It's a very serious question.
While both condiments are offered at nearly every hot dog establishment, putting ketchup on hot dogs has a major stigma attached to it. It's an offense likened to putting ice cubes in your wine or eating pizza with a fork. But is it really that bad?
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (established in 1994 by the American Meat Institute), if you're over 18, you should never do it. Former President Barack Obama agrees and takes it one step further. "It's not acceptable past the age of 8," he tells Anthony Bourdain.
Any pro-ketchup opposition is met with harsh criticism, especially on the Internet. In 2017, Heinz tried to rebrand ketchup as "Chicago Dog Sauce" and the Twittersphere struck back with graphic gifs, calling the idea a crime. Hebrew National even issued Heinz a "Violation of City Hot Dog Ordinance." And when Kevin Pang, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune tried to argue that it's okay to put ketchup on a hot dog, people suspected he was paid by Heinz (he wasn't) and called him a "moron."
Let it be known that Delish is a judgement-free zone — a place where you can not only squirt ketchup on your frank, but you can top it with mac and cheese, wrap it in a quesadilla, or eat it out of a pickle. So you tell us. What makes the perfect dog?
Follow Delish on Instagram.
