Skip to main content

Hot Dog Ideas Just in Time for National Hot Dog Day

National Hot Dog day is Tuesday, July 20, 2021, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look at some of the best hot dog brands out there. A hot dog, to avoid dispute, is a frankfurter made of seasoned smoked meat, usually beef and/or pork. The name hot dog originated in the 19th century and was U.S. college slang for frankfurter because the popular belief was they contained dog meat – clearly not the case.

Hot dogs have become a food staple and are consumed a lot during national holidays or weekend barbecues. The hot dog, its toppings, and even its buns differ from coast to coast. No matter what you call them, it’s the hotdog toppings that are the show stoppers. There has long been a debate about whether or not to put ketchup on a hot dog, but with these recipes, you won’t need to worry about ketchup.

Recommended Videos

Related Guides

BKHDCO Banh Mi

banh mi hot dog
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Brooklyn Hot Dog Company has been going strong since 2012 when it created five varieties of hot dogs, striving for nitrate- and filler-free hot dogs. To do that they chose quality antibiotic-free meats and all-natural casings and focused on creating healthier and more flavorful twists on hot dogs of the past. Founders Tony Fragogiannis and Justin Neiser felt ‘Brooklyn’ was the only name worthy for their hot dogs and will always call Brooklyn home thanks to Tony’s father who was a Greek immigrant and operated a restaurant there in the 1960s. BKHDCO headquarters is a tribute to that bygone era. You can find Brooklyn Hot Dog Company hot dogs in select markets across the country.

This Banh Mi sandwich is made using BKHDC’s snappy beef and pork hot dogs, a crispy and chewy baguette, and fresh and crisp vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 2 Beef & Pork Brooklyn Hot Dogs
  • 1 Vietnamese Baguette (or a soft French baguette)
  • 1 small cucumber, cut into spears
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 cup pickled carrots and Daikon radish
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2 tbsp mayo (we recommend Kewpie)
  • Optional: 2 tbsp Sriracha | 3 dashes soy sauce (we recommend Maggi)

Method:

  1. Heat frying pan over high heat
  2. Cut hot dogs down the side/butterfly and sear
  3. Slice loaf almost all the way in half
  4. Spread mayo on the inside of the loaf
  5. For a spicier sandwich, spread Sriracha on the inside of the loaf as well
  6. Place seared and split hot dogs in the loaf
  7. Add the cucumber spears, jalapeño slices, pickled veggies, and cilantro
  8. Add optional soy sauce
  9. Cut sandwich in half
  10. Photograph it, eat it, post it, tag us, and use #bkhotdogco

Chicken Wing Dog

Buffalo style chicken wing hot dog
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Buffalo Chicken Dog is made with chicken, pork, hot sauce, and a variety of seasonings that combine to create a classic Buffalo Chicken hot dog.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Buffalo Chicken Brooklyn Hot Dog Co. hot dog
  • 1 hot dog bun of your liking
  • 1/2 stalk of celery
  • 1/4 carrot
  • 4 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing
  • 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot wing sauce (we like Frank’s)
  • Blue cheese crumbles

Method:

  1. Dice up the celery and carrot
  2. Hydrotoast your dogs
  3. Place the hot dog in a bun and top with blue cheese dressing, celery, carrots, and blue cheese crumbles
  4. Drizzle wing sauce over the top
  5. Photograph it, eat it, post it, tag us, and use #bkhotdogco

Portillo’s

Portillo's Chicago Dog Hot Dog
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In 1963, Dick Portillo opened up a small trailer, soon to be the first Portillo’s hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois. He called that food trailer “The Dog House.” As the years went on, Portillo’s became a brand synonymous with Chicago. Portillo’s is now known for more than their Chicago Dog Hot Dogs.

The Chicago Dog Hot Dog is made with a Vienna Hot Dog topped with mustard, relish, celery salt, freshly chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, kosher pickle spear, and sport peppers, and a steamed poppy seed bun. Portillo’s is found in 60 locations across the country.

Maille Hot Dogs

Maille Mexican street corn hot dog
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even the Maille mustard brand got into the hot dog business, sort of. They created some recipes to accompany their mustard products.

