Time to up your hot dog game! We wrote the only guide to not overcooking hot dogs you will ever need.
The question posed, “can you overcook hot dogs,” comes with a simple, one-word answer, and that answer is “yes.”
Matters are complicated by the fact that the hot dogs you buy in the store have already been precooked. So how do you avoid overcooking hot dogs and producing a meal filled with flavor and texture?
The answer depends on the method you use to cook your hot dogs.
You can grill, boil, pan fry, air fry, oven-roast, and even—in a pinch—microwave hot dogs, with each method requiring a particular degree of attention and timing.
To avoid overcooking your hot dogs, don’t boil them for more than 4-5 minutes and use medium heat when frying them on your stove. On the grill, hot dogs must be cooked over indirect heat to prevent burning.
Today, we will break down each of these cooking methods so that you can perfect your hot dog game down to the T.
Which Kind of Hot Dogs Should You Cook?
Hot dogs, that common cylindrical food so associated with baseball and backyard barbecues, come in a wide variety of meats.
The kind of hot dogs you buy at the store can be beef, turkey (for people who avoid red meat), a combination of beef, pork, and other meats, and even something called “veggie dogs” for you vegetarians who want to avoid meat altogether.
Leaving aside diet and the reluctance to eat pork or animal flesh, the best hot dogs are entirely made of beef, including Nathan's and some versions of Oscar Meyer's.
Beef hot dogs tend to have the best flavor and are easier to cook consistently in a wide variety of ways. Simply said, they are more difficult to overcook.
Cooking and Overcooking Hot Dogs Over an Open Flame
Some home cooks are tripped up when they cook their hot dogs over an open grill.
You should always preheat your grill before putting your wieners on it, about 10-15 minutes on high if you’re using a gas grill, or waiting until your charcoal is covered with a white ash when using a charcoal grill.
Cook the hot dogs on indirect heat, away from the fire, for five to seven minutes, constantly rolling them around to cook each side evenly. Then put the hot dogs on direct heat briefly to get those tasty grill marks.
Remove from the grill, put in buns, dress with your favorite condiments, and enjoy. As a cautionary note, this method can prove to be trial and error at first. But you should, with practice, become an expert in getting hot dogs piping hot right off the grill.
You should note that if the outsides of the hot dogs are blackened and charred, you have surely overcooked them.
Try to avoid doing that.
How Not to Boil Your Hot Dogs to Death
When the weather outside is inclement, or you just don’t want to bother dealing with an outdoor grill, boiling hot dogs seems to be the favorite go-to method of cooking them. Here, you want to be especially careful because—unlike grilling—the signs that a boiled hot dog has been overcooked are subtler.
Boiling hot dogs is a straightforward procedure: you pour a quart of water into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then you throw in a handful of hot dogs and let them cook for 4-5 minutes before taking them out and putting them into a bun.
Be sure not to leave the hot dogs in the boiling water. The salts and other preservatives will start to leach out, and the color will turn gray. If the skins of the hot dogs have burst, you know that you have overcooked them. Overcooked boiled hot dogs taste mushy and unpleasant.
Pan Frying Hot Dogs
Pan-frying hot dogs is a simple procedure. Fill a skillet with about half an inch of water. Turn the heat up to medium, at most medium-high. When the water starts to boil, add the hot dogs a few at a time. Turn the hot dogs frequently until they are brown on all sides, then take out and serve.
You can substitute a dab of butter or a little oil for the water and cook over medium heat for a little added flavor. In any case, do not cook more than eight to ten minutes, or you will risk overcooking the hot dogs.
An Air Fryer Will Cook Anything, Even Hot Dogs
Air fryers have become the latest craze in home appliances. Not only do air fryers allow you to cook dishes that ordinarily would be fried with little or no oil, but they can be used to cook almost any dish.
Air frying hot dogs is an absurdly easy process. You preheat the air fryer to 375-400°F. Then you cook the hot dogs for three minutes. Transfer the hot dogs to buns, add condiments, and serve.
How to Oven Roast Hot Dogs
Roasting hot dogs in the oven would seem overkill. However, the oven can be used to cook hot dogs if you have a lot to do at once.
Preheat the oven to 375-400°F. Place the hot dogs on a baking sheet or tray. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. You can tell that the hot dogs are done when they start to brown and curl up.
In a Pinch, Microwaving Your Hot Dogs
Hot dogs can be cooked in a microwave. However—just like when boiled—they will not brown, so they won’t be as flavorful as when grilled or pan-fried.
When you are short on time, though, microwaving is the quickest and most legitimate cooking method. It’s also ridiculously easy to get right (our tips below).
To cook hot dogs in your microwave, cover a microwave-safe dish with a paper towel and place the hot dogs on the towel. Cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes.
Creating the Perfect Hot Dog
Of course, cooking a hot dog properly is just the first, albeit the most important, step in creating one of America’s favorite casual dishes. They have to be put in a bun and then dressed properly with your favorite condiments.
To toast or not to toast the buns?
Do you toast the buns or leave them be?
The answer to the question is a matter of taste. TheHotDog.org has some helpful instructions for toasting hot dog buns on a stove, in the oven, or in a toaster oven. Each method suggests brushing the insides of the buns with olive oil for enhanced flavor.
Place the hot dog buns face-down and toast on medium-high heat until slightly charred in your skillet.
In the oven, preheat the broiler, place the buns inside on a baking sheet, and toast for about five minutes, but frequently check to make sure they don’t get burned.
Preheat for five to ten minutes in a toaster oven, toast inside up for about five minutes, but frequently check to make sure they don’t get burned.
You can also toast hot dog buns in an air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Brush the insides of the buns with olive oil. Toast the insides of the buns for about three minutes.
Of course, some people prefer their buns fresh out of the package. That’s fine, too.
What condiments go on a hot dog?
As for condiments, everything depends on the style of hot dog that you prefer to eat, as well as your personal preferences.
Some people just prefer a squirt of yellow mustard. Others like to stuff in chili and cheddar cheese. Certain styles of hot dogs call for the addition of pickles, sauerkraut, sliced jalapeño peppers, and/or onions (fresh or pickled).
The golden rule for adding condiments to a hot dog is to add something salty, something sweet, something pickled, and, for texture, something crunchy. Those who like heat can also add something hot.
Any approach is fine, as long as it suits your—and your diners’—taste.
The Perfect Hot Dog
Everyone has their own version of the perfect hot dog, depending on cooking methods, toasted or untoasted buns, and which condiments go on them.
The trick is not to overcook or undercook it, adding the condiments that appeal to you the most, and you will easily be reminded why the hot dog is such a popular comfort food.
