Nathan's Famous Beef Frank Natural Casing

Back in my High School days, my original hot dog of choice was the Nathan's Skinless variety. I eventually fell out of love with them and developed a holier-than-thou attitude toward the Nathan's brand.

Fastforward to last November: I saw these in the hot dogs section at Stop & Shop and had never before laid eyes on this product. I had tried the skinny long ones, the chubby short ones, and even the chubby long ones; but these were new to me. I had to pick them up. They then stayed in my freezer for about 5 months. Sell by date: 12/31/2011.

Appearance: Dark-red-meaty and tight Wieners. There was meat bursting (that may be an exaggeration) out of one side of the link. Lopsided grill char (my grill was misbehaving).

Smell: Meat. Grill. MMM.

Taste: These wieners seem to have a bit of spice to them. Though, I did sprinkle them with black pepper, stripe with Gulden's Spicy Brown, and blob with Uncle Maynard's Hot Pepper Relish.

Texture: These wieners are firm and beefy, just as I recall the skinless version to be with the added bonus of a natural casing. The casing wasn't rubbery even in the places where the grill didn't char. Moist enough even after being frozen for months.

Overall: These wieners work. There is nothing wrong with them. NOTHING EXCITING THOUGH. I may buy them again for a cookout or something like that. A versatile wiener that can not fail.

Nathan's Natural Casing gets a 4/5!

Pineland Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dogs

I bought these natural Hot Dogs at Whole Foods about a week ago, ate three, put them in the fridge, and revisited them tonight. I swear they were still fine and match up to my memories of my previous eating experience. I cooked these in a frying pan since it was raining. I put these wieners in rolls with a little bit of black pepper for fun and Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard. Now for the review part.

Appearance: These are natural casing style Hot Dogs. Dark red in color with some nice browning from cooking. The dark pink meat inside is chunky but homogeneous, with most moisture residing in between chunks.

Smell: They smell like hot dogs. I don't have the most refined olfactory system. I couldn't get anyone to sniff my wiener for me.

Taste: Nothing too wild. Tastes like beef. Not totally bland but nothing distinct to take notice of.

Texture: Biting into these hot dogs is like a rubber band snap. A little on the chewy side but not gross.

Overall: These dogs were pretty good. Nothing special, but better than numerous alternatives. I wouldn't necessarily buy these again unless I had a hankering for a natural wiener and Applegate Farms were out of stock.

I give Pineland Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dogs a 3/5 rating!