The Best Hot Dog You’ll Ever Eat starts with a quality bun, diagonal cuts, and a sweet, tangy Special Sauce. An easy J Dawgs copycat recipe!. It’s so easy, you will be making this all summer! Invite me to your barbecue, please! Originally published May 12, 2015.
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My friend Kate is a fabulous concert-level violinist. This weekend she was playing with the Sacramento Orchestra and scored tickets for Sandi (my sis-in-law) and me.
The first piece was amazing. A full choir sang with the orchestra, as well as a boy soprano. Both of us got chills, almost cried, the whole bit. The second piece…not so much.
The moment the not-cool piece ended, Sandi turns to me during the applause and says, “I did NOT like that.” “Me neither!!” and then we start going on about how it paled in comparison to the first one.
THEN. Just wait, you guys. Everyone is still applauding when the conductor turns to the audience and moves his hands in the universal “stand-up-now” motion. I’m halfway out of my chair when I look behind me and realize the conductor was not asking the audience to stand up.
He was asking the man sitting directly behind us to stand up. And at least a half-dozen people sitting next to him. Our eyes widened in fear as we stared up at the man standing not 2 feet away from us, waving his hand to accept the applause.
We fumble for our programs. Who is he???
THE COMPOSER. Who were the people standing next to him? The family of the dead guy that the piece was written about.
Someday when I die, and I get to find out All The Stuff (you know, you find out Stuff when you die, right? Please say yes?), my first question will be, HE DIDN’T HEAR US DID HE??
This is the BEST hot dog you will EVER eat
I wasn’t made out for the orchestra anyway, let’s be real. I’m more of a hot dog kind of girl. JDAWGS HOT DOGS to be specific. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you are not from Utah, but if you are ever passing through, you HAVE to try JDawgs. It started out as a tiny shack just off BYU campus (my alma mater). Like literally, a shack. Students would pick up a hot dog on their way home or in between classes. Now I hear they are opening their 5th location, this one in SLC. They haven’t made it out to Sacramento yet, so I make them at home.
Featured Comment
“Oh my word!!!! Ahhfreakinmazing!! Soo good! On my permanent roster of favs! We loved the recipe soo much!” – Emily B.
Key ingredients
- All-beef or Polish hot dogs. I like the ones from Costco, but any brand will work.
- A great hot dog starts with a great bun. Look for large, soft, sturdy buns that can hold all your toppings without falling apart halfway through dinner.
How to make the best hot dog of your life
Start by making the special sauce. Just combine everything in a small saucepan and heat until it’s warmed through and barely starts to bubble. Let it cool while you fire up the grill.
Before grilling, use a serrated knife to make a series of diagonal cuts along each hot dog. As they cook, the cuts open up, and the dogs curl into their signature smiley shape (they know what’s coming).
Grill the hot dogs over medium heat until they’re nicely charred and caramelized, turning once halfway through. While they’re finishing up, butter the inside of the buns and toast them briefly on the grill until they’re warm and lightly crisp around the edges.
Pile the hot dogs into the toasted buns, drizzle generously with the special sauce, and add any toppings you love. That’s it. Simple, messy, and ridiculously good.
How to store leftovers
Got leftovers? Store the grilled hot dogs and special sauce separately in the refrigerator. The hot dogs will keep for 3-4 days, while the sauce stays good for up to a week.
To reheat, warm the hot dogs on the grill, in a skillet, or in the microwave until heated through. The buns are best toasted fresh right before serving.
Can I freeze my leftovers?
Hot dogs freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. I don’t recommend freezing assembled hot dogs or the buns as they’re much better fresh. The sauce can also be frozen for a couple of months if you find yourself with extra.
More hot dog and sausage recipes
Recipes for Dinner
Leftover Hot Dog Pizza with Caramelized Onions
Recipes for Dinner
Easy Sausage and Broccoli Kebabs with White Bean Salad
Recipes for Dinner
Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs (Grilled)
Recipes for Dinner
Homemade Pretzel Dogs
The Best Hot Dog You Will Ever Eat
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- dash black pepper
To assemble:
- large all-beef or Polish hot dogs, Costco has the best!
- large buns, The ones at Costco fit perfectly
- butter
- white onions
- sauerkraut
- pickles
- banana peppers
Instructions
- To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture barely starts to bubble, then remove from heat.
- Let cool completely. I like it to be room temperature, but you can chill it if you want.
