Description
The secret to the absolute Best Grilled Hot Dogs is a spiral cut! Slicing a spiral before it hits the grill creates more surface area for snappy blistered edges – plus, all those nooks and crannies nestle even more toppings into every bite.
Load them up in a toasted brioche bun with the classic fixings or take your hot dog bar up a notch with some fun specialty toppings.
Crispy-charred, perfectly juicy, and ready in under 10 minutes – the hardest part is trying not to eat 3 in a row!
Ingredients
- 5 hot dogs or fully cooked sausage links of choice (see Recipe Notes)
- wooden skewers
- avocado oil spray or high smoke point cooking spray of choice
- 5 hot dog buns of choice (I love split-top brioche buns!)
- toppings and condiments of choice
Instructions
Method Overview:
Prepare the grill for medium direct heat grilling. Spiral cut the hot dogs by skewering them lengthwise and carefully slicing in a spiral pattern as you rotate the skewer. Lightly spritz the hot dogs with cooking spray, then grill until warmed through and deeply golden and charred. Toast the buns as desired, then serve with all your favorite toppings.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Prepare the grill for medium direct heat grilling (about 400-450 degrees F). Once preheated, clean the cooking surface by firmly brushing a wire brush over the grates. (If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can preheat a grill pan over medium heat.)
- Spiral cut the hot dogs: Pierce a skewer lengthwise through the center of a hot dog, pushing it all the way through. Place the skewered hot dog on a work surface. Holding the skewer in one hand, press a paring knife into the tip of the hot dog until it hits the skewer.
Rotate the skewer as you run the knife at a slight angle down the length of the hot dog, cutting in a spiral pattern with about ¼-inch spacing between each slice. The skewer will stop the knife from slicing all the way through, creating the signature coil.
Carefully remove the hot dog from the skewer – it should have a tight spiral shape. Transfer to a plate or small baking sheet and repeat with the remaining hot dogs.
- Grill the hot dogs: Just before grilling, lightly spritz the hot dogs with cooking spray – I like avocado oil spray. Place the hot dogs on the preheated grill, arranging them perpendicular to the grill grates. Close the lid. Grill for 5-7 minutes, rotating 4-5 times as they cook, until warmed through and as golden and charred as desired. Transfer to a clean plate or platter.
- Optional: Toast the hot dog buns: Lightly spritz the inside of the buns with cooking spray. Grill 30 seconds to 1 minute, keeping a close eye on them to prevent burning.
- Serve: Nestle the grilled spiral hot dogs in toasted buns and serve with all your favorite toppings. See the blog post above for favorite classic toppings and creative hot dog bar inspiration. Enjoy!
Notes
- Hot dogs: Use whatever hot dogs you love most here. Beef hot dogs are classic, but this spiral-cut method and grilling directions also work well with cheddar dogs, turkey, or plant-based hot dogs, and fully cooked chicken sausage links.