Hot dogs are often found at the heart of any cookout. Beloved for their innate customizability and savory flavors, these sausages can be a crowd-pleasing choice for any affair. On those days you’re dreading all the ash wiping, grate cleaning, and oiling that goes along with grilling, you don’t have to skip out on hot dogs completely. (And we’re not talking about boiling them instead.) Stop grilling or boiling your hot dogs, because pan-frying your links is a much better alternative.
While boiling hot dogs is the go-to for cooking hot dogs fast, opting to pan-fry those sausages instead gives them a much better taste and texture. That’s because one delicious thing happens when you pan-fry a hot dog: you get the perfect sear. This benefit isn’t possible with boiling or microwaving, and since pan-frying is just as easy, why not make the swap? It’s a much faster option than using the oven too, and certainly easier than busting out the grill.
Pan-frying leaves you with a big batch of juicy, tender hot dogs with a mouthwateringly caramelized exterior. If you want to try your hand at this underrated cooking method, here’s how to do it.
The best way to pan-fry hot dogs
Before you add your hot dogs to the pan, you might want to cut a small slit into them first. Cooking hot dogs at high temperatures causes them to split. To keep them from bursting, making a small cut on one end of your hot dog is a good idea. This allows the pressure building within the hot dog casing to escape as the heat levels intensify. Cutting small and at the end of the dog is ideal, as it’ll allow steam to escape while holding in as much of the rich interior juices as possible. This also allows some of the butter and seasoning from the pan to soak into the dog, leading to a better flavor. Still, if you’d prefer to keep the sausage intact to reap the juiciest possible end product, you can skip this step.
Once your hot dogs are prepped, add water or butter to the frying pan of your choice over medium-high heat. We recommend a cast-iron pan. Once your butter’s foamed up, or the water is boiling, add in your hot dogs. Shift them in the pan occasionally to get a nice, even sear. Once they’re browned on each side, remove them from the pan with tongs and serve.
Pan-frying like this is an excellent alternative to a labor-intensive grill, lending a perfectly caramelized exterior without all the effort. Give this method a try with this banh mi spiral cut hot dog recipe to start.
