It’s difficult to think about food that’s as iconic, tasty, and simple to cook as the humble hotdog. Considering how long it’s been since hotdogs made the jump from Germany to the United States—the first hotdogs were sold in Missouri in 1800—it’s borderline distressing to know how many well-meaning home cooks are cooking and eating dry, charred, and bland hotdogs on the daily.
In this article, we are rounding up five very helpful tips to help you make sure that your hotdogs come out perfectly cooked every time. Who knows? You may even come close to the ones we serve in a Gyros location near you!
- Hotdogs Are Not Created Equal
While it is obvious that hotdogs are not actually dog meat, they aren’t always pure pork or beef either. Most brands contain a mixture of the two. Whichever taste and texture you prefer, it is important to avoid cheap brands that contain more preservatives and fillers than actual meat. While these fillers are often essential to help the meat bind together, it’s a good idea to buy brands that keep them to a minimum, since an excessive amount can be harmful to your health.
- Defrost Your Hotdogs Before Cooking
Like any kind of meat, hot dogs are at their best when they are allowed to reach room temperature before being slapped on a grill. This allows the meat to receive heat equally, which will result in a juicy and well-cooked dog. Cooking a hotdog in its frozen state will usually result in a burnt dog with a raw core.
- Keep Your Slits Small
If there’s something that all professional cooks can agree on, is that you should never cut open a meat before or while cooking. This is because cuts in the meat can let all the flavor out with the juices, resulting in a dry and bland tasting slab. With that said, a few tiny diagonal cuts on the body of a hotdog will give it a crispier outside without drying it out. It can even make it juicier once the meat around the cuts expand.
- Moisturize Your Grill With Oil
To keep your hotdog intact, it’s a good idea to brush your grill with oil before and during the cooking process. For added flavor, you can also put in some seasoning in the coil to make up for the lost flavor during the grilling process. This reduces the chances of the casing sticking onto the grill, which will help keep the structural integrity of the sausage.
- It’s Best To Grill Over White-Hot Charcoal
If your embers are still black, wait a few more minutes before putting the meat on the grill—it isn’t hot enough to cook the hotdogs evenly. Unless you’re out stuck in the woods with no proper grill, it’s not advisable to cook your hot dogs on an open flame, either. Cooking your hotdogs over white-hot charcoal will ensure a tasty hotdog that was cooked evenly without losing its juices.
Conclusion
Hot dogs are well-loved because they are relatively inexpensive, tasty, and easy to cook. To be honest, even the badly cooked sausages served in a lot of other restaurants in Chesterton, Indiana are still edible. However, if you want perfect hotdogs—much like the ones you get in a Gyros spot near you—then you only need to follow these five easy steps.
Aside from our famous hotdogs, the Gyros menu also includes salads, wraps, and burgers for the whole family to enjoy in Chesterton, IN. We also accept online orders. Contact us today to know more.