Spiral Cut Hot Dogs

Griffin

Not sure where I first saw this, but I remember seeing it in quite a few places on the net back in June and July. We don't eat a lot of hot dogs, but after the ranch last weekend, we had quite a few we needed to get rid of so I thought I would give it a go. The thinking behind it is:

1.It allows the hot dog to cook up straight as an arrow allowing for an even char on all sides.
2.They fit in a bun perfectly.
3.There is more surface area so you get more crispy, caramelized meaty goodness.
4.The threads form little crevices so chunky condiments like onions and relish don’t slide around.
5.It looks cool so it makes a great conversation piece.

Start off by skewering a hot dog. Then take a knife and cut the hot dog diagonally while rolling it away from you.

I like a bit of chili on my dogs, so I threw a cast iron skillet on the to get it warmed up.

Then the dogs

After a few minutes

I plated mine up with some crinkle cut fries, one dog got chili, cheese and mustard, the other got sauerkraut and mustard.

Stacie didn't want hot dogs. Instead she went with weenies and sauerkraut, something she grew up with as a kid. Not sure if its a Czech thing or not. Sometimes she uses brats or sausage. Anyway, cast iron skillet  with a bit of butter, throw in some chopped dogs/brats/sausage, allow to brown up, dump in some sauerkraut and allow that to warm up for a bit. Quick, easy, cheap food.

I thought the spiral cut did allow for more char and I was able to get more condiments on my dog without them falling out the back end. Being chili, that may or may not have been a good thing.   All in all, I think it was a successful technique and it only takes a few minutes. I'd probably do it again, not that we eat a lot of hot dogs. Anyway, hope everybody has a great weekend with lots of grilling in store. 

tjv

dang, with the cooler weather coming in, that dog and kraut looks great......

t

Village Idiot

Cool looking dawgs!  When I looked at the picture, I had a sudden urge to open a bottle of wine for some reason.  Must have been the shape. :P

That better be Wolf Brand Chili, Tex.

TonyA

If  you are into dogs and kraut .. look up choucroute garnie - it is a French Alsacian dish of cured meats, potato, and saurkraut.  Recently, I've topped it with capers, red onion, and fresh tarragon - there aren't a lot of rules.

SkinnyV

looks good to me

Mickey

You did good Jason. Very cool

RollTideRob

Man, those dogs look good. I think I'll try that next time we have dogs.

Tjcoley

Looks great Griff. You have a knack for making even a simple cook look like a gourmet meal.

Zick

Another cool idea! Thanks. My 7 year old said "now that is a hot dog"

bigphil

looks great Griffin  ,i've done very similar but added perk up you pork rub to them before cooking everyone loved them in fact the other night we had dogs and i forgot to add the rub everyone said they weren't  as good without the rub didn't realize i raised hotdog critics lol 

GaryLange

What no Beans and Weenies?

Skiddymarker

Nice idea with hot dogs, grandkids will love them. 

Have you ever tried this with brats? If we are direct grilling them they pretty much always split, this way they split where you want them too. 

JalopyBob

That does make a simple dog look much more appealing!

Griffin

@Skiddymarket - I don't think I would try this with brats. Not the raw kind that need to be cooked. Too much juice would drip out leaving you with a dry brat. Now if you mean the pre-cooked kind...that might work. Honestly don't know.

MO_Eggin

Tried this out over the weekend - came out great, with a big thumbs up from SWMBO.  Thanks for the tip!

Griffin

Glad you liked it @MO_Eggin. Always a good thing to get a thumbs up from SWMBO.

SmokeyPitt

Looks great Griff.  A buddy of mine sent me a link to these.  He tried them with brats and dogs and the said the brats just fell apart,but weenies were really good. 

TonyA

I tried the spiral this weekend on a keilbasa .. I had way too much angle on the blade and I was so focused on what I was doing at the knife, I didn't realize what I had done until it was too late .. ultimately I made about 6 rotations .. OOPS.