Ball Park Franks' Brand Director's Most Interesting Hot Dog - Exclusive
The Ball Park brand is no stranger to shaking things up in the hot dog world. The brand's recent release of a summertime accessory — dubbed the Hot Dog Helmet and featuring two condiment reservoirs and its own pump system — is evidence of that.
Look at the brand's suggested hot dog recipes and you'll find even more ways to take your hot dog topping experience to the next level. Sure, the brand recommends relatively tame toppings like caramelized onions and guacamole, but then they really kick the creativity up a notch, with recipes for options like the breakfast dog (covered in bacon, fried potato hash, cheese, and an egg) and the chop salad dog, served in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun and topped with onions, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and balsamic dressing.
With ideas like these floating around the Ball Park headquarters, it's expected that Jennifer Dahlgren, brand director for Ball Park, has seen some pretty inventive hot dogs over the years. But what's her most interesting hot dog to date?
The most interesting hot dog in Ball Park's lineup
In a recent exclusive interview with Mashed, we asked Jennifer Dahlgren what have been some of the more unique or interesting hot dog options she's seen in her line of work, and she pointed to a product Ball Park introduced last year.
"It's a Ball Park fully-loaded nacho cheese frank," she said. "The idea there was to bring together two of America's favorite stadium flavors into one mouthwatering bite. It means you get a savory, indulgent frank that's made with real cheddar cheese and a unique seasoning blend that gives you ... [a] little bit of jalapeno, onion, garlic, paprika, and lime to bring that stadium flavor of nachos into your frank."
These flavorful franks were introduced in April 2021 after a survey, as a Ball Park release noted, found that hot dogs are the top favorite food at sports stadiums, followed by nachos and popcorn. The fully-loaded nacho cheese frank, made with chicken and pork, is available year-round wherever Ball Park franks are sold.