- When you are ready to cook the hot dogs, set your grill to medium heat.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to make diagonal cuts in the hot dog a little more than halfway through. You want the cuts to make large W’s all the way down the dog. See photos.
- Grill the dogs until they are as black as you want them. Should take about 3-5 minutes per side. Don’t forget to flip them halfway. The dogs will curl into a smiley face because of the cuts. It’s because they’re so happy that you get to eat them.
- Butter the inside of the buns and place on the grill. Leave them for just a minute or so, until they get slightly crispy on the edges. Don’t overdo it or the bun will turn stale.
- Place the hot dog in the bun and top with tons of special sauce and any other desired toppings. If you are not eating right away, you can wrap the dog and the bun in foil to keep warm, like they do at JDawgs.
This I see the absolute best hot dog sauce! Â And the ingredients are those that you will have on hand.Â
I think you are going to love it Donna! It’s so easy to make!
I made these last night. The sauce is really good. I am going to try the left overs on chicken wings
Leftovers on chicken! That’s a genius idea! I’m totally going to try that next time I make this. Thanks for the comment Jeannie!
Everyone love this hot dog thing. Yum perfect for summer.
May I say that I think your recipes are fabulous, but please answer a question for me. Why is it that everyone has to tel a life story or something before giving the recipie? Why can’t you just give us a picture of the item and the recipie? It would save so much space on Pinterest and time going through different recipies. Just wondering, that’s all, not condemning anyone.one of these days we will have to start conserving space or the cloud will be full.
Hey Dayne! This is a personal blog, not a magazine or recipe index. I write my stories because that’s part of why I enjoy blogging. It’s also what my readers enjoy. There are lots of other places to get free recipes without the chatter, like Food Network, Allrecipes, etc. Keep in mind that all these blogs and recipe indexes are FREE to you! Take a moment to be grateful that you don’t have to spend money on cookbooks these days :)
I’m definitely not worried about space on the cloud! That made me laugh out loud!
It’s awesome !!!!! My wife loves it with a alot of different meats . 2 thumbs up people !
vERY sIMPLE TO MAKE AND IT WAS EXCELLANT. wILL USE THIS RECEIPIE AGAIN AND AGAIN
I am going to try this but vegan style! It will be just as good, I swear!
Whaaaaat vegan!!!???? Tell us how it goes!!
Hi Karen! Great tips about the diagonal cuts! I usually leave the sausages on for too long, because aI don’t want to get them out unfinished. And then the side closer to the fire gets totally burned. Making diagonal cuts is such an easy tip, I am shocked I never thought of it before.
Maybe he didnât hear you with all of the applause?? These hot dogs look amazing!
Let’s hope so!!
humm me parece muito bom! JĂĄ Copie a receita sĂł nĂŁo sei o que ĂŠ Worcestershire Meu InglĂŞs nĂŁo ĂŠ muito bom e neste caso o Google nĂŁo ajudou muito..Beijas…Do Brasil Maria
Hi Maria! I don’t speak Portuguese but hopefully Google can translate this for you! Sounds like you don’t have Worcestershire in brazil. Here’s a homemade recipe: http://www.foodrenegade.com/homemade-worcesterschire-sauce/ Hope this helps! Good luck!
I’m more of a classic hot dog kind of girl. I’ve had the J Dawgs sauce before but I prefer the classic ketchup and mustard! That sounds really yummy tonight. Have you ever tried a Nathan’s brand hot dog? I love those!
Nathan’s has great flavor, but I wish their dogs weren’t so skinny. I like BIG hot dogs, haha. Now I am craving hot dogs!!
Tomorrow is National Hot Dog day and I am doing a fantastic roundup to celebrate. This post and your pretzel hot dogsa re boht being featured. :) Hope you can stop by!
Oh my goodness Karen, you have the best stories. I would have died, come back to life, then died all over again. These hot dogs? Totally happening. The diagonal cuts are genius! More grilled to not-grilled ratio please!
You mentioned wrapping the “dog” in foil to keep warm for awhile. Do you put the sauce on before you wrap or wait until time to eat?
Hey Annabelle! I would wait to add sauce until just before you eat it, otherwise the buns will get soggy.
Made these last night and it was a hit!! The sauce especially. We actually grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and everyone loved the sauce on the burgers as well. Yummmmm!
Awesome Janell! I’m glad you guys all liked it! I’m so trying this on a hamburger next time! Thanks for the tip, and thanks for the comment!