Joey Chestnut Confirms Hot Dogs Aren't Sandwiches, BTW
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It's National Hot Dog Day and while there are quite a few ways for you to celebrate, you should know that you won't really be celebrating alone. Joey Chestnut, the reigning champion of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest will be celebrating too, and for the occasion, we talked to him to learn more about how he plans to honor the day, as well as about how he got so into hot dogs and eating contests to begin with.
In case you were living under a rock this July 4, Joey once again took home the title and the winner's belt after downing 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Although people know him for his competitive eating records now, he got into the world of eating contests thanks to one of his brothers.
"I could eat more than pretty much all the other three brothers combined...It was something that I was kind of ashamed of and it was kind of like a joke," Joey told Delish, explaining that his little brother was the one who saw this skill early on. "He signed me up to my first contest...I really didn't want to do it, but I only went to the first contest because I was 21 years old and the organizer offered him a free hotel room."
The moment Joey first walked on stage, he realized it was a sport he'd not only enjoy, but one he'd also excel at: "I fell in love with it right then. It was like I didn't have to hold back anymore. It's the only time in my life I had that weird 'aha' moment. Like, 'I was made for this.'"
People know Joey for his excellence in the hot dog eating category, but he's eaten stranger items, like cow brain tacos and crab cakes that were spoiled from being in the sun all day. While hot dogs are easier for him to digest and are a category he's particularly strong at, he hopes to one day be able to compete in a contest that serves sushi and he dreams of eating schnitzel at Oktoberfest.
Back the the hot dog contest, though. Joey explains minute seven (out of 10) are the hardest, as that's when his throat muscles start to get tired and food begins sitting in the back of his throat. He has no choice but to start wiggling the food down to facilitate digestion and mentally goes to his "happy place."
Believe it or not, that happy place sometimes includes the discomfort he feels after eating so much and winning. "By the time I get back to the hotel, I'm just dead-tired and so sticky from sweat. Yeah, grease is starting to come out of me. Really, even after I shower and I started sweating again, I smell like a hot dog. So, my night isn't the best, but I'm happy," he said of his post-Nathan's contest ritual. "It's weird. I love feeling like garbage sometimes."
Despite his competition experience, hot dogs still are something Joey can enjoy on an average day. Though he can't use toppings during the contest, he doesn't consider himself a "hot dog purist," which is why he'll always opt for additions like mustard, onions, sauerkraut, and any "crazy things" he can find.
His appetite when eating hot dogs for sport versus for pleasure looks different, especially because eating the wet bun (a strategy used during the contest to make them go down easier) was the hardest part for him to get over. "I just had to look at it as a sip of water that looks like a bun. It's not a bun anymore. That helped me a lot, but outside of a contest, you'll never see me wet a bun."
As for the age-old question "Is a hot dog a sandwich?" Joey Chestnut says that's a hard no: "A hot dog's a hot dog." There you have it, folks.
For National Hot Dog Day 2021 Joey's in Cincinnati handing out Nathan's Famous hot dogs and Nathan’s Famous is joining its partners at Kroger to support the local Ohio community through a donation of more than 160,000 servings of protein to a local food bank.
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