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Should you boil hot dogs before grilling? Like many hot dog purists, deciding how to roast your hot dog can be quite a challenge. To some, the questions of how long to grill hot dogs on a gas grill are even more disturbing. However, there are tips and tricks on how to grill hot dogs on the stove that you can follow.
This article will guide you on how to make hot dogs better. It will turn you into a grill master whose hand works on preparing the best-grilled hotdogs. You will learn the right hot dog temperature settings and tell if the hot dogs were cooked with the food thermometers when grilling and avoid the common mistakes during grilling, such as burning and shriveling the hot dog. Here are the tips and tricks that you should use when you need to grill the perfect hot dog.
How to Cook Hot dogs on a Grill?
Cooking hot dogs on grill well, the outcome of it depends on your ability to balance the heat of the grill. You know, burning and shriveling the hot dog will make them taste like dirty ashes. It will also harden the hotdog, thus defeating the whole point of holding a grilling party. Here is a simple step by step guide to grilling hotdogs with two-zone fire which can help to control the temperature well:
- Turn on the two-zone fire grill. Ensure one side of the grill is hot while the other is not.
- Place the hot dogs on the hot side of the grill.
- Transfer the hotdogs to the hot side of the grill until the hotdog is fully grilled. Watch them closely as you turn.
- Move the hot dogs to the cool side to cook, once it acquires a nice burn on the crust.
- Transfer the hotdogs to the hot side of the grill until the hotdog is fully grilled.
- Grill for nearly 10 mins or you can use a thermometer to know if the hotdogs reach the cooked temp. Then stop the grill.
- Pull the buns out of the grill after one minute and put the hotdog in the middle.
- Add toppings and eat the tasty hotdog.
The Right Internal Temperature for Hot Dogs
Grilling hot dogs is all about watching the temperature of the grill. This balance will ensure that your hot dog has cooked well inside and outside.
The ideal internal temperature for a hot dog during grilling is 140°F or warmer. According to the safe grilling guide, the right internal temperature for a hotdog is 165°F. At this temperature, food-borne diseases, like listeriosis, get destroyed. After heating to 140°F or above, you need to maintain the temperatures high so as to keep the hot dog from the danger of getting contaminated again.
How to Control the Internal Temp of Hot Dogs
As the knowledge, it is easy to know the best internal temp of hot dogs is 140°F or above, but it is difficult for people to know if the hot dogs reached the temperature when grilling. Although some experienced grillers can adjust it by using visually checked the internal color of the meat to determine whether it was cooked or not, and most of us can not do it well. This method was neither safe nor accurate. Therefore, we better use some tools such as a meat thermometer to gauge whether your meat or hotdog is cooked. It is the most convenient and accurate method！
You can use an instant-read meat thermometer. The Digital instant-read and Round-dial thermometers are great kitchen supplies when grilling your hot dogs. Instant read thermometers provide readings quickly.
Use the thermometer when the hot dogs color change. Insert the thermometer at the center of the hotdog and take the readings on the thermometer after 15 seconds at a depth of 2 inches or to the level of the indicator provided on the thermometer.
However, they are not oven-safe thus should not be left in the hot dogs during grilling. If you want to grill hot dogs with oven, you need to choose the meat thermometer with a probe, it can be used in the oven.
If the temperature readings are too high, you can decrease the heat of your oven while observing the temperature of the hotdog. Once it gets to 165°F, gradually increase the heat of your oven until the hotdog retains a sustainable temperature between 140°F and 165°F. When the temperature of the hot dog is too low, you need to gradually increase the heat until the hot dog achieves a sustainable temperature with the 140°F and 165°F range.
Tips for Grilling Perfect Hot Dogs
There are some tricks that you should know when you want to grill your hotdog. These tips and tricks include:
Inspect the Grill
Whether you are using a gas oven or a charcoal grill, you have to start the grilling process by ensuring that the grill is in the right condition to begin grilling. You have to ensure that the grill does not have to remain from your previous grilling session. If the grill is not clean, scrub it using a grill brush. This process should leave your grill clean and ready for use. You also need to ensure that you have enough fuel to last you the entire grilling session.
Spray the Grates
Before you get down to business, spray the grates with a non-stick cooking spray. Handle the grates like all the other cooking surfaces you have in your home. The grill spray will make it hard for the hot dogs to stick on the grates. Therefore, it will be easier for you to turn the hotdogs. Your grill will also be easier to clean at the end of the grilling session.
Heat the grill before you start
Your grill needs to be heated for a while first before you start the actual grilling of the hotdogs. Therefore, you need to pre-heat the grill before you throw in the hotdogs. Heat the grill for ten to fifteen minutes if you are using a gas grill. If you are using a charcoal grill, you need to ensure heat the grill until the charcoal turns ash white at the top. Reduce the heat once the grill has gained enough heat.
Dress your Hotdogs before grilling
You can fix your hot dogs with your favorite spice before you place them on the grill. You can dress them with spicy and exciting toppings.
Grill them perpendicularly
Grilling your hotdog perpendicularly to your grates often delivers great results. This ensures that the hotdogs get the right grill marks. Do not use your fingers to place the hotdogs onto the grill; instead, use the tongs. The tongs will protect your fingers from getting burnt.
Roll the Hotdogs
Roll the hotdogs, using the tongs, until they achieve an evenly spread grill marks on the surface. The hotdogs should expand but not split. Depending on the type of grill, external conditions at the grilling site, and the size of the grill determine the amount of time you should use when grilling. Be patient with the hotdogs. Keep turning them around until they become fully cooked.
Prepare your buns or toast
Towards the end of your hot dog grilling period, slice your bun into two halve. Use a pastry brush to smear melted butter over the buns. Put your buns on the grill with the buttered area facing the surface of the grill and heat for a maximum of one minute. Remove the bun from the heat immediately your one minute elapses.
Join the two
Take your hotdog from the grill and put it in the middle of the bun. You can spice it up using ketchup or any other spice that tickles your fancy.
Is Grilling the Best Way to Cook Hot Dogs?
Actually, there are many other methods to cook hot dogs including frying on the stove, heating in the oven…And the best way to cook hot dogs depends on your taste. Some believe that hotdogs were designed for grilling, some people choose to boil before grilling, some though cooking in the microwave is convenient…
Here are some simple steps that you can follow when preparing a hot dog. They include:
Pan Frying on the Stove
- Add some water on the frying pan. You can use a dab of butter or oil to get a good flavor of the hot dogs
- Turn the oven on and set the heat to medium-high
- Turn the hot dogs gently as you keep a watchful eye over them
- Steam the hot dogs and then serve it
In the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Cook for 15 minutes
- Put your hot dogs in a tray or pan and serve it
In the Microwave
- Wrap your hot dog in a paper towel and put it directly into the oven
- Cook the hot dog on high for 40 or 50 seconds
- Check on the hot dogs. If they have not cooked properly, microwave them for 30 more seconds. Test again. Repeat the process until the hot dog cooks well.
- Remove the hotdog carefully from the microwave and serve it
Anyways, no matter what you choose to cook the hot dogs, make sure it is cooked is the most important. Using the right product to keep track of the internal temperature of the hotdog is necessary. ThermoPro thermometers are the right one you can choose. Accurate and ease of handling, anyone can get readings from this device. It is value for the price.
