Boil a Hot Dog
Boiling hot dogs is a quick, easy way to cook up a flavorful dinner. All you need is a pot of water and a pack of hot dogs. You can add extra flavor by seasoning the water or sauteing the dogs after boiling. Finish by placing your boiled dogs in buns and dressing them with your favorite condiments.
- Stove method prep time: 4 minutes
- Cook time: 6 minutes
- Total time: 10 minutes
Contents
Ingredients
- Hot dogs
- Water
- Hot dog buns
- Condiments such as chili and cheese, onions, mustard, ketchup, and relish.
Steps
Boiling Hot Dogs on the Stove
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. The pot should be large enough to fit all the hot dogs you want to boil. Leave a few inches of room at the top of the pot so it won't boil over when you add the dogs.
- Place the hot dogs in the pot. Carefully slip them into the pot one by one. Don't toss them in all at once, or the boiling water could splash you.
- Boil the hot dogs for six minutes. Hot dogs come pre-cooked, but they taste best when they're heated thorough. Boiling them for six minutes is enough time to get the hot dogs piping hot, but it's short enough to keep them from splitting down the middle. You want to avoid letting the hot dogs split, since they'll lose a lot of flavor if they do.
- If you're boiling a large pack of hot dogs, they may need an extra minute or two. Test a dog to see if it's ready before removing the rest of them from heat.
- If you're boiling just a dog or two, they may be ready before six minutes are up. Test a dog at five minutes to see if it's hot enough to suit you. If not, put it back in the water.
- Remove the hot dogs from heat and drain them. You can remove them one by one with tongs, shaking off the water as you go. As an alternative, pour the entire pot of dogs through a strainer, so that the water runs through and the dogs are caught.
- If you made enough hot dogs for people to come back for seconds, leave the extra dogs in the pot of warm water. Just move it to a cool burner and put a lid on the pot; the extra dogs are still likely to be hot when you're ready to eat them.
- If you're serving a big crowd and you want to keep a lot of hot dogs warm, keep the burner on the lowest heat setting until all the hot dogs are gone.
Boiling Hot Dogs in the Microwave
- Fill a microwave-safe bowl half-full with water. Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the amount of hot dogs you want to cook. A glass or plastic microwave-safe bowl works fine.
- Slit the hot dogs with a knife. This will prevent the dogs from bursting in the microwave. Make a lengthwise slit through the skin of each hot dog you're cooking.
- Cook the hot dogs on high for 1 minute . Check the dogs after 1 minute to determine if they need more time by cutting off the tip of a hot dot to see if it's thoroughly heated. If it needs more time, continue cooking in 30 second increments until they're fully heated.
- You can also check to see if it needs more time by looking at the texture of the hot dog; if the skin looks wrinkled and darker in color, it's probably done.
- If you're cooking more than a few hot dogs, they will need an extra minute or two to fully heat.
- Drain the hot dogs. Use a fork to remove them from the hot water and drain the dogs on a paper towel before serving.
Adding Extra Flavor
- Season the water before you boil the hot dogs. Plain boiled hot dogs taste great, but you might want to give yours a kick by adding some spices. Try adding half a teaspoon of salt if you like your hot dogs salty. In addition, pour in one or more of the following spices before you turn up the heat:
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian spice mix
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pour a beer into the water. Beer imparts a delicious sausage flavor to the hot dogs. It's the perfect way to add flavor if you're cooking up a batch of dogs to eat while watching sports or serving a roomful of adults who like the flavor of beer. Just add an entire beer to the water to replace a cup and a half of water. Bring it to a boil and cook the dogs as normal.
- If you're up for an experiment, try different types of beer. For example, a pale ale will impart a very different taste than a darker beer.
- This method works for hot dogs of any kind, but tastes especially good with all-beef dogs.
- Add a garlic clove to the water. Tossing in a garlic clove or two while the water comes to a boil is a great way to add earthy flavor to your hot dogs. You don't even have to peel the garlic; just throw in a clove or two unpeeled.
- Try sauteing the hot dogs after you boil them. If you want crispy dogs, quickly sauteing them after you've boiled them is the way to go. Heat a skillet over medium high and add a dash of olive oil. Use a knife to split your dogs in half lengthwise. When the oil is hot, sauté the dogs split-side down until they're brown and crispy.
- Dress the dogs with your favorite condiments. No matter how you cook your dogs, the best flavor comes afterward in the form of great condiments. Place your dogs in their buns and add your favorite toppings. Here are a few ideas:
- Chili
- Shredded cheese
- Ketchup and mustard
- Chopped onions, raw or sauteed
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Pickle relish
Tips
- If you don't want your bun to be soggy, dry the hot dog with a paper towel before placing your hot dog in the bun.
- Note that grilling or pan grilling will usually bring out the real hot dog taste, but it's an issue of personal preference.
Warnings
- Be careful when removing the hot dogs from the boiling water with improper grabbing utensils. If the hot dog falls back into the boiling water it may splash possibly causing burns. Use tongs for a good grip.
- Be sure not to fill the pan too high with water, otherwise it may overflow when it boils.
Things You'll Need
- Medium-sized pot
- Stove
- Tongs
- Hot dogs
- Hot dog buns
- Condiments
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