Worse yet! Never eat hot dogs made in the year 711? But I thought they improve with age, like good booze does!
My ideal hotdog (not sausage) is a Hebrew National, brown mustard, sweet relish, sauerkraut, sliced dill pickle, a bit of mayonnaise, hot sauce, and that's it. Oh yeah, no wheat bun shit, fuck that.
I really don't like Hebrew National brand. I prefer Oscar Meyer all beef franks. And I have to have relish & onions on my dogs.
I grilled three packs of Hebrew National dogs last night. I think they were more popular than the burgers.
A lot of people like them, and they are made with a minimum of chemicals and flavorings & whatnot, but for some reason the taste is off. And on the opposite extreme of "high end" hot dogs is my wife. She like the dollar for a package store brand type of crappy dogs made with chicken & pork (if we're lucky).
The lowest I go for a hot dog (if I have to) is Oscar Meyer, and only then the beef or turkey ones. I don't even buy those crap weiner for my dog.
I often grill Costco bratwurst and serve them like hotdogs. Far West Meats Spicy Natural Hog Casing Sausages are also a favorite.
Costco actually does have a good line of unique brands that of course rotate a lot so you'll always find something different.
Yes, usually a bock or some other dark beer. The purpose of boiling them a bit is to cook out a lot of the fat before the sausages hit the fire, reducing flare ups. So you could actually use water (and some people do) but using a good beer imparts a little bit of extra flavor to the bratwurst, which is a bonus. During the winter, my wife (who doesn't like beer) will often take a dark or amber beer and simmer a whole sausage link in it for supper. By the time the sausage is cooked, the beer has reduced to a sort of glaze, which tastes awesome.
Hmmm.......I would think that with the majority of the flavor coming from the brats themselves versus the beer it wouldn't matter. I've never cooked beer soaked brats though. I have fried fish in "beer batter" but didn't taste the beer all that much. This warrants more study on my part!
I'm partial to Johnsonville Brats, done just that way. Though I more frequently prepare Italian sausage, which I get fresh from an Italian butcher.
You do find amazing food in the most unlikely of places sometimes if you are willing to actually try it and not judge a book by its cover. The best Mexican style seafood I ever had came from a humble street cart in Ensenada while the best cup of coffee I ever had was at a road side stand in Costa Rica.
Grilled Ball Park Franks, on a white bread bun, with ketchup, mustard, and chopped onion. Heaven. Costco has a nice sweet Italian sausage that works well when grilled, placed on a bun, and dressed with spicy brown mustard and a slice of havarti.
The problem with a lot of hot dog toppings is that they drown out the meat flavor. Sauerkraut, relish, and mustard IMO just overwhelm the taste buds and there's very little sense of meat flavors left. I like things that complement the meat flavor without overwhelming it. That's one reason I prefer ketchup, although chili & cheese (sometimes w/ onions) is the true ultimate hot dog topping!
