The husband and I had been married only a couple of months when our first little patriotic holiday rolled around. He woke up talking about Kobayashi like he was a long lost friend I just hadn’t heard of yet. I’m pretty sure I said something like, “Is that a new sushi roll? Yumm.”

Somehow it hadn’t come up in our courtship that he’s a die-hard Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest fan.

Long story short: I’m pretty grossed out by the whole process of anyone eating 60+ hot dogs in 10 minutes. It’s not pretty. They sometimes look like they’re going to miss and eat their hands. So while we’ve decided that the husband should do his Fourth-of-July-hot-dog-eating-contest-watching solo, we both agree that a good hot dog should be part of every summer.

Maybe I shouldn’t, but I love a good hot dog. No shame here. (Trisha is totally cringing…)

Tell me what you will about it being trash food-I need at least one every summer. And the Fourth of July is usually that day.

So, we’ve collected our favorite recipes and tips that combine to make your hot dog grilling and eating experience supreme.

Okay, so maybe I’m totally okay with a good hot dog a few times a year. And one of those times-is going to be at J-Dawgs. It’s a Utah county based hot dog joint that has the. best. sauce. ever. It’s a BBQ sauce with a bite-not that it’s spicy, it’s just edgy. Which is not a helpful adjective for food, I realize. Anyway, we found this awesome copycat recipe from Leigh Anne at Your Homebased Mom and think it totally nails that J-Dawgs taste. Whether or not you’ve heard of this crazy place or not, you’re going to want to try this. (It’s also insanely perfect with chicken nuggets.) Oh, quick tip. It’s best if you have time to let it sit for a few hours in your fridge before eating, so make it ahead of time.

Typically, I’m not a huge fan of the chili dog. Mostly because chili usually drowns out the hot dog and I feel like I’m eating chili on a hot dog bun-which is fine-but I think I’ve made it clear that I like how hot dogs taste. So that’s generally a miss for me.

But with this chili and this cheese sauce, I’m willing to make an exception.

And the cheese. You already know that I’m not opposed to the very occasional hot dog. You’re about to find out that I’m also not opposed to the very occasional large block of Velveeta…

Just a few more tips and you’ll be ready for your best Fourth of July hot dog ever. Tip #1: toast your buns. If you’ve got the grill going already, there’s no reason not to throw them on and crisp them up a bit. It works best to not put them on direct heat, right over a flame.

Tip #2, because I’m sure you’re looking cute on Independence Day, and no one wants to be wearing dinner for the rest of the night.

And tip #3, which should probably come before tip #2… but seriously, I’m not so much a fan of sitting over the grill with big-man-tongs and trying to flip little hot dogs. Even if they only cook on two sides, they’ll heat all the way through. (Just make sure you soak the skewers in water for awhile before you put the hotdogs on)

 There you have it. Happy grilling-all summer long!

 P.S. I’m wanting to make some amazing homemade ice cream this 4th of July. Any great recipes or tips? Help a girl out.

 

Natalie