A homemade hot dog bar is one of the most festive ways to make casual entertaining a little easier. All you need to do is actually cook the franks first (and, believe it or not, there are wrong ways to cook hot dogs), maybe steam or grill the buns, and then set out a veritable smorgasbord of enough possible toppings so that no one guest’s selections need to resemble the other. And texture is an excellent thing to keep in mind for sensational sausages.
The hot dog standards — ketchup, mustard, maybe a little onion relish if you’re going the unique New York hot dog way— will do you good in terms of flavor. But texture, too, is crucial to the ways in which we enjoy food, and none of those three do anything extraordinary in that department. So serve them up, by all means, but also consider what will add some snap, crunch, and an overall more dynamic bite to those savory but otherwise uniformly soft standbys.
The best textured toppings for your hot dog bar
Sliced jalapeños are a pretty mainstream but still narrowly unexpected item to ease into more interestingly textured hot dog toppings. You’ll need to slice them fresh for the most crispy effect, though the heat-averse will obviously want to stay away from this topping. Diced bell peppers can have a similar crunchy finish but without any fire. And something like quick pickled red cabbage stays in the vegetable lane while adding plenty of crunch and color.
For a little spice and even more crunch without the chopping, wasabi peas are an excellent choice for your hot dog bar toppings. Other ready-made options like the French fried onions you’d put on a classic, all-American green bean casserole, or plantain chips for a bit of sweetness, are also delightful. And, being how excellent good old potato chips are at livening up a sandwich, you might as well toss some of those in, too. The combination might even inspire a spirited, if familiar, debate.
