KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘It’s foreign to me’: Curley celebrates Seattle Dog’s national title, admits he can’t tell brisket from barbecue

Jul 1, 2026, 4:19 PM | Updated: 4:21 pm

The Seattle Dog was named America’s best regional hot dog in a New York Times Wirecutter taste-testing video.

In light of the hot dog contest, KIRO host John Curley shared his experience at an event with brisket and barbecue.

“I went to this thing the other night, and the guy had brisket and barbecue. And he was like, ‘Oh, the brisket, oh, I get up at like three in the morning, and I start tenderizing’ — the whatever it is, brisket right?” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “So I go there. It’s good food, I guess. The guy seemed really nice. Got stuff there. And he’s like, ‘OK, so that’s the sauce for the brisket, and that’s for the barbecue.’ So I put the chunk of meat on the plate, and I didn’t know what the brisket was compared to the barbecue, and that’s like, you’ve got to give up your man card if you don’t know the difference between the two.”

“So I reached over, and I got the one sauce, and I’m making eye contact with him, and I’m starting to pour it, the fat sauce on the hunk of brown meat, not knowing the difference between the brisket and the thing. He goes, ‘Whoa, whoa, that’s the barbecue!’ I was like, ‘Oh, sorry. I was up all last night thinking about this. Hey, I’m sorry, lack of sleep. You’re right. Thanks for helping me there,'” he continued. “And I was like, right on this other pile of meat, which is apparently all brisket. Just, it’s foreign to me.”

Seattle Dog beats 7 other styles from around the country

The iconic Seattle Dog was loaded with cream cheese, caramelized onions, and jalapeños.

“What the cream cheese does is navigate very well into the sweetness of the onion, the mustard, and the jalapeño, almost becomes a diplomat that brings everything together,” world-renowned chef José Andrés said during the contest.

“Yes, like a diplomat,” Curley said.

Seattle took first place, beating out seven other regional styles from around the country, including the Chicago dog, the New York dog, and the Cincinnati dog.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

sign up for the 425 Magazine newsletter
John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for The John Curley Show.

John Curley

KIRO Newsradio Opinion

Beth's cafe...

John Curley Show

‘Our governor was able to destroy so many businesses’: Curley celebrates Beth’s Cafe coming back to life

Beth's Cafe is open 24 hours a day again. For Curley, host of "The John Curley Show," the comeback is as much an indictment as a celebration.

7 hours ago

Wilson belltown...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘The mayor is just not ready for prime time’: Spike rips Mayor Wilson’s response to deadly Belltown shootings

KIRO host Spike O'Neill said Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's response has been a failure of both communication and common sense.

8 hours ago

embassy suite strike...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘Ain’t no part of bridge-building happening with this leadership’: Gee questions mayor joining Embassy Suites picket line

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said she was on the picket line to support living wages. But KIRO host Gee Scott wasn't buying it.

11 hours ago

Belltown shooting (1)...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘I don’t care what the numbers say’: Gee challenges declining crime stats after deadly Belltown weekend

Three separate shootings in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood over the Labor Day weekend left three people dead and three others injured.

13 hours ago

bite of seattle shooting city hall...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘The leadership stinks’: Gee says Bite of Seattle texts expose what’s really wrong at City Hall

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's office released hundreds of pages of text messages offering details about the communication gap after the Bite of Seattle shooting.

14 hours ago

pituitary tumor brain surgery...

Luke Duecy

Duecy: I had a pituitary tumor. Brain surgery changed my life in ways I never expected

A nurse wheeled my hospital bed into Operating Room 3 at Swedish Cherry Hill. I had spent weeks preparing for the removal of a benign tumor in my brain.

18 hours ago

‘It’s foreign to me’: Curley celebrates Seattle Dog’s national title, admits he can’t tell brisket from barbecue