I’d heard that boiling was supposed to be the “wrong” way to cook hot dogs. What’s the “right” way?
In college my roommate and I used to go down to Pink’s at La Brea and Melrose near Hollywood and get bacon burrito dogs. I love these things, despite the fact that I don’t know anyone who has ever been able to eat a whole one without getting deathly ill. I can feel my arteries hardening as I sit here. I believe it contains 2 hot dogs, chili, 4-6 strips of bacon, onions and cheddar cheese. Of course if we were really feeling masochistic we would get a side of chili cheese fries as well.
If I’m going for the standard dog, I like it in a bun with mustard. Beaver’s spicy dijon is excellent, but I also have a soft spot for the basic American Yellow I get at Trader Joe’s, I can’t remember the brand off the top of my head though.
For low fat dogs, I really like the Healthy Choice Savory Selections, however they are a little spendy for hot dogs.
Thanks for mentioning the Beaver brand slackergirl. Their seafood sauce and mustards are very high quality.
As to the method of preparation tracer. The basic techniques depend upon the item in question.
In general, all sausages should be brought up to temperature in a hot water bath and then fried or grilled per your own preference. The best way to do this is to heat a large pot of water. When the water is at a full boil, add the sausages and turn off the heat. In a few minutes, they will be heated through without any risk of overheating and splitting the casing. Transfer to the grill or frying pan as desired.
For frankfurters, steaming or boiling is more commonly the case. The one common exception is roasting them over a campfire. My prefered method for franks is to put a pat of butter and 1/4 cup of water per each two franks in a large skillet. Turn on the heat and cover the skillet tightly. Once the water has boiled off, reduce the heat and brown lightly in the remaining butter.
Whenever possible, preheat the buns an oven or steamer. The ketchup question is another matter. The only sure thing is that it is criminal to put anything but Heinz ketchup on a dog or sausage. All other catsups (Del Monte and Hunts) stink!
I’ve never “steamed” a hot dog before (although I regularly steam the buns by suspending them over the boiling hot dog pot). How should hot dog steaming be accomplished? In a veggie steamer?
Okay, so what makes Heinz better than DelMonte and Hunts?
Catsup (derived from the Chinese word ketsop for a relish of chopped vegetables) is made predominately of sweetened tomato products. Ketchup has more vinegar and spice to give it a stronger kick. Heinz is a major bottler of both tomato and vinegar products and use them in better balance than more speciallized producers.