Five Guys Bacon Dog Review | The Blog

Today, we review the Bacon Dog from Five Guys. Five Guys was founded by Jerry and Janie Murrell and first opened in 1986 in Arlington County, Virginia. By 2001, the restaurant expanded to five locations in the Washington, DC area. Franchising began in 2003. From 2010 to 2021, the chain rapidly expanded to over 1,700 locations, becoming the fastest-growing fast food chain in the country. Five Guys is known primarily for its hamburgers, French fries, and hot dogs. The Bacon Dog is essentially a hot dog topped with bacon.

Five Guys was founded in 1986 and was initially named after Jerry Murrell and his four sons: Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben. In 1988, Jerry and Janie Murrell welcomed a fifth son, Tyler, so the name now represents all five Murrell brothers.

The Construction

The Bacon Dog was ordered with mustard and chopped raw onion as options. Five Guys offers a wide variety of sauces and toppings that can be used to customize this order. There was even a hamburger patty option for a topping. I’m not sure how that is incorporated, but it’s something I will try in a future Five Guys hot dog assessment.

Hot Dog: 100% Beef (Default)
Bun (Default)
Yellow Mustard (Option)
Chopped Raw Onion (Option
Applewood Smoked Bacon (Default)
Length: 6 1/2 inches
Weight: 6 1/2 ounces
Location Purchased: Matthews, NC
Price: $7.99
Items Purchased: 2

The Experience

The Bacon Dog was scored similarly to the Nathan’s Famous Chili Dog. When it came to the bacon on the Bacon Dog, I considered it a condiment.

Hot Dog: 4.0 points
Bun: 2.0 points
Condiments: 2.0 points
Intangibles: 2.0 points

Hot Dog

The hot dog used on the Bacon Dog is 100% beef and is grilled to perfection. One thing that sets Five Guys hot dogs apart is the way they are cooked. The hot dog itself is split (butterflied) and grilled lengthwise. This is done to create a caramelized exterior and enhance the flavor.

While not a bad hot dog, to me, this was more average. I was looking for a little more robustness from the meat flavor. Perhaps my expectations were higher because of the unique way this was grilled. The casing had a nice snap to it.

Score: 2.0 out of 4.0 points

Bun

The bun of the Bacon Dog was lightly toasted, which is something I prefer in a hot dog over a steamed bun. This was more or less an average hot dog bun. Not bad, but again, nothing spectacular.

Score: 1.0 out of 2.0 points

Condiments

The Bacon Dog certainly lives up to its name. The applewood-smoked bacon included on the Bacon Dog is flavorful and plentiful. It easily was the star condiment here. Most importantly, the bacon is well done and crisp.

As I mentioned before, Five Guys offers a wide variety of condiment options. I chose a simple combination of chopped mustard and raw onions. The mustard had a pleasant tangy flavor with a hint of vinegar, while the onions were neither too pungent nor overly sweet (for reference, they also offer grilled onions). Overall, the mustard and onions were average, but the bacon was definitely above average.

Score: 1.25 out of 2.0 points

Intangibles

They say bacon makes everything better – and in this case, it’s the secret sauce to the Five Guys Bacon Dog. It is the one condiment that elevates the overall experience of the Bacon Dog, making it greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, the mustard and onion certainly don’t hurt, as they give the Bacon Dog just a little more “zip.”

The condiments are also in the proper proportions. I like that there is plenty of bacon, but I also like the light amount of mustard on the bacon dog. The amount of chopped onion on the Bacon Dog worked as well.

The nice thing about the split hot dog is that it fits nicely in the bun. However, the bun is a little light to hold 6 1/2 ounces of meat and condiments, so it gets a little messy. It was the chopped onions that were most likely to fall out.

Finally, it is worth noting that this hot dog is quite filling. Eating two of these was too much. If you opt for the combo with Five Guys fries, that might also be excessive.

Score: 1.50 out of 2.0 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

The Five Guys Bacon Dog received a respectable score of 5.75 out of 10. While that’s not bad, I believe the type of hot dog used for the Bacon Dog held it back from achieving a higher rating. Although it’s not a terrible hot dog, the key to enhancing the experience was in the condiments. The combination of bacon, onion, and mustard worked particularly well. There are plenty of other toppings to get creative with, allowing you to customize this to your liking (I’m serious about trying this with the hamburger add-on option I mentioned above). While it wouldn’t be my first choice for a hot dog, it’s one I wouldn’t mind having again.