Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way–I’m Kate and could probably be classified as a foodie. And I like hot dogs.
People are always surprised when I tell them I like hot dogs. It started when I was a teenager and people would be like, “Ew, you’re eating that??” And it’s true, some hot dogs are super gross (we shan’t talk about those bright red specimens), but there are really delicious hot dogs out there. If there’s ever a food product to spend a little extra money on, this is it. All-beef hot dogs are a great start, and kosher is even better. If you’re gonna do the dogs, I recommend Hebrew National, Nathan’s, or Oscar Mayer Selects Angus Hot Dogs.
These Food Truck Hot Dogs are old school, like something your grandma would make, but in a good way, not like in a Meat Jello Mold kind of way. They remind me a lot of J-Dawgs in Utah. If you’re feeding a crowd, this is an easy way to feed a ton of people–you can pop them in a Crock Pot and have them ready for a party later or you can simmer these in less than 30 minutes for a quick dinner on the run (plus you can add 2-3 more packages of hot dogs to one batch of sauce than the recipe calls for). I once had a party where I made these for the kids and Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches (which are always a huge hit) for the grown-ups, Guess what everybody ate? The hot dogs.
The awesome news is that these are super easy. For the sauce, you’ll need apple juice, an onion, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
See this chili sauce?
That’s what you want–it’s usually near the ketchup in the grocery store; it’s not spicy at all. Yes, people have emailed us before and said that they’ve used Sriracha or other Asian chili sauces in recipes that call for this kind of chili sauce. And they were sad.
instructions
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the onion and garlicto the drippings and saute until the onions are tender and fragrant. Side note: onions and garlic cooking in bacon drippings is one of the most swoon-worthy smells ever.
Place the chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon, and apple juice in the pan and bring to a boil. Add the hot dogs and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the hot dogs are hot. Either serve immediately or transfer to a slow cooker set to the low setting. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onions, drizzled with extra sauce..
Food Truck Hot Dogs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 onion, medium minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bottle chili sauce like Heinz, not like Sriracha
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1 8-pack high-quality beef hot dogs like Hebrew National I also recommend Nathan's, or Oscar Mayer Angus Selects. You can actually add up to 2-3 packages without altering the sauce at all!
- 8 hot dog buns or more if you are adding more hot dogs
- desired toppings like shredded cheese, chopped onions, and the sauce the hot dogs cook in
Instructions
- In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the onion and garlic to the drippings and saute until the onions are tender and fragrant. Add the chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon, and apple juice and bring to a boil.
- Add the hot dogs, reduce heat, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the hot dogs are hot.
- Either serve immediately or transfer to a slow cooker set to the low setting. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onions.
Notes
- To make this even quicker, plan to make these hot dogs with another recipe that calls for bacon earlier in the week. Reserve the drippings and 3 slices of bacon for use in this recipe.
- Nutritional information does not include use of toppings.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
I am looking for slow-cooker meals, and this one came up! How do you cook this one in the slow-cooker? My boys would love it!
After you cook the onions, transfer everything to the slow cooker and then simmer on low for 4-6 hours.
WOWZA! These are DEEELICIOUS! I made them for my work peeps today – I am definitely the favorite today! Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m so happy you loved these!! ❤️❤️??
I love hot dogs – Hebrew National is my brand of choice! I definitley want to try this.
Oh, and don’t tell anyone… I like Spam too.
Your secret is safe. ?