A hot dog is a hot dog is a hot dog, right? I mean, once you've got yourself some high-quality all-beef dogs, there's nothing else to say. Well not according to Casey Barber at Good. Food. Stories. Casey takes the hot dog up a notch and to hitherto unimagined heights with a ketchup-based marinade and another technique that has her buddies begging for more at cook-outs.
Yes, she marinates her hot dogs, using a recipe adapted from Food & Wine. It includes ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar and a few other tasty ingredients.
But the real trick to this recipe is the series of crosshatch cuts on the hot dog. Casey says:
The crosshatch effect, combined with a ketchup-based marinade that seeps into the crevices and glazes the hot dog with sugary-spicy flavor, gives greater opportunity for the surface to come in contact with a searing-hot grill grate and leaves the hot dog with lots of little charred and crispy bits for the best blistered effect.
I haven't wanted a hot dog in a very long time, but that just changed. Suddenly.
• Read more and get the recipe: Parts is Parts: Embracing the Hot Dog at Good. Food. Stories.
Do you have any good tips or tricks for making a better hot dog?
Related: How to Prepare Chicago Style Hot Dogs
(Image: Casey Barber/Good. Food. Stories.)
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Greatest idea! I will have to try this w/my veggie hot dogs!
In this part of the US (WI), it is simmering your brats in beer before taking them to the grill.
This is amazing. I caught it on Good.Food.Stories a while back and just thought it was genius. Add a little yellow mustard, and I think you'd be in hot dog heaven.
Casey is just brilliant. This just might convince me to throw a few dogs on the bbq this summer.
@kariwk -- beer and onions! But I agree, brats simmered in a beer/onion bath before grilling is the way it must be.
Not sure why I've never thought to do anything similar with hotdogs but it makes sense.
These onion comments have me thinking that quick-pickled red onions on this hot dog would be heaven indeed, especially with some spicy grainy mustard. If only we weren't having freak thunderstorms roll through tonight....
Mmmm, I sometimes fry my hot dogs in a pan with ketchup until it dries up and has slightly-charred bits. The ketchup tastes wonderful after it's been through the heat!