Friday, June 21, 2019

Hot Dog Hacker!

Nothing beats a smoky, grilled hotdog in the summertime, especially with a spoon or two of homemade chili.  Of course I include just about any combination of the usual suspects like mustard, ketchup, slaw, kraut, onions, you name it.  Problem is, sometimes we go a little overboard and we end up wearing more toppings than the hotdog. Enter the criss cross.  I find that when I score the hotdogs both ways, several things happen.  It will cook more quickly.  The surface area is increased, so there is more smoke forward flavor throughout.  More nooks and crannies make more opportunities to get some caramelization properties.  Most impotantly,  the cross hatches give the surface texture and the toppings something to hang on to.  I know right. The presentation is a bit more interesting with this effect also.  Next time you want to add a little pep in your hotdog step, score your hotdogs on the diagonal, then diagonal again from the other direction, careful not to cut all the way through. Grill as usual and enjoy the results.

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