"Only Wellshire Farms, a brand sold only at Whole Foods markets, and Hebrew National, a stalwart, had what we considered a true and familiar hot dog profile: an identifiable beefy taste, a texture that's soft but not mealy, a noticeable juiciness and a thread of warm spice flavor. Wellshire Farms got the edge because of its slightly larger size, coming in first in our tasting."

They only tested all-beef hot dogs.  

I would suggest the Hoffman's Hotdogs - especially the "snappy grillers."  These are excellent hotdogs only sold around central NY, up until a few years ago when Publix started selling.  

For hotdog connosieurs, if near Syracuse NY (which is a great place to hang out in the summer), be sure to stop in the legendary Hydes Hotdogs in Liverpool, and taste Hoffman's special recipe, sold only at Hydes.

For the next best thing - getem at Publix.   

A comment at the NYT story:  

MaryAnne Black

 Tampa, Fl. 3 hours ago

We think Hofmann makes the best hotdogs!