In something I never expected to have to clarify, this is a hot dog recipe but it is not a recipe for hot dogs. I know that I have a history of making foods from scratch that most sane people do not feel the need to — cream cheese, fig newtons, bagels, vanilla extract, and [coming soon] almond extract too — but I do still leave “grinding meat with spices, salt, and curing agents into a smooth, fine emulsion” before being “stuffed into casings and smoked” to the experts, usually at Hebrew National.
So while the Smitten Kitchen’s very first hot dog recipe isn’t a recipe for making hot dogs, phew, it is a recipe for my favorite way to prepare them. And on this, as with so many other things, I’m full of opinions.
→ Butterflied is best: I like my hot dogs butterflied, i.e. split down the center but leaving the last bit hinged together, then flattened and cooked on a grill or in a pan. This method allows the hot dog to get browned and more crisp from the inside out. There are also structural benefits: less rolling around as it cooks, and — this is key — better topping support.
→ Vinegared Iceberg: While I also love all of the classic hot dog toppings — yellow mustard, ketchup, minced raw onions — I’ve got two other favorites: First, I like cold, crisp iceberg lettuce, but I like it a little pickled first, vinegared, if you will. My mother in-law makes pickled iceberg and I’m not going to rest until I convince everyone that there’s no superior sandwich or frank topping. It adds the exact chill, crunch, and acidity I want on a hot day, but also all days.
→ Potato Chips: And if you’re not putting crumbled potato chips on your hot dogs, this is a perfect time to start. I first learned about this from a travel show about Venezuela* decades ago [I’d previously only experienced potato chips wedged into a pb&j sandwich in the school lunchroom, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it], but I’ve learned it’s just as popular throughout Latin America. The ultra-thin “potato sticks” type of chip are more common at ballparks, but I promise that crumbled kettle chips are excellent here too.
As a heat dome descends on the eastern US, I would be remiss to not mention that if you’re okay with skipping the Great American Tradition of cooking over hot metal grates in triple-digit temperatures to make use of that perfectly good kitchen we keep inside, you can, in fact, make all parts of this hot dog recipe there. See also: Oven Ribs, Dry Rub Oven Chicken, Crispy Oven Pulled Pork, and every last one of my slaws and potato salads. Happy cook = happy everyone.
* Venezuela was hit by twin earthquakes at 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude last weekend, and rescue teams are working around the clock under catastrophic conditions to find survivors. If you’d like to help from afar, one of the Smitten Kitchen’s favorite charities, World Central Kitchen, is on the ground serving hot meals to impacted families and first responders, and are requesting donations to help them reach more people faster. You can contribute here.
Hot Dogs with Vinegared Iceberg and Potato Chips
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond brand; use half of any other)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Half a small head of iceberg, cut into 1/4-inch ribbons (about 2 cups)
- 6 hot dogs
- 6 buns, ideally top-split, toasted
- Minced white onion
- Ketchup and yellow mustard
- Crumbled potato chips
- Freshly ground black pepper
Iceberg
Assembly
Cook your hot dogs: Split each of your hot dogs down the center, but leave the bottom hinge intact. Open and place cut side-down on a grill or in a griddle pan on the stove. [I’m using these presses as a weight for extra browning.] Hot dogs are already fully cooked from the package so you’re cooking until you get the sizzle, color, and browned crisp that you want. For extra crisp, you can flip the butterflied hot dogs over and cook on the skin side too.
Assemble: Fold each hot dog back together and arrange split side up in a bun. Add ketchup and mustard. Use tongs to grab some of the vinegared iceberg, shaking off the extra liquid, and pile on top. Top with white onion, crumbled chips, and freshly ground black pepper. Eat right away. Make more as soon as possible.
Previously
6 months ago: Winter Cabbage Salad with Mandarins and Cashews
1 year ago: Cucumber Crunch Salad with Tofu
2 years ago: Easy Basque Cheesecake and Blistered Peas-in-the-Pod
3 years ago: Sliced Egg Sandwich
4 years ago: Summer Ricotta with Grilled Vegetables
5 years ago: Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
6 years ago: Smashed Potatoes with Sweet Corn Relish
7 years ago: Chocolate Budino
8 years ago: Garlic-Lime Steak and Noodle Salad
9 years ago: Grilled Pepper and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella
10 years ago: The Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookie, Revisited
11 years ago: Crispy Frizzled Artichokes
12 years ago: Coconut Brown Butter Cookies
13 years ago: Rhubarb Cream Cheese Hand Pies
14 years ago: Asparagus with Almonds and Yogurt Dressing
15 years ago: Fudge Popsicles
16 years ago: Spring Asparagus Pancetta Hash
17 years ago: Grilled Shrimp Cocktail and Graham Crackers
18 years ago: S’more Pie
19 years ago: Zucchini Carpaccio Salad
Favorite hot dog?
I was using Boar’s Head while testing with this recipe; Serious Eats had recommended it way back and we found it solid. But I’m sure there’s better out there too.
True Story hot dogs (available at Whole Foods, maybe other places too) have become our go to. Pricey but they go on sale fairly regularly.
I always cook Vienna beef hot dogs. Your recipe and suggestions sound divine! Thank you for posting!
Abeles and Heyman no nitrite dogs are the best.
Vienna beef
Hebrew national
Favorite store bought bun??!
I don’t have one at this time; I’m mostly looking for top-split.
