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Freeze a hot dog until it’s solid. That’s the first step to cooking one, according to a video published last month and now viewed tens of millions of times. The icy cold hot dog is then shaved with a vegetable peeler and air-fried into bouncy curls.
In other videos, hot dogs have undergone more extreme treatments: sliced into ringlets and pine cones or slashed with cross hatches and fish scales. Though these preparations promise browned bits and quicker cook times, not all glow-ups are worth the effort.
In tests with various brands of hot dogs (including beef, pork, poultry and plant-based) on charcoal and gas grills, and a campfire, on their own and in buns with toppings, the soundest method for consistently snappy sizzled hot dogs was also the most straightforward. Vegetable peeler and TikTok tutorials not required.
The set up is minimal: a flame, a grate and tongs. Same with the method. Here are the three tips to keep in mind.
Build a fire that’s not too hot.
In testing, moderate heat most consistently yielded crisp outsides and hot insides. Gradually warming the hot dog minimizes the risk of bursting and allows more time over the fire to pick up smoky flavor. To get that not-too-hot temperature, wait for a charcoal fire to move past blazing to smoldering coals that are coated in ash, or set your gas grill to 325 degrees to 375 degrees. You should be able to hold your hand four to five inches above the grates for six to seven seconds.
Skip extra prep and steps.
Halving a hot dog lengthwise so it lays flat on the grill like an open book makes it very crispy and creates a convenient channel to hold toppings, but the meat curls easily and dries out. Carving patterns asks a lot of the chef, who ideally is more focused on sipping a cold drink than artfully sculpting hot dogs. And keeping them whole ensures their juiciness. During recipe tests, slicing resulted in the greatest loss of moisture and fat by weight: 20 percent compared with 10 percent from hot dogs cooked right from the package.
In short, the only prep you need to do is pat the hot dogs dry.
If you’re using hot dogs with a natural casing, there is one additional step: Prick them all over with a fork before cooking to allow some of the steam to release — and ensure that they don’t burst when cooking. Or, if you have a saucepan handy, simmer them in water until warmed through, then char on the grill for a minute or two.
Arrange the hot dogs parallel to the grates.
Grill marks look neat, but a fully browned hot dog tastes more delicious. Instead of setting the dogs perpendicular to the grates, nestle them between the rods like the ones rotating in cases at a ballpark or convenience store. This setup exposes more of the meat to the flame, toasting the dogs more quickly and preventing them from rolling. (Make sure there’s also at least an inch between the hot dogs so heat can circulate and turn them every minute for even browning.)
Hot dogs are hand-held happiness, best when not overthought. Just change the direction you set them on the grate and sizzle them over a moderate fire until they look, smell and taste good. Then it’s just buns, toppings, smiles.
