Last week, our friends at Minnesota Gold Meats asked on Facebook, “What do you like with our Campfire Hot Dogs?” Well, I had never had their campfire dogs, but I’ve been really craving some fancy hotdogs lately, so I figured even though it was raining, I would whip up some of the Minnesota Gold Campfire Hot Dogs and give them a try.
I happened to have some chipotle mayo and caramelized onions hanging out in the fridge. I’ve mentioned before that I love to make big batches of caramelized onions so I can have them around to add to salads or hot dogs or mac ‘n cheese – the options are endless! This combination gave me a little bit of a sweet and spicy combination. And of course bacon goes good on everything and added a nice crunch – plus it was raining outside so I made the hotdogs on the griddle and what is better to crisp them in than bacon fat? A little random digging through my fridge and these turned out to be pretty awesome hot dogs.
Now back to the hotdogs – this was my first time trying anything made by Minnesota Gold besides their bacon (which I love). First off, I was impressed that they came in a 16 pack (other stores might have smaller packages), which is important because buns typically come in 8 packs, which means it was an even multiple of buns – something not every brand gives you. Second, they were good! They were nice and plump, with a hint of a smoky flavor. Oh and they rang up at about a quarter a dog – without being on sale. I normally don’t wax poetic about hot dogs, but these were definitely good.
Here’s what you need:
If you don’t have any caramelized onions in the fridge like I did, get at least one good sized onion going (for 4 hot dogs). Head over to my How To post for details on how I like to caramelize onions. You can also use the slow cooker, like I did for Slow Cooker French Onion Soup, just stop short of the soup part, although you need to plan ahead for this method.
Next, heat your griddle to medium heat, about 300 degrees – or a medium to large skillet. Cook at least 4 strips of bacon – you’ll see six here because I made some extra to crumble on a side I was making. The bacon will take about 10 minutes depending on the exact temperature of your griddle.
If it’s not raining for you and you want to cook these outside, go right ahead and grill the dogs up! In that case I would recommend baking the bacon (or maybe using some you have hanging out in the fridge already) because you won’t need the bacon fat for the hot dogs.
Once the bacon is done, drain the bacon on paper towels, chop, and set aside. Add the hot dogs to the griddle. Don’t bother removing the fat that rendered from the bacon.
Cook them turning periodically until they have a nice char and are a little bit blistered – or really however you like them, as long as you warm them up. I wanted some nice char to mimic the flavor from the grill outside. This takes about 5 to 8 minutes, give or take.
Finally it’s time to build this sweet and spicy dog already! First things first – and maybe a little obvious – we’re going to plop it into a bun.
Now we’ll add the sweet with some caramelized onions – as much as you like.
And then it’s time for the spice by adding a drizzle of chipotle mayo.
And because everything needs a little texture – a sprinkle of bacon.
Tell me that doesn’t look like a tasty hot dog? Ketchup and mustard move on over!
We served these with some oven baked potato chips, but I haven’t quite perfected that recipe enough to share with you guys yet. A few more rainy days and then we’ll talk.
This is what we like with our Minnesota Gold Campfire Dogs.
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 Hot Dogs, such as Minnesota Gold Campfire Dogs
- 4 buns
- ½ to 1 cup caramelized onion (from 1-2 medium sweet onions)
- Chipotle Mayo
- Preheat griddle to 300 degrees or a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook bacon until nice and crisp. About 10 minutes. Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain and then chop into pieces.
- Cook the hot dogs in the rendered bacon fat, turning periodically until warmed through and charred to your taste on the outside. About 5-8 minutes.
- Build your sweet and spicy dog. Start by adding to your hot dog to a bun, then caramelized onion, a drizzle of chipotle mayo, and some crumbled bacon.
Those look absolutely stunning! Thanks for using our Hot Dogs!