On something I didn’t expect to have to clarify, it’s a hot dog recipe but it’s not a recipe For hot dogs. I know I have a habit of making foods from scratch that most sane people don’t feel the need for: cream cheese, fig newtons, bagels, vanilla extract and [coming soon] almond extract too – but I always leave “the meat ground with spices, salt and curing agents to a smooth, fine emulsion” before being “stuffed into casings and smoked” to the experts, usually at Hebrew National.
So even though Smitten Kitchen’s very first hot dog recipe isn’t a recipe for making hot dogs, phew, it’s a recipe for my favorite way to prepare them. And on this, as on many other things, I am full of opinions.
→ The butterfly is the best: I like my hot dogs butterflied, that is, split down the center but leaving the last piece jointed, then flattened and cooked on a grill or in a pan. This method allows the hot dog to become golden and crispier from the inside out. There are structural benefits, too: less rolling while cooking and, key, better topping support.
→ Vinegar iceberg: While I also love all the classic hot dog toppings—yellow mustard, ketchup, chopped raw onions—I have two other favorites: First, I like iceberg lettuce cold and crisp, but first I like it a little pickled, vinegarif you want. My mother-in-law makes pickled icebergs and I’m not going to rest until I’ve convinced everyone that there is no such thing as a superior sandwich or a frank topping. It adds exactly the cold, crunch and acidity I want on a hot day, but also every day.
→ Chips: And if you don’t put crumbled chips on your hot dogs, now is the perfect time to start. I first heard about it on 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 learned that it is just as popular throughout Latin America. Ultra-thin “potato stick” type chips are more common at baseball stadiums, but I promise you crumbled kettle chips are great here, too.
As a dome of heat descends on the eastern United States, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that if you’re OK with ignoring the great American tradition of cooking on hot metal grills at triple-digit temperatures to use that perfectly good cooking we keep indoors, you can, in fact, make every part of this hot dog recipe there. See also: Baked Ribs, Dry Rub Baked Chicken, Crispy Baked Pulled Pork, and each of my Coleslaws and Potato Salads. Good cook = happy everyone.
* Venezuela was hit by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake last weekend, and rescue teams are working around the clock in catastrophic conditions to find survivors. If you’d like to help remotely, one of Smitten Kitchen’s favorite charities, World Central Kitchen, is on the ground serving hot meals to affected families and first responders, and asking for donations to help them reach more people faster. You can contribute here.
