My Father-in-Law's Favorite Trick For Grilled Hot Dogs

A little knife action makes a big difference.

Here is a fun little kitchen trick that will completely change your summer grilling game. Try cutting plain old hot dogs into a spiral, or "spiralizing" them, to make them tastier, larger, crispier, cuter, and even more practical to eat.

Spiral-cut hot dogs are not an entirely new concept, as some people have been doing it for years. But after TikTok influencer Carolina Gelen posted a video in June 2023 about how she cuts her hot dogs for grilling (not to mention how she tops them with an insanely delicious-looking roasted red pepper salsa and pickle mayo), the world has rediscovered this technique.

Bear with us while we explain the logic behind this quirky little hack. Cutting the hot dog into a spiral shape maximizes its surface area, which means there's more area to get crispy and flavorful on the grill. Because the hot dog is partially cut open, it cooks faster, which means more juices are retained. And those notches hold toppings more effectively than a smooth surface, letting you take the perfect bite every time.

You don't need any specialized tools, just a skewer to hold the hot dog in place and a sharp paring knife to cut through as you spin it on a cutting board. (Think about "unzipping" it.) When you remove the skewer, you are left with a hot dog that looks sort of like a corkscrew or a spring.

According to one of our editors, Andrea Lobas, this is the only way her family cooks hot dogs on the grill now. "My father-in-law recently read about this method and decided to give it a try. All the kids in our big, extended family now demand 'Doc's hot dogs' when we get together—spiral cut and grilled to perfection. He's not allowed to cook them any other way. There is something fun and special about spiral dogs, with their charred edges and appetizing appearance. I'm not even a big hot dog fan, but even I can't resist one of these."

So, stock up on hot dogs the next time you are at the store and give this a shot. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser and a palate-pleaser.

Read the original article on All Recipes.