Directions: |
Directions:It’s All About the Casing
The one thing you don’t want to do is throw a fresh dog on the grill right away. Instead, render it for four to five minutes to tenderize the casing. Once that happens, Joshua Sharkey of Bark in Brooklyn, N.Y., prefers to throw it on a griddle in order to preserve the fat. When it’s almost done, raise the griddle’s heat, which will crisp up the casing. When you bite into the meat, you’ll get that "satisfying snap." Sohn concurs — for the most part. "Cook the sausage at 350 degrees in the oven until the casing firms up, then throw it on the grill." If you throw it directly on the grill, the casing tends to stick, causing tears that result in the loss of some of the flavor.
Master the Grill
"Hot dogs are very forgiving," explains Sohn. "They're already cooked, smoked, or cured, so what you're really looking to do is get them hot." Grill the hot dog on medium to high heat, rolling it lightly the whole time to ensure you get nice char marks on the outside for flavor. If you don't have a grill, advises Watts, you can use a frying pan or a portable griddle (usually used for making pancakes or eggs) that you can set over your char broiler. Watts elaborates: "The key is to grill it at an average temperature, not too low, and not too high, just a consistent heat for about 10 to 12 minutes so that the hot dog browns slowly. It should reach a very high internal temperature of 175 to 180 degrees, which you can measure with a simple probe thermometer (the kind used when cooking turkey at Thanksgiving)." |
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