Foodie Friday: The Grown-Up Version Of A Hot Dog

Hot dogs are easily one of the favorite food staples for kids, but sometimes even adults get a craving for a good ol’ hot dog. However, unless I’m at the ball park or passing a hot dog cart in NYC (what is it about those NYC hot dogs?!?) I prefer my hot dogs to be a bit more, shall we say, sophisticated. This means, I like alcohol to be involved.

Instead of buying a package of Hebrew National hot dogs, I either head down to my local butcher or to the grocery store to buy a package of sausages. If you’re buying pre-packed sausages, I have a few favorites. Try the Chicken & Apple from Aidells or the Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s. Both are excellent. You can buy these ahead of time and freeze them since this recipe actually works best with frozen sausage.

This is what you need for the rest of the recipe:

Serves 4

1 package of 4 sausages

2 12oz. bottles of dark ale/beer

1 large white onion (cut into rings)

4 good quality buns (I like the small square or round sourdough rolls from Trader Joe’s)

1 bottle of good quality mustard. Save the French’s Mustard for the kids.

I like to make these adult hot dogs with a side of  flavorful grilled veggies. Our favorite veggies to grill are zucchini, asparagus, and eggplant. Simply cut or slice the veggies and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle on fresh ground pepper, sea salt, lemon pepper, red chili pepper, and garlic powder. Throw on the grill along with the sausages.

Sausage Recipe:

Start by boiling the beer on the stove top and add the onions and sausage. Boil the frozen sausages until thawed and remove them from the pan. Butterfly them before taking them over to the grill. Keep the onions in the pot until the liquid is almost reduced completely, then remove the onion and set aside. You will use these cooked onions as a topping for the sausage.

Mid-way through grilling the sausages and veggies, add the rolls to the grill to toast them to perfection.

Here is the trick. The sausages and veggies on the grill take nearly the same amount of time it takes to reduce the beer in the pot. When the beer has been reduced completely, it will likely be time to remove the veggies and sausages!

Cut the sausages, if needed, and place in the bun. Add the onions and some mustard. Along with the grilled veggies, this dish is perfect for a warm summer evening. Make sure to save a glass of cold ale to go with your dinner, too!

Please note that alcohol does not burn off completely during the cooking/grilling process. When I suggest this meal is for adults only, I truly mean it!

Bon Appétit!