Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way–I’m Kate and could probably be classified as a foodie. And I like hot dogs.
People are always surprised when I tell them I like hot dogs. It started when I was a teenager and people would be like, “Ew, you’re eating that??” And it’s true, some hot dogs are super gross (we shan’t talk about those bright red specimens), but there are really delicious hot dogs out there. If there’s ever a food product to spend a little extra money on, this is it. All-beef hot dogs are a great start, and kosher is even better. If you’re gonna do the dogs, I recommend Hebrew National, Nathan’s, or Oscar Mayer Selects Angus Hot Dogs.
These Food Truck Hot Dogs are old school, like something your grandma would make, but in a good way, not like in a Meat Jello Mold kind of way. They remind me a lot of J-Dawgs in Utah. If you’re feeding a crowd, this is an easy way to feed a ton of people–you can pop them in a Crock Pot and have them ready for a party later or you can simmer these in less than 30 minutes for a quick dinner on the run (plus you can add 2-3 more packages of hot dogs to one batch of sauce than the recipe calls for). I once had a party where I made these for the kids and Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches (which are always a huge hit) for the grown-ups, Guess what everybody ate? The hot dogs.
The awesome news is that these are super easy. For the sauce, you’ll need apple juice, an onion, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
See this chili sauce?
That’s what you want–it’s usually near the ketchup in the grocery store; it’s not spicy at all. Yes, people have emailed us before and said that they’ve used Sriracha or other Asian chili sauces in recipes that call for this kind of chili sauce. And they were sad.
instructions
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the onion and garlicto the drippings and saute until the onions are tender and fragrant. Side note: onions and garlic cooking in bacon drippings is one of the most swoon-worthy smells ever.
Place the chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon, and apple juice in the pan and bring to a boil. Add the hot dogs and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the hot dogs are hot. Either serve immediately or transfer to a slow cooker set to the low setting. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onions, drizzled with extra sauce..
Food Truck Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bottle chili sauce like Heinz, not like Sriracha
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 8 pack of high-quality beef hot dogs like Hebrew National Nathan's, or Oscar Mayer Angus Selects (you can actually add up to 2-3 packages without altering the sauce at all--perfect for parties!)
- 8 hot dog buns
- Desired toppings like shredded cheese, chopped onions, and the sauce the hot dogs cook in
Instructions
- In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the drippings and saute until the onions are tender and fragrant. Add the chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon, and apple juice and bring to a boil. Add the hot dogs, reduce heat, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the hot dogs are hot. Either serve immediately or transfer to a slow cooker set to the low setting. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onions.
Notes
Questions & Reviews
I am looking for slow-cooker meals, and this one came up! How do you cook this one in the slow-cooker? My boys would love it!
After you cook the onions, transfer everything to the slow cooker and then simmer on low for 4-6 hours.
WOWZA! These are DEEELICIOUS! I made them for my work peeps today – I am definitely the favorite today! Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m so happy you loved these!! ❤️❤️??
I love hot dogs – Hebrew National is my brand of choice! I definitley want to try this.
Oh, and don’t tell anyone… I like Spam too.
Your secret is safe. ?
Can’t wait to make these. I grew up eating hot dogs in what I believe was a very similar sauce. Thanks also for schooling people about chili sauce. Chili sauce, chili pepper sauce and Asian chili sauces are very different, and I know I have ruined recipes because the recipe writer failed to distinguish one from the other. It’s a pet peeve of mine.
Definitely on my “gotta try these soon” list!
Love me some Jdawgs! I miss it since we’ve moved away! Trying this for sure!
What size bottle of chili sauce? And what would be comparable to the Heinz sauce? I can’t it in grocery stores near me. Is it a tomato based sauce like ketchup?
It’s a standard size, 12oz bottle- looks like this!
I made these for Halloween last night and they will be our new tradition!! They were AMAZING! Best hot dog of my life!
Awesome! I am excited to try this for an easy BBQ food. If you make a huge amount, do you make equal parts sauce? I mean, if I want to do 40 hotdogs, do I need 5x the sauce, or do you just need enough to make sure all the hot dogs are coated well? Hope that makes sense.
I think you could probably get away with 1 batch of sauce for 2x the hot dogs. So if you’re doing 40 hot dogs, I’d probably make 2.5 times the sauce. Maybe 3 for good measure. 🙂
Living in Tokyo for a couple years, and recently had some other expat friends over for a “We Miss America” party. I managed to find all the ingredients to make these hotdogs, since they seemed a fitting tribute to America, and we just about ate ourselves into a coma they were so good. We just couldn’t stop.
This has been a favorite way in our family to eat hot dogs since I got the recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook a few years ago. The author recommends Homade brand chili sauce, but I have always been partial to Heinz, myself. Others might like to know that the recipe states that the sauce is good as hors d’oeuvres in a chafing dish. You can serve “Lit’l Smokies” in the sauce with toothpicks.
awesome bale balle
Just made these for dinner. This recipe has officially ruined plain old hotdogs and regular sloppy joes for me… and I’m so glad!!! These were fan-fricken-tastic!!