In something I never expected to have to clarify, this is a hot dog recipe but it is not a recipe for hot dogs. I know that I have a history of making foods from scratch that most sane people do not feel the need to — cream cheese, fig newtons, bagels, vanilla extract, and [coming soon] almond extract too — but I do still leave “grinding meat with spices, salt, and curing agents into a smooth, fine emulsion” before being “stuffed into casings and smoked” to the experts, usually at Hebrew National.
So while the Smitten Kitchen’s very first hot dog recipe isn’t a recipe for making hot dogs, phew, it is a recipe for my favorite way to prepare them. And on this, as with so many other things, I’m full of opinions.
→ Butterflied is best: I like my hot dogs butterflied, i.e. split down the center but leaving the last bit hinged together, then flattened and cooked on a grill or in a pan. This method allows the hot dog to get browned and more crisp from the inside out. There are also structural benefits: less rolling around as it cooks, and — this is key — better topping support.
→ Vinegared Iceberg: While I also love all of the classic hot dog toppings — yellow mustard, ketchup, minced raw onions — I’ve got two other favorites: First, I like cold, crisp iceberg lettuce, but I like it a little pickled first, vinegared, if you will. My mother in-law makes pickled iceberg and I’m not going to rest until I convince everyone that there’s no superior sandwich or frank topping. It adds the exact chill, crunch, and acidity I want on a hot day, but also all days.
→ Potato Chips: And if you’re not putting crumbled potato chips on your hot dogs, this is a perfect time to start. I first learned about this from a travel show about Venezuela* decades ago [I’d previously only experienced potato chips wedged into a pb&j sandwich in the school lunchroom, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it], but I’ve learned it’s just as popular throughout Latin America. The ultra-thin “potato sticks” type of chip are more common at ballparks, but I promise that crumbled kettle chips are excellent here too.
As a heat dome descends on the eastern US, I would be remiss to not mention that if you’re okay with skipping the Great American Tradition of cooking over hot metal grates in triple-digit temperatures to make use of that perfectly good kitchen we keep inside, you can, in fact, make all parts of this hot dog recipe there. See also: Oven Ribs, Dry Rub Oven Chicken, Crispy Oven Pulled Pork, and every last one of my slaws and potato salads. Happy cook = happy everyone.
* Venezuela was hit by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake last weekend, and rescue teams are working around the clock under catastrophic conditions to find survivors. If you’d like to help from afar, one of the Smitten Kitchen’s favorite charities, World Central Kitchen, is on the ground serving hot meals to impacted families and first responders, and are requesting donations to help them reach more people faster. You can contribute here.
