Are you the type of person that wants ALL the toppings on your hot dogs? Yeah. Me too. Since we’ve established that a loaded hot dog is a superior hot dog, I bring you: spiral hot dogs. Get a pack of all-beef hot dogs, your favorite toppings, a beer and a try-anything attitude. Because you’ll want to make these freakin’ delicious dogs immediately.
Why You’ll Love The Spiral Hot Dog
The spiral cut on the hot dog isn’t just to make things look pretty. It’s a simple trick, but the diagonal cut technique takes a good hot dog and turns it into a freakin’ great hot dog. You get the best of all hot dog worlds, with extra crispy edges AND little pockets that catch all the toppings. Just another example of how small changes can have a big impact when you’re cooking over fire!
I made these spiral cut hot dogs in a ripping-hot cast iron skillet on the grill, then loaded ’em up with fresh pico de gallo, creamy guacamole, mayonnaise and mustard. It’s quickly become my favorite way to serve these dogs, but feel free to experiment with your favorite hot dog topping. Chili cheese dogs, but make ’em spiral cut? I salute your ambition, my backyard grilling friend.
I bet you’re looking for a chili cheese dog recipe now! Look no further than my Chili Cheese Dog. You can also try the Chili Cheese Glizzburger, Chili Cheese Potato Volcanoes, Loaded Chili Cheese Fries and Chili Cheese Smash Burgers.
Spiral Hot Dog Ingredients
Best news: this is one of those easy recipes that delivers a huge bang for the buck. All you need are hot dogs, hot dog buns, guac, pico de gallo, mayonnaise and yellow mustard. We’ll also use skewers (either a metal or wooden skewers works here) and neutral oil for the grilling portion. See? Told you that you’ll want to make these spiral cut dogs immediately.
My Favorite Guacamole
You can get tasty guacamole at the grocery store, but it’s so incredibly easy to make at home. I made it with my shrimp tostadas recipe and it was off the charts! In a large bowl, mix together your ingredients for the guacamole: 5-6 ripe mashed avocados, 1 cup of diced red onion, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, juice from 3-4 medium limes and kosher salt to taste. Set that creamy avocado mixture to the side. Now, you’ve got ready-to-go guacamole for everything from these spiral cut hot dogs to tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more.
THE COWBOY COLLECTION
JUST DROPPED.
Cowboy butter brings rich, garlicky heat. Cowboy Candy brings sweet fire with a brown sugar kick. Both built to perform over the fire – just like we like it.
How to Make Spiral Hot Dogs
Start off by preheating your fire pit for medium-high heat, around 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, place a large cast iron skillet over the fire to heat up.
Next, push a skewer lengthwise through the center of each hot dog. You’ll have four total.
Starting at one end, hold a sharp paring knife at roughly a 45-degree angle against the hot dog. Slowly rotate the skewer while keeping the knife in place to create one continuous spiral pattern cut from end to end.
Gently stretch each hot dog along the skewer to open up the spiral and expose the extra surface area to browning.
Add the oil to the preheated cast iron skillet, then add the spiral hot dogs. Cook for 6–8 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and crispy on all sides.
During the final couple minutes of cooking, add your four hot dog buns cut-side down to the skillet and toast until golden brown.
Once your hot dogs are browned and crispy, remove them from the skillet and carefully pull out the skewers from the center of the hot dog. Place each spiral hot dog into a toasted bun. Top each hot dog with guacamole and pico de gallo, then drizzle with mayonnaise and yellow mustard. I’ve found about 1/2 cup each of guacamole and pico de gallo and a 1/4 cup each of mayonnaise and yellow mustard is perfect for four spiral hot dogs.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
What to Serve with Spiral Hot Dogs
I love the toppings listed with the spiral hot dogs, but you can tailor these according to what your taste buds are feeling. Go Chicago style with onions, peppers, tomatoes, relish and pickles, or add in sauerkraut and spicy mustard for more German flavors. The possibilities are seriously endless! On the side, cook up some French fries, sweet potato fries or onion rings, and round out with coleslaw or a simple green salad.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover hot dogs, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, just warm them up on the grill or the stove!
More Hot Dogs
FAQs
You want to cut about halfway through the hot dog. That’s enough to create those crispy edges and topping pockets, but not so deep that the hot dog falls apart when you stretch it along the skewer. Going slowly and keeping the knife angle consistent at about 45 degrees is the key to a clean, even spiral.
I think they work best in this spiral hot dogs recipe because they hold their shape better during the spiral cutting and grilling process. They also tend to have a snappier texture that really shines when crisped up in a cast iron. That said, you can make any good quality hot dog work! Just be gentle when stretching the spiral so it doesn’t tear.
For sure! You can spiral cut the hot dogs and store them on the skewers covered in the fridge a few hours before cooking.
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Spiral Hot Dog
Ingredients
- 4 all-beef hot dogs
- 4 wooden or metal skewers
- 4 hot dog buns
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- ½ cup guacamole
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your fire pit for medium-high heat, around 375F. Place a large cast iron skillet over the fire to preheat.
- Push a skewer lengthwise through the center of each hot dog. Starting at one end, hold a sharp knife at roughly a 45-degree angle against the hot dog. Slowly rotate the skewer while keeping the knife in place to create one continuous spiral cut from end to end.
- Gently stretch each hot dog along the skewer to open up the spiral and expose more surface area for browning.
- Add the oil to the preheated cast iron skillet, then add the spiral hot dogs. Cook for 6–8 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and crispy on all sides.
- During the final couple minutes of cooking, add the buns cut-side down to the skillet and toast until golden brown.
- Remove the hot dogs from the skillet and carefully pull out the skewers. Place each spiral hot dog into a toasted bun.
- Top each hot dog with guacamole and pico de gallo, then drizzle with mayonnaise and yellow mustard.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
