Hot Dog Stand Recipe – You Can Make Delicious Stadium Style Hot Dogs at Home

13-06-2022

I’ve made hotdogs the same way for years. They were always good, but nothing to brag about. I think maybe in the back of my mind, the humble sausage wasn’t important enough to warrant creative input from my imaginative culinary side. So one day I decided to try something different.

As a child, I was taught to boil sausage in water, put it in a bun, and sprinkle various condiments on top of it. But as I got older and advanced in my cooking skills, I knew there had to be a way to improve on this method of cooking a hot dog.

Things that go great with hot dogs are: French fries, baked beans, coleslaw, or potato salad.

This method of cooking the humble sausage is now a regular thing in my house. My family loves them, and they really are good. This is what you will need:

*All beef sausages (you can eat that other “stuff” if you want, we only eat beef sausages – we also prefer the length of the bun)
* Soft buns (you want fresh buns here, not stale, though you can steam them back to life if you insist on using old bread; I have other uses for old bread, like bread pudding with amaretto sauce)
* Hot dog seasoning
* sauerkraut
* diced onions
* Mustard and ketchup
* Kraft Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend
* Chili sauce for hot dogs (Castleberry’s is our favorite)
* Laura’s Homemade Coleslaw
* Butter
* Tin foil
* Crock pot
* Cast iron skillet

Now, you don’t have to do everything the same way I do. I’m letting everyone know how I do it, and they can adjust it as they see fit.

Keep in mind that the sausages need to spend some time in the slow cooker to be good, and the steaming method I mention below is excellent. Plan properly so the dog packs get hot and melt inside their “package” in the hot slow cooker. I usually make the dogs and leave them for 45 minutes to an hour in the pot.

1. About an hour before dinner, turn on the slow cooker and let it heat through.
2. Heat the cast iron skillet and add a tablespoon of butter.
3. Fry the beef sausages in the iron skillet.
4. When they get a nice “fry” on the outside, sort of like you grill them, remove them and place them inside a fresh, not stale soft bun (I’m very particular about my bread being soft and fresh)
5. Immediately wrap assembled bun and sausage in foil, sealing all edges.
6. Place in a crock pot.
7. Repeat with the remaining buns and sausages.
8. Cover the slow cooker and leave it alone.
9. Heat the chili in the microwave or on the stove.
10. Prepare the other condiments.
11. Put everything on the table, including drinks, chips, sauces, you name it.
12. Then pull out one assembled dog at a time for each diner, keeping the rest in the slow cooker with the lid on so they stay warm.

These heat very well. Simply remove the bun and sausage combo from the foil (don’t forget this step to avoid a nasty microwave incident), wrap loosely in a paper towel, and microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Don’t overdo it, the bun will get hard.

Alternative method: I tried this once and it was even better. Place a rack in the bottom of the slow cooker before adding the sausages. Add a tablespoon or so of water. Be careful, you don’t want the dog packs to sit in liquid. The idea is to “steam” them lightly.

I usually eat two hot dogs, each made as follows:

Version #1: (ingredients are in the order they were used) mustard, ketchup, relish, hot sauce, cheese, onions

Version #2: (ingredients are in the order used) mustard, relish, onion, sauerkraut, homemade coleslaw

Now a note here about coleslaw. There are all kinds of different ways to make coleslaw. There is also cabbage mix that can be bought in a bag. I am as picky about my salad as I am about my bread. My mom made coleslaw pretty much the same way for years, and she always tasted good.

If you’ve ever had bad coleslaw, you’ll remember it. Some fast food restaurants have the audacity to CALLED it coleslaw, but it’s more like tasteless cardboard “stuff.” Have you ever thought that the coleslaw in many restaurants is often completely white, as if it is made entirely from the heart of the cabbage? Makes you wonder what happened to all the GREEN stuff.

I’ll be sure to link to my coleslaw recipe at the end of the article, so be sure to grab it and try it with these delicious stadium-style hotdogs.

I am very picky about certain things: fresh bread is one; fresh milk is another; good-tasting coleslaw is important; I think Castleberry’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce is great; I use the Kraft Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend almost daily; I want to know what’s in the meat I eat. However, to each his own. Enjoy!