got it right with Chili Cheese Dogs though.

Mustard is just weird. I can't put mustard on anything, seriously. Hot dogs won't be my choice food, but I would put ketchup on it first. Mustard is probably an aquired taste.

I fricken love mustard, and almost don't like ketchup but I still put a small bit on my hotdog as long as I smother it in mustard

Ketchup is too sweet for me, and I never eat it. I don't like mustard, either, though, and I usually eat my hot dogs with nothing on them.

I eat my hotdogs in two ways, depending on mood:

either with ketchup, sweet relish, chili and cheese

OR

nothing at all.

- WraithTwo -

Bleh, I was raised around Chicago and I was taught to eat them with ketchup.
I prefer relish, onions, and mustard. Fuck everything else. Ketchup only if fries are there.
One time I put peanut butter on one. :(

I've never put peanut butter on a cooked hot dog, but I have made peanut butter sandwiches with two uncooked hot dogs sliced in half between them. I just had one a couple of days ago, in fact. That shit is delicious!

I love ketchup on my hot dogs, along with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce...lol.

but yeah, the food network rocks. kudos to them for showing iron chef

Ketchup pretty much ruins anything in comes in contact with. A ketchup-free hot dog is a happy hot dog.

Yuck. I hate mustard. I like ketchup on my hot dogs. It's a common thing, for pete's sake, like eggs and ham. I'm surprised that people might think it's a bad thing to put ketchup on hot dogs.

Maybe it's a region thing.

Words to live by.

I only eat ketchup on hot dogs :ashamed: *is bricked* . But seriously....ever since I was little that's all I ate on them. As I grew older, I kind of aquired a taste for mustard, but I only put that on if I'm eating something like a braughtwurst. Normal hot dogs I just put ketchup on...that simple...

Ketchup on hot dogs, ketchup on eggs, just don't bake it onto my meatloaf. Disgusting.

I don't find kethup on hot dogs all that interesting.

However, I absolutely enjoy hot dogs with chili and cheese.

If the hot dog has been grilled, then I will always use ketchup and mustard on it. If it was just cooked on the stove, I'll eat it with chili and cheese.

Oh, and doodle, ketchup on scrambled eggs is the only way to go.

Chili cheese dogs are great, but you people are forgetting some things.

A footlong with some honest to god spicy fucking chili, some creamy cheese sauce, some keychup, a healthy amount of bacon bits, and either some french fries or potato chips for crunchyness.

It's seirously amazing.

Also Alice :( :(:(:(:(:(:( at the whole ketchup hate thing.

Personally, I hate ketchup, but i'll live with it on Hot Dogs and burgers, because without it, it's boring as hell. I'm a boring person... I only have hot dogs with ketchup, and like everyone else, if they have chili and cheese, put that on there.

I never acquired that taste for mustard. I only like Honey Mustard, but that's about it.

on eggs?!?! :aargh: I love eggs too much to do that to them

But they taste so good with ketchup.

I'll eat ketchup on just about anything. I really like tomatoes, marinara sauce, and even tomato juice on occasion; so ketchup is right there with 'em. I've had several Chicago-style hot dogs though, and they are great, so I trust the cooks' judgement on not messing with the formula. But do-it-yourself dogs are fair game for ketchup. Anyway, while we're talking Chicago beef, Maxwell Street Polish w/ cheese is even better.

Wow thats crazy......so do I! I love hotdogs w/ tomatoes and onions and ketchup and mayo and mustard lol, tastes good.

I don't really enjoy eating hot dogs, but I don't mind eating them either. When possible, I smother the hot dog in ketchup to hide a bit of the hot dog's original flavor, regardless of how sweet or sour the thing gets. Otherwise, I'll probably only eat half of the hot dog before I get sick of it. Actually, I probably should try something other than ketchup for a change.

Mustard. I can eat a hot dog with nothing but mustard on it. No mustard, no go.

Given the options I'll put onions or bannana peppers on it. Maybe relish, but only a little bit. Ketchup is a sin to hot dogs.

The only thing better on a hot dog than ketchup is hot sauce. And the hotter the hot sauce, the better!

Never thought I'd agree with LeHah on anything. I absolutely love spicy food. Especially buffalo sauce. Sweet mother of God, buffalo sauce is like the magic elixir of sauce.

As for hot dogs though, I only eat them with ketchup. I never understood the big fuss over mustard. I just never liked the taste of it, I guess. Honey mustard is the shit though.

You still don't - my opinion is too educated for someone such as yourself.

Sweet Relish, Diced Chillies, Tomato Sauce, Cheese and Bacon. The perfect hot dog.

Ketchup on hot dogs is disgusting to me and makes me throw up. It's like putting mustard on a cheese steak.

As far as I know, putting ketchup on a hot dog is perfectly normal. The same goes for burgers. Ketchup is great. You can't go wrong with chili and cheese either.

