Maine’s Most Popular Hot Dog Should Come as No Surprise

According to Delish, Google Trends released the most popular hot dogs state by state. I was surprised to see that there were a few that I had never heard of, such as the white hot dog, which looks more like bratwurst to me. The Brazilian Hot Dog and the Senoran Hot Dog were a couple of others that I hadn't heard of. What didn't surprise me was Maine's most popular hot dog.

In the heart of New England, where lobsters reign supreme and pine trees stand tall, there's a little culinary quirk that leaves tourists and visitors scratching their heads and us locals grinning from ear to ear. We're talking about the legendary red hot dog of Maine, which we like to refer to as the “red snapper”.

According to a 2019 story conducted by legendary News Center Maine reporter Bill Green, Red Snappers, made famous here in Maine, were removed from the market when the manufacturer, Fred Rice, sold his business to Tyson Foods. The company then discontinued making these beloved hot dogs that Mainers could not live without.

Rice apparently reached out to Tyson to ask if something could be done. They got back to him fairly quickly with permission to continue the production of the red snapper.

What exactly makes the hot dog red? Well, that’s just a simple dye solution. Now how about the snap? According to the interview, the casing is all-natural and made from sheep intestine. Sounds yummy, right? I’m sure you could have gone on with your life without knowing that fun fact.

'Tis the season. Fire up some red snappers on the grill with a little extra char (well, that's how I like them).