Just tossing a few dogs on the grill is a quick way to get dinner done. But those plain-old looking dogs can get mighty boring after a while. Of course you can put all sorts of fancy toppings on them (my favorite is the Chicago dog or just chili, onions and cheese). Another simple way to visually jazz them up is to score them in a spiral pattern, making spiraled hot dogs. This not only looks cool, it also gives your condiments a way to hold on to the dog.
To make the spiral, just start on one end with a sharp knife held at a 30-to-45 degree angle (the sharper the angle, the less spirals you’ll get) and start to rotate the dog. I find it’s easier to do with the dog standing up on one end. Start at the top with the knife, rotating the dog until the knife gets to the bottom.
For an extra flash, score the ends with a ‘+’ sign, 1/4″-1/2″ deep.
Grill the dogs until they puff up pretty and golden brown!
Also try my steakhouse hot dogs.
