Hot diggity! Seven Chicago hot dogs among nation's Top 50

The DailyMeal.com has announced its list of the 50 Best Hot Dogs in the country, and seven Chicago eateries made the list — including the No. 1 spot.

The Chicago wieners, uhm, winners are:

No. 25: Gene & Jude’s (attention DailyMeal.com, this one’s technically in River Grove); According to the website: “The hot dogs are a mess — covered with and rolled up with sometimes surprisingly soft fries, but that introduction of saltiness and textural variation makes them more nuanced than many other Chicago dogs.”

No. 22: Superdawg (the original’s on North Milwaukee Avenue); “the loveliest, juiciest creation of pure beef hot dog (no pork, no veal, no cereal, no filler)”

Superdawg | SUN-TIMES FILE PHOTO

No. 19: Murphy’s Red Hots on West Belmont; according to the website: “..that split, charred dog adds lots of texture and flavor to the Chicago icon.”

No. 14: Wiener’s Circle on North Clark Street; according to the website: “A Vienna Beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun gets all the iconic Chicago toppings…”

Gene & Jude’s Hot Dogs | RICH HEIN / SUN-TIMES

No. 11: Byron’s Hot Dog Haus locations on West Lawrence Ave. and West Irving Park Rd. According to the website: “… more great juicy beef flavor, more classic Chicago toppings, more toppings, and more of a mess — all great things.”

No. 4: Hot Doug’s (which recently announced its closing this October) According to the website: “The signature order here of course, is the foie gras and sauternes duck sausage with truffle aioli…”

and THE NATION’S TOP DOG:

No. 1: Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots on South Western Avenue. According to the website: “The Mighty Dog…. one of the best hot dogs you’ll ever have.”

The criteria used to determine the list, you ask?

According to the website,”…we kept an eye out for places with a definitive style of hot dog, one which embodies not only the region’s quirks but the particular tastes and culinary traditions of its people. We also made sure to take into account online reviews from locals as well as the dog’s overall reputation among those in-the-know, and the quality of the ingredients, namely sourcing the franks from well-known local producers, was also important. These hot dogs aren’t being eaten in a void, either, so we took into account the entire experience, from driving up to the restaurant or stand to placing your order to taking that first bite.”

Of course, while each of the Chicago eateries on the list offers up its own unique spin on the hot dog, let’s hear it for the classic Chicago dog: all-beef dogs with mustard, fresh tomatoes, onions, sport peppers, bright green relish, dill pickles, and celery salt.

For the complete list of 50 Best Hot Dogs as well as all the comments and photos, visit thedailymeal.com.