In something I never expected to have to clarify, this is a hot dog recipe but it is not a recipe for hot dogs. I know that I have a history of making foods from scratch that most sane people do not feel the need to — cream cheese, fig newtons, bagels, vanilla extract, and [coming soon] almond extract too — but I do still leave “grinding meat with spices, salt, and curing agents into a smooth, fine emulsion” before being “stuffed into casings and smoked” to the experts, usually at Hebrew National.

So while the Smitten Kitchen’s very first hot dog recipe isn’t a recipe for making hot dogs, phew, it is a recipe for my favorite way to prepare them. And on this, as with so many other things, I’m full of opinions.

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