Today is allegedly “National Snack Stick Day”. And while the hot dog isn’t necessarily a snack stick, we’re still going to dress these up a little bit. Not too much though, we’re staying simple and easy for anyone to make in no time at all. In fact, it’ll be so simple, I decided to throw two styles into one post. I like to spread out recipes and keep this blog a variety of different cooks, styles, and meats. The first one we’re doing is the “Stadium Dog”, an ode to BARD and our frequent snack at sporting events. Our second one, I ran out of propane on the Blackstone, so I didn’t get the caramelized onion I was going for, so I just threw this half-assed dog on here to show my attempt (and maybe to inspire you!)
They all can’t be Smokefest Briskets ?
Stadium “Bard” Dog
Rarely can I recall a time Bard and I (a deeply affectionate term MrsForensicBBQ coined for my father) where we didn’t watch a sporting event without a plate of nachos with a side of jalapeño’s. So when I thought this one up, I knew I couldn’t really go wrong with the flavor profile. A couple things had to happen though: The traditional yellow corn round chip and the totally unnatural yellow cheddar cheese. Pickled jalapeños are pickled jalapeños and we just have to put it together.
I thought about crushing up the chips and topping the dog, but when I was putting it together – I thought “nah”. What was crucial, however, was getting that pretzel hot dog bun. Bard loves him a pretzel too, so we had to bring this in there too. I may have made this on more than this one occasion because it was very familiar and tasty. Get wild and wet the outside of the pretzel bun down a tad and add some salt. As if the chips didn’t sodium it up for you enough.
Seattle Dog
Another style I read about was the “Seattle Dog”, which features a cream cheese layer on the hot dog. Weird, but no weirder than I’ve done in the past (Peanut sauce? Banana ketchup?). What I liked about trying this one was the addition of a heavy caramelized onion. You should know by now I’m not afraid of the onion, but I never really had that long, slow caramelized on here. Set the Blackstone for a lower heat and started cooking.
Until it stopped cooking. Totally ran out of propane before I really even got started. Welp, maybe it was a sign, because cream cheese really didn’t work that great on a hot dog. I ate it anyway, but it wasn’t anything to write a blog post about (As I write a blog post about it). Was super excited to really cook down the onions too.. damn it!
If you take anything out of this post, know that I’m always scouring for a new, off-normal idea to bring to you. When I do a traditional BBQ item, like that brisket, I try to stay true to form. When I have a simple product like a hot dog, I’m going to jazz it up and take some artistic risks. Some work (Philippines Dog), some don’t (Seattle Dog). Let me know what you’d like to see next, we’re always happy to take requests. And we welcome guest posts, just send us an e-mail and we’ll get back to you!