The Tropical Hot Dog is made using fresh pineapple, fresh mango, red onion, cilantro, Maille Honey Dijon, and lime.

They have their own version of the Chicago Dog as well – the Maille Chicago-Style Hot Dog. It’s made with poppy seed rolls, hot dogs, Maille Old Style Mustard, Maille cornichons, diced sweet onions, sliced tomato wedges, and peppers or pepperoncini.

Also on their hot dog list is a Mexican Street Corn Hot Dog which includes ingredients such as corn, red bell pepper, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, sour cream, mayonnaise, Maille Dijon Originale, and Cotija cheese crumbles.

Dog Haus

Dog Haus Sooo Cali hot dog
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dog Haus uses 100% genetically tested and certified humanely raised Black Angus beef. There are no added nitrates or nitrites and all of their beef is vegetarian fed with no hormones and antibiotics. Every Haus Dogs are served on King’s Hawaiian Rolls. You can find Dog Haus hot dogs at over 70 locations across the country.

The Sooo Cali hot dog is topped with wild arugula, avocado, tomato slice, crispy fried onions, and spicy basil aioli.

Then there’s the Dog Haus’s the Downtown hot dog. Grilled Hawaiian buns, smoked bacon-wrapped hot dog, caramelized onions, pickled peppers, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.

There you have it, some pretty great hot dog ideas that will take your grilled hot dog game to the next level so clean off that grill and start practicing.

Joe Morales
Former Former Food, Drink, & Culture Writer
Joe Morales is a trained chef with over five years of experience working in fine dining and Michelin recommended restaurants…
What is a lawnmower beer? The perfect summer drink, explained
What is a lawnmower beer?
Cheers beer bottles with sun in the background

Summer has officially begun for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. Regardless of where you live, this means seemingly endless sunny days, warm (to downright hot) temperatures, and possibly uncomfortable humidity guaranteed to make you sweat through your clothes at least once a week. Fear not. It's also the season of the lawnmower beer.

In my years of writing about alcohol (and mowing my fair share of lawns), I've imbibed an awful lot of lawnmower beers. This brings us to one crucial question: What is a lawnmower beer?
What is a lawnmower beer?

Read more
This new gadget makes smooth cold brew in just 15 minutes—no fridge required
Dash's Brew2Go is the cold brew maker everyone needs
Dash Brew2Go

If you ask me, cold brew coffee is the drink of every summer. Making cold brew at home is now even easier with the launch of Dash's new Brew2Go Portable Cold Brew System -- a compact, countertop gadget that delivers smooth, delicious cold brew in under 15 minutes. Unlike other methods of cold brew that require overnight refrigeration, this gadget streamlines the process, delivering bold cold brew in a flash. As coffee drinkers seek new ways to brew cafe favorites at home, products like the new Dash Brew2Go are quickly becoming fan-favorites for cold coffee lovers who want to save money, time, and effort (or who fail to plan to make overnight cold brew recipes).

With no more waiting overnight or long coffee shop lines, the new Dash Brew2Go could quickly become the go-to for making cold brew coffee at home. This innovative device allows coffee drinkers to brew up to 1.5 cups of cold brew coffee right from their countertop. Designed with convenience in mind, Brew2Go features one-touch brewing, a reusable filter, and a built-in travel cup with lid and silicone straw—perfect for your desk, beach bag, or morning commute.

Read more
Country singer Dierks Bentley is releasing a new, limited-release bourbon
Launched to coincide with his new album, Dierks Bentley is releasing a new whiskey
Whiskey glass

Dierks Bentley is a country music star. He also launched his own whiskey brand, ROW 94, in September 2024 in collaboration with the historic Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky. Recently, the brand announced the release of a new, limited-release bourbon.
ROW 94 Broken Branches

Named for his new album, it was made in partnership with Lofted Custom Spirits at the Green River Distilling Co. It begins with a mash bill of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted and row barley. It's matured for at least five years in new, level 4 charred American oak barrels using "Branch Aging" with fire-toasted oak staves seasoned for up to twenty-four months.

Read more