Loaded Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 4 beef hot dogs
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 4 hot dog buns
- ½ cup black olives (sliced)
- ¼ cup shallots (diced small)
- ¼ cup pepperoncinis (sliced)
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped)
- ⅛ cup cotija cheese
- 4 baby dill pickles
- Mustard
- Ketchup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F to cook the bacon
- Bake bacon slices until almost done. About 10 minutes
- Preheat Trager/BBQ to medium high heat (or 300°F) to cook the hot dogs
- Wrap hot dogs in bacon (secure with toothpicks) and cook on Trager/BBQ for 15 minutes
- While the hot dogs are cooking, toast hot dog buns under broiler in the oven
- Place hot dogs on buns with desired condiments, add olives, shallots, pepperoncinis, cilantro, and cotija
- Serve with pickle and enjoy!
I love hot dogs. I hate to admit it, but they’re one of my favorite foods! And as soon as it’s wrapped in bacon and loaded with toppings I don’t see who could resist them! It might seem like a lot of work to invest in a ballpark hot dog – but it is well worth every second!
Growing up, we were rarely allowed to have hot dogs. They were almost strictly reserved for camping. Every now and then, we’d get lucky at my grandma’s house when she’d pan fry them for us. Some of my favorite memories are of having hot dogs and s’mores around the camp fire. When I was in high school, I remember visiting a friends house and her Mom was making loaded hot dogs for dinner. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I had been satisfied with ketchup and mustard up until that day. She wrapped them in bacon and then served them with ketchup and mayo on a toasted bun and let me tell you what! It was a game-changer.
Since then, I’ve wrapped my hot dogs in bacon and added whatever toppings I have on hand. I love using pepperoncinies to give it a little more bite than when using relish. A rule of thumb is that if it’s a good topping for nachos, it’s a good topping for a hot dog.
To successfully cook the bacon all the way, start it off in the oven. Remove it from the oven when it’s just about done and then wrap your hot dog. Then you’re ready to throw it on the Traeger, grill or pan-fry it. This will allow the bacon to get colored and a little crispy. Once you have loaded hot dogs, you’ll never go back!