This Kentucky Hot Dog Stand Was Just Named the Best in the Country

I was asked one time what my "Death Row meal" would be. If I could pick the last meal I got to enjoy on this earth, it would be Chicken Tikka Masala, A Peach Nehi, and a good ole juicy 100% beef hot dog.

One of life's simple pleasures that I take advantage of more often than I probably should, but it means I know a good glizzy when I find one. They are also quintessentially American, in my opinion (they WERE created here after all!)  A symbol of the summer 4th of July cookout and therefore up there with the bald eagle as far as patriotic inspiration goes.

While I will accept most forms of franks, there are definitely those that rise to the top. The folks at USA Today took it upon themselves to do the work of the people and find the very best bun-filler in the whole United States of America.

Their food writers had the VERY DIFFICULT JOB of tasting hot dogs all across the country. They then made a list of the best places in America to get your fix, which you can find here. On that list is an Eastern Kentucky staple located in Corbin, Kentucky.

The Root Beer Stand is a seasonal carhop-style crinkle-cuts-fried-to-perfection kinda place that has been a local favorite since 1956. Obviously, from the name, you know that their specialty is a frosty mug of root beer, but pair the crinkle fries with the root beer and add a chili dog for the best trio since Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris.

USA Today describes it like this:

This carhop-style seasonal hot dog stand in Eastern Kentucky is know for its chili dogs. The first thing to notice is the absence of cheese. Unlike our northern neighbors that have made chili cheese coneys a whole thing, these so-not-Cincinnati chili dogs don't carry a shred of cheese. Instead, a pile of meat, sometimes called "hot dog sauce," rides solo as the top ingredient.

 

Underneath the flowing beef mixture, which contains no beans, you'll find chopped onions and yellow mustard. These chili buns were likely popularized in Kentucky pool halls serving the working class and, by the 1960s, were adopted by ice cream shops and drive-ins, according to the Southern Foodways Alliance. Versions still reign in Corbin, Kentucky, where tourists should also check out the Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum, also known as the "Birthplace of KFC." — Amanda Hancock, The Courier Journal

I know John Mellencamp was singing about a "Tasty Freeze" when he was "suckin' on a chili dog, but I bet the Root Beer Stand could give them a run for their money! The photos that pop up when you Google them look DELICIOUS. I think we may need to go on a little road trip. Anybody down for some dawgs?

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