DAY 2: Hot Dog Challenge! 3 Days, 6 brands! What hot dog will reign supreme?

OK, so here we are on Thursday, and the Fuels Challenge Coin was flipped to determine what hot dogs would battle it out head to head. The coin toss revealed that the Sabrett would duke it out with the Nathan’s Famous. Both hot dogs were skinless beef franks. Both hot dogs were 170 calories each, and both hot dogs came 8 to a pack.

I fired up the grill once again, filled with Kingsford charcoal around 11AM, and headed to the base commissary to purchase some Freihofer’s buns. Again, we have to keep everything consistent, with the exception of the hot dogs themselves. Again, everyone was briefed to use the same toppings as yesterday, and again, used mustard, ketchup, onion, and relish.

By the time I came back from the commissary, the grill was plenty hot, and the hot dogs went on. Due to the ghetto fabulousness of our grill here in the office, the hot dogs were laid with the grate, opposed to against the grate so they would not roll off the front of the grill, or off the side of the grill and into the coals. Needless to say, the dogs went on, and cooked away. When I thought they were cooked to my liking, I pulled them off the grill, and brought them inside to our panel of judges. These were the same judges that we had yesterday.

Everyone prepared their hot dogs the same way as yesterday, and it was time to let the tasting begin. There was a wide array of comments today. Most of the judges agreed that the Nathan’s Famous were squishy and mushy when you bit into them. The texture wasn’t nearly as firm as the Sabrett, and the Sabrett had a bit of a snap to it.

From a taste standpoint however, we were split right down the middle to me. Holly, Cheryl, and Linda thought that the Nathan’s tasted better to them than the Sabrett. Upon first taste, Joe agreed with them as well, but later changed his mind to agree with Austyn and myself, that the Sabrett tasted better. For me, I liked the snap of the Sabrett, and it just had a cleaner, meatier taste. It tasted more like good beef to me than the Nathan’s Famous to me, and really picked up the grilled flavor. I don’t know quite how to describe it, but it just had a cleaner, purer taste to me, and in saying that, it sounds like it makes no sense whatsoever. Hopefully I can come up with the words to better describe what I mean.

So, all in all, a champion will be crowned tomorrow, and who knows for sure who it will be.  Currently, I have a favorite between yesterday's and today's winner in my head, but the majority is going to rule!  Which hot dog will reign supreme?  Well, we'll find out tomorrow!  Cheers!  -F. Scott