We Tried Hot Dog Ice Cream and Nothing Is the Same

We thought we’d seen it all when French’s sent us a pint of mustard—yes, mustard—ice cream earlier this month, a limited-edition collaboration between the mustard company and L.A.-based Coolhaus ice cream in celebration of National Mustard Day. (August 3, in case you were wondering.) When we tried it, we found an office divided, with some editors unsure of the sweet-savory, very mustardy flavor. Others, however, were enchanted by the golden dessert, calling it “good stuff.” As it turns out, French’s isn’t the only brand with a mustard ice cream on the market.

On August 1, Oscar Mayer tweeted that it had a new spicy mustard gelato … paired with a hot dog ice cream sandwich. In other words? An “Ice Dog Sandwich.”

Also launched in conjunction with a national holiday (in this case, National Ice Cream Sandwich Day on August 2), Oscar Mayer’s unique ice cream sandwich takes a playful dig at French’s creation. “Who eats just mustard?” the brand tweeted. The sandwich itself has two flavors, made in partnership with New York’s il laboratorio del gelato, which are meant to evoke the best part of summer—ice cream, and hot dogs. The gelato has a spicy Dijon mustard flavor, while the ice cream is sweet cream infused with hot dog flavor and—stay with us here—actual candied pieces of an Oscar Mayer hot dog. The cookie sandwich, made by One Girl Cookies, also nods to hot dogs in mimicking a bun.

At first bite, the Dijon mustard side of the ice cream sandwich is strong and concentrated—much spicier than the French’s ice cream, without the sweetness. For those partial to Dijon on their sandwiches, it's definitely worth a try. As for the hot dog ice cream? It’s lightly sweet, punctuated by smokiness and savory notes from the candied Oscar Mayer pieces. It was unlike anything we’d ever tried before, and we loved the little candied hot dog pieces. Both flavors married well with the cookie “bun,” which had pleasant lemony undertones.

“I was really charmed by the soft and airy bun-like cookie, and the idea of ‘hot dog-infused’ sweet cream,’” one editor wrote. “I respected what they did out there, and I’m a huge fan of il laboratorio del gelato and anything involving hot dogs. I probably wouldn't be able to finish a whole one, but I loved the hot dog ice cream and the little bits of candied hot dogs.”

An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile—outfitted as an ice cream truck —appeared in New York City on August 14 to dole out 500 free samples of the “Ice Dog Sandwich” starting at noon in Bryant Park. For those outside New York City, you can also score a sample by tweeting #OscarMayerIceCream + #Giveaway to enter for a chance to win a box of the special sandwiches (according to the terms and conditions, you have until August 15). As of right now, Oscar Mayer has no plans to sell the sandwiches themselves in stores—but we're hoping the hot dog bits have a fighting chance. We'd gladly eat a whole bag.