You Probably Don't Want To Know What A Naked Corn Dog Looks Like

Ah, the corn dog: the lovechild of America's fascination with processed meats, deep-fried things, and foods on a stick. You can find it anywhere from the local county fair to the food courts at Disneyland. It's basically a hot dog on a stick that's been dipped in corn meal batter and fried to a golden brown, but it's sweet, it's savory, and it does a darn good job at being delicious.

The origins of the corn dog are actually a bit fuzzy. Bar-S Foods tells us that the corn dog's roots can be traced back to Buffalo, New York in 1927, Oregon or Oklahoma in 1941, the Texas State Fair in 1942, or Illinois in 1946. Most of the stories, while differing in time and location, share the same common factor: someone saw or invented a hot dog that was dipped in cornbread batter, be it owners of a roadside hot dog stand or vaudeville performers. Although the history of this state fair treat isn't exactly clear, it is known that corn dogs have become a beloved American classic. Their popularity is so far-reaching that Korea even has its own take on this batter-fried hot dog known as "Korean Corn Dogs" (via TasteAtlas). 

But what exactly does a naked corn dog, or one that has the outer layer of cornbread taken off, look like? Is it one of those things that humankind was never meant to see?

"What's so wrong with a naked corn dog?" you may ask yourself. "Wouldn't it look like a normal hot dog?" 

In all respects, it would still taste like a hot dog, sure. But, as this picture points out (via Twitter), the naked corn dog resembles a cross between the wrinkled fingers of an elderly gentleman's soaking wet hands and the visceral elasticity of moist ground beef as it churns through an extruder. While you may have other comparisons more colorful than that, there's no denying that some viewed the naked corn dog with a sense of primal disgust.

"That hotdog look like it was exhumed," wrote one user. "This is like having a dark government secret leaked to you good lord," said another. "WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE CHEWED GUM?" was the vivid description of yet another.

Is this what it looks like when a hot dog is deep-fried? The Hot Dog gives a recipe for deep-frying hot dogs and describes them as being a caramelized, brown sausage with an apparently more complex flavor profile — not a wrinkled, elongated string of beef. Perhaps the cornmeal batter prevents the hot dog from frying and the moisture is kept inside thanks to the outer layer of batter. The moisture would presumably boil the hot dog, leaving it resembling the ragged sausage you see in the picture. Whatever causes it, perhaps it's best to keep your corn dog dressed.