Doggone delicious tips

Let’s be frank. Hot dogs are the ideal convenience food for the barbecue. Readily available, they cook up quickly so there’s less time standing over a hot grill. You can keep them plain and simple or fancy them up if you’re feeling creative.

Various sources suggest, on average, Canucks chow down somewhere in the ballpark of 57 hot dogs each and every year … many of them in the actual ballpark. It works out to 37 million kilograms purchased annually by over 66 per cent of households.

Before you set up the barbecue, you’ll be doing some shopping. Producers to note are Maple Leaf Foods (brands include Maple Leaf, Schneiders and Lafleur), Winkler Meats (available at chains and independents province-wide), Winnipeg Old Country Sausage (family owned, available at chains, and local grocers), East 40 Packers Ltd. (family owned business sourcing from Manitoba farmers), Obermaier’s Sausage & Meats Ltd. (a staple for Westman).

TOP TIPS FOR GRILLING DOGS

• Hot dogs freeze well, so stock up when they are on sale. Before you grill, thaw them completely in the refrigerator.

• Hot dogs can burn quickly, so organize your grill area. To prevent the wieners from shrivelling or shrinking on the grill, make four or five small slits in them.

• Charcoal gives more flavour to those cooked dogs. Lit coals are ready to go when they have “ashed over.” When coals are ready, spread them out, replace the rack and let the rack preheat for a few minutes. For gas, pre-heat the barbecue and the rack.

• Once on the grill, stay close, they won’t take long to cook. Whether using gas or charcoal, manage your heat somewhere around 175 C to 200 C (350 F to 400 F). Cook them too quickly and they will burn on the outside and stay cold inside, cook them too slowly and they can burst or split.

• You are aiming for even charring, and that should take about two to four minutes to get grill marks on one side. Turn over to char the other side, another two to four minutes. They should be fully cooked with juices running out. Brush on barbecue sauce at the end of the grilling time so the sauce doesn’t burn.

Buns are the classic way to deliver the dogs, but you could also pop them into taco shells with taco toppings, or roll them into tortillas.

Finally, a few words about food safety. Frozen wieners should be thawed in the refrigerator. You don’t want them to be ice cold going on to the grill, but neither do you want them left out too long before grilling. Take them out just long enough to take the chill off.

Ensure that plates, platters, tongs and other utensils that have come into contact with uncooked meat are thoroughly washed with soap and hot water before use with cooked meat.

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