Elevate Your Next Cookout With This Quirky Hot Dog Trick

Hot dogs have come a long way — in fact, they now have entire restaurants devoted to them, showcasing the many ways they can be dressed up. At home, hot dogs might not be the fanciest item at your backyard cookout, but there's a simple way to jazz them up a bit. Food Republic spoke with chef and author Sean Martin, who says, "If you want to elevate the presentation, spiralizing the hot dog with a good chef knife creates [a] coil-like look without the gimmicks of score marks."

The best part? It's really easy to do. Simply insert a skewer through the hot dog from end to end. Hold the wiener in one hand and your knife in the other. Starting at the top, angle your blade and slice through in one continuous motion, rotating the hot dog as you cut down to the bottom (the skewer prevents you from slicing all the way through).

"You get more sear surface area so the crispy texture of the hot dog is enhanced," Martin explained. This also means more delicious caramelization of the exposed parts, and your hot dogs will cook faster, too.

You can stick with tradition and serve your spiralized hot dogs in regular buns with classic toppings, such as ketchup, mustard, onion, and relish. Or, as Sean Martin suggests, you can "serve with fun toppings like chili in a classic brioche bun" (we'd also add some cheese on top). For a more elevated twist, try caramelized onions, pickled vegetables like red onions, jalapeños, or even radishes, or a sweet-and-savory combination with grilled pineapple.

You can also skip the bun entirely and serve it as a standalone, yet fancy, protein. "Serve it over a pickled cucumber, or incorporate it into a potato salad with an extra twist that will make people say[,] 'That's fun — how did you do that[?]'" Martin suggested.

Instead of — or in addition to — bacon bits, use chopped spiralized hot dogs in baked beans. Or, turn them into hot dog burnt ends — the spiralizing creates more nooks and crannies for rubs and sauces to settle into, and the increased surface area enhances caramelization, especially when smoked.