But he did mention that the practice started in the 1930s when a German butcher joined the ranks at W.A. вЂњI wish I could hang my hat on something a little higher than that, but it really was just a marketing technique that became synonymous with this region,вЂќ Smith said. When I asked Smith about the origin of the color, he brushed it off as simply вЂњa marketing tacticвЂќ from the company to stand out on the shelves of regional groceries like Hannaford and ShawвЂ™s. But as I got older and freely pumped my body with red dyes three through 40, I finally tried one and loved the taste, but I still needed to know why it was necessary to turn them such a violent shade of red. We were strictly a brown hot dog family and to be honest, the nearly neon color really turned me off. This question haunted me as I grew up in Maine. Bean and Sons is the last butcher left in the state making red snappers, so they were my only life line when I went looking for the answer to why the hot dogs were dyed red in the first place. The links are handmade and quite literally snap when you take a bite into them because theyвЂ™re sealed the old-fashioned way, using lamb casing thatвЂ™s naturally packed with collagen rather than the artificial casing that most modern purveyors use. Bean and Sons has been making red snappers for more than 150 years and the fifth-generation family company hasnвЂ™t changed up its methodology since. There are vibrant red hot dogs in other parts of the world, but MaineвЂ™s version was dubbed a red snapper because of its texture. After polling my born-and-raised Maine family about the tradition to little success, I set out to find out where the name came from, how this seemingly normal hot dog has become such a regional stronghold, and my own personal million dollar question: Why the hell did they ever start dying them red? I figured IвЂ™d start with the name because while the nomenclature of this particular cased meat rightfully confuses some, the origin is actually quite simple. вЂњItвЂ™s a real source of regional pride.вЂќД«ut it seems that Mainers, like myself, chomp down on the hot dogs at backyard barbecues and high school sporting events without really knowing much about the history of the dish. вЂњMainers stick up for that red hot dog, as you know,вЂќ Sean Smith, the director of sales and marketing at the red hot dog purveyor W.A. In fact, they do just that at a Maine Red Hot Dog Festival complete with hot dog stands, eating contests, and plenty of hot dog hat-wearing attendees every year. Red snappers are more common in Maine than the brown equivalent and locals will turn out in droves to defend and celebrate the stateвЂ™s iconic dish. But a little further north, the menu item is a fire engine red hot dog grilled to smoky perfection and nestled inside a New England-style bun split right down the center. The topper? Fish cakes, which adds surf to the turf, so to speak.And what's the deal with the name? If you see a red snapper listed on a menu, it probably elicits images of a gamey red fish swirling in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Onions and brown mustard join the party, too. JohnnyвЂ™s version is topped with pepper hash, a local condiment sort of like coleslaw thatвЂ™s made of finely chopped bell peppers and vinegar.

ItвЂ™s also a pretty rare specimen, with only a few remaining restaurants that still sell it, like JohnnyвЂ™s Hots. The Philly Combo (yes, from Philadelphia) is the only hot dog on this list that contains seafood of any kind. If youвЂ™re always on the go, the less mess the better. There arenвЂ™t a ton of bells and whistles, but that suits New Yorkers perfectly. The wieners themselves, usually Sabrett brand, are topped simply: a typical combination is brown mustard, sauerkraut, and onions cooked in a tomato-based sauce (lucky for you, we have a recipe for those onions). A hot dog in New York is just as much about the experience of lining up to order from an iconic street vendor as it is about the dog itself.

Red snapper hot dogs