Go ahead, make Deb’s amazing burger buns – and shape as hot dog buns – they are so good! I make them for every cookout I am invited to – and people remember the bread!
Vinagered lettuce sounds like it would be wonderful on a BLT with ripe summer tomatoes.
In fact, I have a BLT recipe with it in my third cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers. So I wholeheartedly agree!
oh god i love you, this is a perfect recipe. no notes.
(OG user, first time commenter! thank you for all you do, ie immaculately tested recipes; rigorous research & transparent citations; NO POP UP ADS; a delightful-to-search archive; and… free newsletter where you boost other recipe developers?? there’s a lot admire here and i am really really grateful for the work you have done and continue to do!!)
Gotta second every word here. At a time when a lot of recipe sites have become repetitive at best, AI slop all too often, and featuring recipes that appear to be untested, stolen, or both, this site marches on, as useful and inspirational as ever. I am in awe, and grateful. During the pandemic, when simply waking up and carrying on sometimes seemed impossible, you were there, suggesting ways to feed ourselves and our families, and even having fun doing it!
The press in the grill picture – any other worthy uses? I have a cast iron grill press but some family members complain that it’s too “smashy,” they didn’t order a panini, etc, so I’d like to know if it’s worth owning 2 items that serve roughly the same purpose. Also, the butterfly perk list is excellent.
Haven’t made yet but it inspired me to replace my old annoying to clean cast iron press. I have ordered the Wilco model. I love iceberg lettuce so will definitely try it.
When I saw it I thought she was repurposing a bacon press… so, bacon? Veggie planks (zuke, eggplant, onion, etc). Could be useful for toasting a split bun if not too heavy. Anywhere you would usually be pressing down with a spatula.
I have one of these presses and I love it. I live in San Francisco and it was designed by one of our local chefs, so I wanted try it. It is lighter than my cast iron press ( it was a gift and I honestly don’t use it much) and seems to be the perfect weight for most things. They are meant to stack if you want a heavier weight, so some people do own more than one. easy to clean or throw in the dishwasher.
I use a normal pot lid or the bottom of a small cast iron skillet and both work fine in a small space. Is the vented one better? Probably, but I cook butterflied hot dogs at least twice a week for my kids without issue
The press is also useful for thawing meat or other things – put the wrapped frozen meat in a sink of warmish water and hold it under with the press. The metal helps with not only keeping it submerged, but also conducting the heat towards the frozen item. I find it especially useful for getting bacon ready!
Venezuela twin earthquakes at 7.2 and 7.5
Now corrected! Oof.
Costco makes hot dogs that have no soy and no dairy in case anyone has allergies.
Deb, I’m with you on certain being best left to others ( like making your own hot dogs)but, one of best classes I ever took was the Charcuterie class on The Fatted Calf in Napa, California. I like to take a cooking class when I travel to a new country (Mexico City and Venice, Italy so far being two winners)but find it difficult to find challenging classes in my area. I have made just about everything from scratch, but this was something most people don’t do at home. We made two kinds of salami ( which I hung in garage to cure for a few weeks before eating), learned how to season guanciale, cannot be made in one day, were served a gorgeous lunch at the end of the class ( after snacking all day on their charcuterie) and even had a surprise celebrity appearance by Jacque Pepin! This was probably ten years ago, but they still hold them twice a year. Vacation idea for you? These hotdogs look wonderful.
After 3 years of living abroad, with zero access to iceberg lettuce, AND as someone returning to a kitchen with exactly zero ingredients, this is going straight to the “first fortnight’s” recipe queue, despite the anticipation of a harsh arrival into the depths of our first winter in 3 years on our side of the world!!
Thanks, Deb, I’m pretty excited about this one ❤️
This recipe arrived just as I was packing for a week long RV trip in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I quickly prepped it. It is amazing! Thanks Deb!
Love the idea of this lettuce! Are there other meal ideas you’d use the leftovers of it on?
Yes, a BLT or classic turkey club.
Fun! We did this plus burgers on the 4th – romaine vs iceberg, corn chips vs potato chips and especially the teenage boyzz loved mounding their buns (untoasted, too many folks to toast for even for this president of the Team Toast Club) with your fillings plus a homemade squash relish. Thanks!
Made these! What a fun addition to hot dogs which are a very rare treat for us, but seems so good for a holiday -used a good turkey dog–baked potato chips, did cook our onions. The lettuce is a bit like sour Krout but better, crunchier and cold! -the roll you used in picture looks good, maybe a bit more substantial one? I had those split at top type–so toasted the outsides of those. A keeper! Thank you
Seriously – these banged! I had regular Martins potato hot dog buns and they were great. I don’t love hotdogs, but my family does and these were excellent.
Hi, Deb
I haven’t checked your blog for a while, you no more talk about your children on this blog?
for sure, I like your recipes, so what do you think about including a small section about your family’s feedback on the recipes?
Just suggesting :)
Nadia
What weight press do you use for the hot dogs? Thanks.
I’ve got these: https://www.thechefspress.com/shop/p/3-piece-starter-set They’re excellent, you can stack them too. Dishwasher-safe.
One glance at these dogs has put me in a feral state; they look so damn good.
Well, there are no other hot dogs worthy of eating than Koegel’s Viennas. But aside from that…
This was a surprisingly delicious way to make hot dogs. I’m against ketchup on a hot dog in general principle, but I gave in and tried it here. It was necessary for this to work.
We’ll be making this again for certain.