Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Might Not Be As Premium As You Thought

It's often said that people don't want to know how the sausage is made. But Oscar Mayer, the popular hot dog brand, has been in the wiener-making business since the 1800s, so maybe it's time people started to ask what goes into those classic dogs.

The average hot dog is made from meat trimmings, usually beef or pork. Those trimmings are ground up with spices and curing ingredients and the mixture is then fed or stuffed into a synthetic or natural casing. Oscar Mayer hot dogs follow a similar recipe, though they also contain chicken trimmings and a few other added ingredients. When compared to some other hot dog brands, Oscar Mayer offerings are actually light on natural seasonings and contain ultra-processed additives, suggesting that the dogs are perhaps not as premium as sometimes thought. So, let's see what's in these dogs — and find out if they really deserve their own Wienermobile.

Oscar Mayer hot dogs are made from a mix of ground chicken, turkey, and pork bits. The classic dogs also contain water, corn syrup, and some salt — but it's the other chemicals on the list that premium hot dog seekers may want to take note of.

Classic Oscar Mayer hot dogs also contain sodium phosphate and sodium nitrite. Some of these additives are commonly found in other grocery store hot dogs like Ball Park Franks. For example, both brands use sodium diacetate, which acts as a preservative and flavor enhancer.

However, Oscar Mayer wieners contain no real spices or natural ingredients. In contrast, Ball Park uses celery juice powder for natural flavoring and spices like paprika to season its dogs. Ball Park also just uses one type of meat in its franks.

Oscar Mayer may be the original wiener-makers but there's now plenty of competition to show that the classic dogs are not a true premium option. On the bright side, Oscar Mayer's offerings expand well beyond classic hot dogs. Everything from plant-based to stuffed dogs to beloved bologna falls under the Oscar Mayer brand umbrella. So, a less-than-premium hot dog isn't all that bad.