Grilling on the barbeque or skewered over a campfire could be considered the best ways to have hot dogs. If you have been cruising the internet lately you’ll notice some fun new ways to cut hot dogs before grilling.
We placed the cut hot dogs on the grill and noticed quickly that the checkerboard cut wanted to curl right up as did the straight-diagonal cuts. The straight cut hot dogs stayed straight and the spirals looked pretty cool.
The hot dogs that curled up were frustrating on the grill, but could still be straightened out on the bun. The drawback is it was hard to get the dark grill marks all over. But they look pretty interesting in the bun.
Why cut hot dogs?
When hot dogs heat up on the grill they plump up, expand and pop open on the ends unless they are taken off the heat in time. Cutting them helps them to expand in the cut spots and it looks pretty cool too. Here are some different ways we cut our hot dogs.
Ways to cut hot dogs
- Straight cut: Cut in a straight line about 1/3 of the way deep
- Checker Board cut: Cut diagonal going up right, cut diagonal going down left
- Straight Diagonal cut: Cut straight across but diagonal down 1/3 of the deep
- Spiral Cut: Make a constant cut going diagonally as you roll the hot dog in one direction 1/3 of the way deep. You could also use a skewer to help with control.
We placed the cut hot dogs on the grill and noticed quickly that the checkerboard cut wanted to curl right up as did the straight-diagonal cuts. The straight cut hot dogs stayed straight and the spirals looked pretty cool.
The hot dogs that curled up were frustrating on the grill, but could still be straightened out on the bun. The drawback is it was hard to get the dark grill marks all over. But they look pretty interesting in the bun.