The Cheese-Stuffed Hot Dog We Ranked The Worst Comes From A Beloved Brand

Oscar Mayer Cheese Stuffed Hot Dogs didn't just fall short. They landed at the very bottom of Daily Meal's ranking of eight cheese-stuffed hot dogs. Our taste tester called these franks "truly disgusting," with an off-putting smell and a bizarre, artificial seafood-like flavor that overwhelmed even the low-quality cheese inside. Rather than the familiar bologna-style taste of mixed-meat hot dogs, these combined pork, turkey, and chicken into something far less appetizing.

This wasn't just about bad flavor either. Each hot dog in the ranking was judged by both nutritional content (specifically fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium) and overall taste. While other brands manage to balance cheesy indulgence with a decent taste, Oscar Mayer's version was singled out as a misstep from the first bite. The reviewer said the experience was so unpleasant that finishing even one hot dog felt like a challenge — and not the fun kind. So if you want America's best hot dog, this isn't the one to grab. Even a classic brand name can't save a dog this bad.

Oscar Mayer Cheese Stuffed Hot Dogs weren't always a punchline. Scroll through Reddit and you'll find a surprising number of people who remember them fondly — or at least thought they did. One commenter says they "loved these as a kid," but as an adult, the very idea "turns my stomach." Another revisited them recently, only to find that their childhood tastebuds might've been broken. "We are not on talking terms right now," they joked about their past self. "This is strike number two."

It's not all bad memories. Oscar Mayer's stuffed-dogs line does have a few fans, especially those who remember the more adventurous releases such as jalapeño cheese, hot and spicy, and chili cheese. But the core product has inspired a kind of theatrical disdain: "Oscar Mayer has offended me time and time again," one Reddit user writes. Another adds they'd "gladly pay 25 cents to not eat one." That kind of brand loyalty's hard to recover from.

Oscar Mayer may dominate store shelves, but in the world of cheese-stuffed hot dogs, size doesn't always equal success. And when the "best hot dog in the state" title gets tossed around, this one isn't in the running — unless the state in question is "denial."