There are a few ways to figure out where you stand on the vegetarian hot dog spectrum: Do you prefer a simulacrum of a hot dog and its smoky, meaty flavor? Or are you looking for something totally original in its taste? Is the semblance of health important to you or do you prefer to feel like everyone feels after eating a hot dog (like you need to lie down)? How do you top your dog and does that factor into how you assess the flavor? And, likely most important of all, how does it perform on the grill — does it blister, does it burn, does it fall apart?
In mid-April of 2022, I gathered an esteemed group of friends — vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters, even one professional chef — to assess 10 brands and varieties of vegetarian hot dogs for these exact qualities. The hot dog taste test (incidentally, also the name of an amazing illustrated book by BoJack Horseman's Lisa Hanawalt) was judged on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Hot dog raters were then asked to provide tasting notes and a yes or no answer to whether they felt the vegetarian hot dog was similar enough to a real hot dog, in case that was something that mattered to them.
Then, two years later, I went back and took a look at the vegetarian hot dog landscape: What had changed? Were there new brands that I was unaware of? Did other people have different feelings about the vegetarian hot dog rankings? In two years, not a lot had changed — somewhat surprisingly, given all the recent attention paid to vegetarian diets. The same brands were still kicking, though there was also the notable recent addition of the Oscar Mayer NotHotDog, a vegan alternative with a satisfyingly snappy casing.
While not much has changed, it made sense to retest a few of the best with my friends' kids. Remarkably, their rankings, before getting a hold of Oscar Mayer's vegan version, aligned with those that we'd already established. The eight-year-old had a preference for Beyond Meat's more breakfast-style sausage, while the four-year-old was excited by the Lightlife and Field Roast dogs. Neither enjoyed the Tofurky dog's flavor or texture.
If you're looking to add vegetarian hot dogs to your cookout repertoire, here is some updated guidance on where to start. — Dayna Evans, freelance writer
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