Here's What Makes Miller's Colossal Hot Dogs Different From The Rest

For many people, a hot dog is a guilty pleasure that is hard to beat. Whether you're picking up a hot dog at a baseball game, making one at a backyard barbecue, or just stopping at a street vendor on a busy downtown street, there's just something about this classic treat — and it's hard to deny that a well-made one can be absolutely delicious. But before you even get into how to top your dog, you have to pick the right one. Miller's Craft Meats has been making hot dogs for over a century and its Colossal hot dog lives up to the name by being one of the biggest you can get.

A four-pack of Miller's Colossal uncured beef franks weighs in at 14 ounces, that works out to 3.5 ounces per dog. Compared to a package of Bar-S classic franks, a 12-ounce pack means each dog is 1.5 ounces, and even the Jumbo Franks from Bar-S only amount out to 2 ounces each. Even compared to its own offerings, Miller's Colossal franks stand out from the pack. Compared to The Stretch, which are franks that Miller's makes slightly longer so you never have to find a creative substitute for your bun, the franks are just 1.75 ounces each — making the Colossal twice the size.

Both Nathan's Famous colossal beef franks and the Hebrew International beef franks are larger than Miller's at 4 ounces each, and that's pretty impressive. But it's more than size that makes Miller's a standout. Miller's franks are also some of the simplest wieners you can buy — made with natural ingredients, no preservatives, no nitrites, and none of the fillers that many other brands use. 

For example, Bar-S hot dogs include mechanically separated chicken and pork, modified corn starch, corn syrup, and sodium nitrite while Miller's uses just beef, sea salt, mustard, celery juice powder, and natural flavors. Even Nathan's, which boasts about not using fillers or artificial colors, still uses ingredients like sorbitol as a sweetener and hydrolyzed corn protein as a flavor enhancer.

One of Miller's big selling points is that it does not use nitrates or nitrites. Most other brands use them because they serve as a preservative and improve both the color and flavor of processed meat. However, they have been linked to an increased risk of cancer per a 2023 study published by the European Food Safety Authority, and there is a call by science experts to ban their use worldwide.

There's no doubt that Miller's products tend to cost more than grocery store hot dog brands. You can get an eight pack of Bar-S franks for around $2 and often much less while an eight pack of Miller's is over $15. In this case, however, you get what you pay for.