Hot Dog Flavored Hot Dog

A hot dog seasoned, glazed, and dusted with more hot dog, because why mess with a good thing. Grilled over coals and finished with a hot dog reduction and a hot dog powder for the truest flavor money can buy.

Serves 6 · as served on Bluesky ↗

Give me a low simmer and a couple extra hot dogs and I can turn "it's hot dog flavor" into an actual argument instead of a punchline. The move is treating the hot dog like you'd treat a soup bone — simmer a batch down with onion and peppercorn till you've got a proper hot doggy broth, then reduce that broth into a glaze that's basically hot dog concentrate. I ran a version of this at my brother-in-law Denny's graduation cookout and when he asked what the glaze was I just said "hot dog," and he stood there chewing on that for a good minute. We're also drying a couple extra dogs low and slow and grinding them into a dust, because if one layer of hot dog is good, three layers is basically a religious experience. Char the star dogs over the coals, baste twice with the glaze, dust once they're off the fire, and you've got the most honest hot dog in the county.

Ingredients

Fresh

• 1 piece yellow onion (quartered)
• 4 piece garlic cloves (smashed)

Fridge

• 6 piece hot dogs (roughly chopped, for the stock)
• 2 piece hot dogs (for the hot dog dust)
• 6 piece hot dogs (the stars of the show)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)

Pantry

• 2 piece bay leaves
• 8 cup water
• 6 piece hot dog buns
• yellow mustard (for serving)

Spice rack

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns

Directions

1. Roughly chop the hot dogs and add them to a large stockpot with the onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and water.
2. Bring to a boil, then drop to a bare simmer and cook until the kitchen smells like a ballpark, about 45 minutes. ⏱ 45 min
3. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve, discard the solids, then return the liquid to the pot and simmer hard until it reduces to a syrupy, deep-brown glaze, about 30 minutes. ⏱ 30 min
4. While the stock reduces, slice the extra hot dogs as thin as you can and lay them on a parchment-lined sheet pan; dry them in a 200 degree oven until brittle and curled, about 2 hours. ⏱ 2 hr
5. Once cooled, pulse the dried hot dog in a food processor until it's a fine, rusty-red powder, and set it aside.
6. Score the hot dogs with a few shallow diagonal cuts so they curl up nice on the grill.
7. Grill the scored hot dogs over medium-high heat, turning and basting generously with the hot dog glaze every couple minutes, until charred and split, about 8 minutes. ⏱ 8 min
8. Split the hot dog buns and toast them in a skillet with the butter until golden.
9. Nestle a glazed hot dog into each toasted bun, drizzle with any remaining glaze, dust generously with the hot dog powder, and pass the mustard at the table.

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