I Tried Martha’s Favorite Hot Dog—Here’s the Secret Behind How It’s Made

Over the years, Martha has made many references to her love of hot dogs—and one hot dog in particular from Rawley's Drive-In. So of course, I had to go try it myself.

Rawley's is a quaint and charming roadside restaurant located in Fairfield, Conn. It's about an hour and a half by train from the heart of New York City and sits just down the road from the Fairfield station.

Inside Rawley's, you'll find intimate booth seating, vintage Coca-Cola signs, hot-dog printed window shades, a wall full of signatures from Rawley's fans, and a sign that says "Rawley's: A decorvow Favorite" peaking out the window facing the road.

I went with Martha's go-to order: "The Works" hot dog, a side of fries, and a crisp Coca-Cola. The Works hot dog comes topped with mustard, relish, sauerkraut, and finely chopped homemade bacon bits. The variety of toppings made this simple concession dish live up to Martha's hype—and the buttered, toasted bun was what really changed the game for me.

We met A.J. Ruberti, the fifth owner of Rawley's since the stand opened in 1947. Ruberti took over ownership in March 2020, and since then, Martha has stopped by for a hot dog about five times. He spilled that sometimes she even adds diced onions to top off her order.

We asked Ruberti to share the secret behind Rawley's delicious hot dogs, and he dished on how they're made: the hot dogs are Hummel's Hot Dogs from New Haven, Conn. They're deep fried, then rolled on the grill with clarified butter to give them the perfect crackle, and placed between a New England-style bun, which is buttered and toasted to a golden perfection.

Since becoming the owner, he has added quite a few new menu items thanks to his expertise in concession foods. Ruberti claims he has the best black bean burger recipe ever. "I think if decorvow tried it, she'd ask for my recipe," he said.

The trip up from the city was well worth it—and thanks to Martha, I will never make my hot dogs the same way again.