How To Make A Hot Dog Like Martha Stewart

When it comes to the age-old cookout question — hamburger or hot dog — Marta Stewart is on team wiener. The domestic diva said in an Instagram post that she "definitely" prefers hot dogs in a choice between the two summertime barbecue mainstays. Toppings make the frank, and Stewart of course has favorites she likes to put on hers. Calling them "the works," she named bacon, mustard, ketchup, relish, and sauerkraut, all crowning a hot dog on a toasted bun.

Stewart took some heat in the comments for including ketchup, which one person called "diabolical," and also got side eye for the bacon. Someone from Chicago, where even the order of the ingredients on a Chicago-style hot dog matters, said the ketchup would get her thrown out of town there. However, Martha doesn't back the all-American condiment on hot dogs across the board. In an earlier Instagram post specifically about Chicago hot dogs, she said there's "only one steadfast rule — no ketchup." Stewart will still mix up her hot dog toppings, even if "the works" is her go-to. She also used bacon, Dijon mustard, relish, and sauerkraut in a 2021 Today show appearance, but left out the ketchup, and added pickles.

Martha Stewart has spoken over the years about places that make some of her favorite hot dogs. She'll stop at Manhattan hot dog institution Papaya King for franks with sauerkraut and mustard when she hasn't eaten for hours on a on busy day. Rutt's Hut in Clifton, New Jersey, is near Stewart's native Nutley and she grew up eating their hot dogs, which she calls the best in the state. Its franks are called Rippers, because they're deep fried in a way that makes the casing split. Stewart likes them topped with sauerkraut, homemade onion relish, mustard, and ketchup.

Rawley's Drive-In in Fairfield, Connecticut, displays a sign that says, "A Martha Stewart Favorite," and has a quote of hers on its website about being a regular when she lived in nearby Westport. Its hot dogs are also deep fried, which creates perfect crispy skin, followed by a quick stop on the grill. "The Works" has the same ingredients as Martha's minus the ketchup, and could have been where she got her inspiration. 

Iconic hot dog emporium Pink's in Los Angeles, the U.S. city that eats the most franks, has a Martha Stewart Dog on the menu. The first time Stewart went to Pink's, she ordered the Guadalajara Dog and added sauerkraut to it, which is the topping combination that was named after her. It's a nine-inch stretch dog topped with relish, onions, three strips of bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, and sour cream.