My opinion on mustard is the same as that of a few others here. Regular mustard I could do without, but honey mustard is good stuff.

A true Chicago Style hot dog does not have ketchup on it. It does have a Vienna Beef hot dog, a poppy seed bun, mustard, chopped onion, relish, a pickle spear, tomato slices, cucumber slices, jalapeno peppers, and seasoning salt. Some hot dog places in Chicago will forbid you from putting ketchup on a Chicago Style hot dog, as it breaks tradition.

If you are ever in Chicago, you have to hit up The Wieners Circle.
"What the fuck you want?"
"A motha-fuckin hot dog and sum goddamn fries."
"You want a fuckin drink with that shit?"
"Fuck yeah."
"Here you go mutha-fucka. Now eat this shit and go fuck yourself."
"Fuck you too."
This really isn't an exaggeration. The place opens at midnight, and closes after all the drunks, hoes, gangbangers, and gutterpunks get served (usually right after sunrise).

The "no ketchup" thing is a bit of chicago snobbery. Even as far down as central and southern illinois, if a hot-dog joint is trying to be "chicago", they wont even stock ketchup in the store.

I think its retarded, put what you want on a hot dog, dont pass judgement on me because I like mine to be tasty.

There is certainly a difference between a Chicago-style dog and "I wish I were an Oscar-Mayer weiner."

If you're the unlucky sap who finds himself nuking a beef frank and putting it on some Wonderbread bun, then sure, go for the ketchup. God knows it's going to need everything it can get.

But yeah, ketchup on a Chicago dog is totally unnecessary -- like dipping filet mignon in Cookie's barbecue sauce.

Ketchup, if anything, is the only condiment I put on a hot dog. I don't like mustard. I've never tried mayo. My love for that condiment may force me to try that some day...

LALALALALALALALLAALALALLA
 

Here we have 3 hot dogs. As you can see, the left is mustard only, the right is ketchup only, and the middle is bases loaded - with mayonaise. At the moment I didn't have any relish on hand, so this will have to do.

Mustard only - a bit sharp for my tastes. Mustard only goes better with the bratwurst sausages, in my opinion. Perfectly safe for human consuption, me thinks.

Ketchup only - quite the opposite than the MO, the ketchup doesn't fight with any of the flavors, it adds to it, like a good condiment should.

Bases loaded - with the ketchup and mustard working hand in hand, this was probably the most satisfying of the three. Dispite putting quite a bit of mayo on it, it didn't seem to distract from the taste, so it was good.

You might be wondering why there's no ketchup and mustard only. Quite the simple fact that I don't feel like eating 4 hotdogs. Perhaps another time I'll enjoy a K&M hotdog.

The reason they gave the person a weird look for ketchup is because ketchup is the best way to ruin a hot dog. Ketchup is tomato paste with sugar in it... if you want a tomato flavor, put some dang tomatoes on the hot dog, not sweetened ketchup nonsense.

I almost NEVER put mustard on my hotdog. Ketchup is the ONLY way to eat a hotdog. I sometimes also add cheese and chips to my hotdog for the extra flavour and crunch. :D

Ketchup is the only thing I will have on my hotdog, and a hotdog is the only thing I will have Ketchup on. Most of the time I will use BBQ sauce.

My brother loves Ketchup, it is almost a food group with him. When he has any kind of meat, fries or mac n'cheese, he drowns is with Ketchup, he even puts it on pancakes... eww!

I like either ketchup or mustard on my hotdogs. I also have a thing for corn relish on my hotdogs. It's something different, but tastes really good.

I’d go for a hot dog with tomato sauce and mustard with relish or guacamole.

Seeing NovaX’s post I’m recalling the ketchup/sauce argument that I had with OO back in the old days…

There is this small "gormet" hot dog chain in my area called Super Duper Weenie. I've heard about them for years but never went to one until they opened a store down the road from me.

I ordered a dog and a drink and balked when he asked for $7.50. That alone was enough that I'd never come back again. So I went to the condiment section and found... no ketchup.

"I hope you're not looking for ketchup" says the cashieer, who was probably not even thirty and still couldn't grow a five o'clock shadow.

"Actually, I was"

"We dont serve ketchup on hot dogs here. Thats just wrong. Why would you even do that? It's disgusting"

"Excuse me, you fucking asshole? If this is the way you treat your customers, it's no wonder why theres no one else in here. Fuck you."

And I spit on the hot dog and left it in front of him and left. They closed about four months later due to "lack of business".

He did have a good point, though.

Ketchup AND mustard for me. Never much cared for relish, but I do loves me some ketchup and mustard on my dog.

I don't see how it's ever an establishment's interest to deny, let alone denounce, their client's tastes.

Then again - look at all other styles of Chicago food. They fucked up pizza and you can't even find good Chinese in that town.