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Rachael Ray Says Gene & Jude’s Is Top Dog

The best dog in the land.
The best dog in the land. Photo: Nick Kindelsperger

Serious Eats and Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine visited 64 different hot-dog stands all across the country to come to the conclusion that we personally already knew: Chicago has the best hot dogs in the country. Well, we’re going to count it as Chicago, even if the winner, Gene & Jude’s, is actually located in the nearby suburb of River Grove. It’s also a Chicago dog (even though it isn’t fully loaded with seven different ingredients like a classic Chicago-style hot dog). This is a minimalist-style Chicago dog — featuring only mustard, relish, and hot peppers — and that’s just the way we like it. Some might question not crowning Hot Doug’s as the winner, which would have been a fine choice. But we always tend to order the other sausages when we visit that wonderland of encased meats. Yet when we head out to Gene & Jude’s that means we are going for the signature red hot — and those perfect, perfect fries. [Rachael Ray]

Rachael Ray Says Gene & Jude’s Is Top Dog