After Burger King announced its newest menu addition – hot dogs – which debuted on Feb. 22, two Crow’s Nest Arts & Life reporters, Devin Rodriguez and Ryan Callihan decided to do some shoe-leather reporting and went out into the field to find out if the King’s dogs would deliver
Just like an episode out of the “Twilight Zone,” you can now order a hot dog at Burger King.
“They mostly sell during the dinner shift, between 4 and 8 p.m.,” said Carla Coman, a Burger King employee. “They’ve been selling well.”
On Feb. 22, two kinds of grilled hot dogs were added to the menu – complete with real grill marks.
The “Classic Grilled Dog” comes loaded with ketchup, mustard and sweet relish, while the “Chili Cheese Grilled Dog” is covered in chili and topped with shredded American cheese.
Do the King’s new hot dog specialities match the quality of the chain’s famous burgers?
Two Crow’s Nest staff members were determined to find out.
Devin Rodriguez, 25-year-old hot dog connoisseur, taste tested the “Classic Grilled Dog”
It comes in it’s own paper bag, handed horizontally on a tray … almost precious.
The hot dog is surrounded by ketchup and mustard atop a layer of sweet relish and chunks of onions – and when I say chunks, I mean chunks.
It was incredible. And awful.
The bread was powdery and frail like the end bun inside a mass-produced Costco-sized bag of hot dog buns.
I feel like I need to be clear here, sweet relish would not have been my first choice. And if I were to order another dog from the King, I would ask him to cut out the onions.
But, for the sake of science, I finished the hot dog.
To answer the most important question: The grill marks are real.
The hot dog wasn’t incredibly impressive, nor was it unimpressive. It seems the triviality of a 100 percent all-beef hot dog at a burger joint will be its most spectacular feature.
That being said, at $1.99 you might be feeling it.
Ryan Callihan, 20-year-old professional junk food consumer, goes for the “Chili Cheese Grilled Dog”
The presentation definitely wasn’t anything to write home about. It’s a fast food place, not a Japanese steakhouse.
My chili cheese dog looked hastily made – in fact, I’m quite sure it was hastily made.
The chili spanned most of the hot dog, and I found it to be a generous amount. It was more than I had expected, honestly. The cheese was sprinkled on top, but wasn’t quite melted.
Anxious to see what all the fuss was about, I picked it up and took my first bite of the latest BK creation.
I was impressed, actually.
Well, I was impressed by the fact that I wasn’t unimpressed.
I paid for a chili cheese hot dog and that’s exactly what I got. It wasn’t the best chili dog I’ve ever eaten, but it was far from the worst. If that really says anything.
Did I believe that the king of burgers had it in him to make a good hot dog? Not really.
Would I eat another? Almost certainly.
Conclusion
If you absolutely have to have a grilled hot dog right this second, you could do a lot worse than Burger King’s.
While announced with much fanfare, it turns out that a hot dog from a burger joint is still, for better or for worse, just a hot dog.
Whether or not a “just fine” hot dog is something you’d be interested in is totally up to you, but it’s a welcome addition to BK’s already extensive menu.
One question is stuck in our heads, though: Why did this take so long?
Your move, Ronald.
