365 Things to Do in Memphis #134: Eat a Pronto Pup

365 Things to Do in Memphis #134: Eat a Pronto Pup

Let's get one thing straight: all Pronto Pups are technically corndogs, but not all corndogs are delicious enough to be Pronto Pups. Assignment #134 in the 365 Things to Do in Memphis is to sample the noble Pronto Pup, Memphis' favorite food on a stick.
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Holly with a Pronto Pup at Cooper Young Fest
A Pronto Pup is way better than a normal corndog. The breading seems to be a little thicker, the hot dog seems to be a little better, and the nice people at the stands use a brush to liberally apply a coat of mustard to the Pup's outer shell. Geoff over at The Commercial Appeal did some research and found that the batter is made with wheat and rice, instead of regular corn dog corn meal. I'd never heard of Pronto Pups until I moved here but yes, you can get Pronto Pups in plenty of other places. Wikipedia says the franchise started in Oregon. That's cool, but it's also true that Pronto Pups have a place in local lore (as well as our stomachs) - the Andreini family has been serving their specially breaded hot dogs on sticks in Memphis since 1940.
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Music fest attendee with not one but TWO pronto pups. Photo by Joey Miller.
The easiest way to try a Pronto Pup is to go to a local festival (think World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, Cooper Young Fest or the FedEx St. Jude Classic) and look for the yellow booths.
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Photo by Joey Miller.
This post was originally published on May 13, 2012. Updated on May 14, 2018.

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Brock
According to Wikipedia, Pronto Pup batter is based on pancake batter, whereas the corn dog is made with corn meal batter. And I'm afraid it's not uniquely Memphis. The Pronto Pup company, which makes the batter, is based in Portland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronto_Pup
May 14, 2012 3:46pm
heather
i am from memphis and pregnant.....and craving a pronto pup like nobody's business
May 8, 2013 3:06pm