Weigh in: Grilled, Boiled, or Fried?

[fried fish]

I didn't know where to stick this.. I was going to put it under beef, then just decided to stick it here. If the site people decide to stick it somewhere else, that's fine.

I just thought to get some opinions about how you like your hotdogs, sausages or brats. I have seen some places that deep-fry hotdogs. There is one place in town, that deep-fries them. It's hooked onto a bowling alley (it's really not a greasy spoon either), and they make dog burgers. They slice the hotdog down the middle, fill with cheddar cheese, and wrap thick bacon around it, securing with toothpicks. It only needs to be fried for a min or two, then they serve it on a toasted hoagie roll. **drool**. Oh, and they aren't your conventional supermarket dogs. They are the beefy fat ones. Not good for the cholesterol, but good for a splurge once in awhile.

I like my sausage (kielbasa and italian) grilled. I got this cool grill pan for my birthday last fall, and that is great for indoor grilling... or I could use my George Foreman.

Brats.... My fav way is in the crockpot. I have never made it, but my old boss makes a mean bratwurst stew. I think he adds beer to it.. don't quote me on that though.

Ok.. now I'm hungry.. lol

 

[middie]

i like them grilled, fried, and/or broiled. guess it depends on my mood

 

[Erik]

We sell 'em like that also, where I work...they are called "Stray Dogs", also heard them called "Texas Tommy", or FrankNCheesy"...

Also...there is a cool hot dog post I started...http://www.discusscooking.com/viewtopic.php?t=6722&highlight=hot+dog

 

[ronjohn55]

For Hot Dogs, it depends - at the ballgame, it's hard to beat the ones that have been simmering in the water all day, topped with just a little mustard. Best served with a cold beer

For a picnic though, gotta go with grilled, with a nice char on one side. Top with all the goodies. Again, best served with a cold beer.

For Brats, I like them boiled in beer, then grilled. Or just grilled. They're REALLY good in the smoker.

John

 

[crewsk]

Grilled & very lightly chared in spots but if I can't grill 'em I broil 'em. I don't really like brats but I cook them for hubby & his fising buddies before a long night of fishing. I do 'em like ronjohn likes 'em, boiled in beer & then grilled.

 

[Raine]

Grilled, fried, steamed, boiled doesn't matter. No matter how you fix them they are better with.

Don't care for brats.

 

[fried fish]

Rainee..... did you get the tablecloth somewhere? I haven't seen one like that since I worked at Pizza Hut years ago. I'm sorry..I just love the style.. would be great for a picnic table.

 

[Raine]

Walmart carries them, in all colors.

 

[fried fish]

Walmart carries them, in all colors.

lol.. of course!.. why didn't I think of that? They have everything!

 

[buckytom]

nothing beats a boiled hot dog from yankee stadium. nothing. there's something special about the water there.
(quick joke: how do you know it's the first day of spring in nyc? the street vendors get to change the water in their hot dog carts...)

i like skinless sabretts, or hillside farms buffalo dogs (www.hillsidefarms.biz) that have been boiled, and then the casing removed.

i will occasionally boil a dog first (to remove some fat), then toss it on the george foreman. also, the ol' dog on a stick over a campfire is a good way too.

 

[Lugaru]

Personally I cant do boiled since no one really did that back home... so my first choice for hot dogs is fried and for bratwurst and sausage its grilled.

 

[buckytom]

oh, i forgot sausages and brats. never made brats before, but that commercial where the guy grills them, then tosses them in a roasting pan filled with simmering beer and sliced onions looks so good. i will have to try that one soon.

italian sausage is ok browned in evoo, then tossed in tomato sauce to finish. but it is so much better grilled first. the smoke from the grill adds another dimension to the sauce. same with onions and peppers.

sometimes, if i can't get hot italian sausage, i roll the sweet ones in powdered cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes, then grill them. kinda like blackened sausage, yummm.

 

[PA Baker]

Brats and beer are the best! Just be sure to not pierce them with a fork and have extra cold beer to drink along with them. Mmmmm...

 

[GB]

I am going to move this thread to the Beef section since it is a discussion on hot dogs and brats et al.

For me the grill is my favorite. I do occasionally like a Fenway Frank, but if I had to pick one way it would be grilled.

 

[SierraCook]

Hotdogs, I usually boil them, but I prefer to grill them. Kielbasa, garlic sausages, etc. I grill in my grill pan or on my george foreman grill.

 

[Caine]

The very best way is on the bar-b-q grill, over a charcoal fire. If not that, then I will broil them in the otaster oven, but I would never boil a hot dog or microwave one.

I have been known to toss a couple into the deep fryer once the french fries are done, though.

 

[BigBlueMouse]

Speaking of ballparks that feature great sausages, how about Miller Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin where the Brewers play? Milwaukee has a huge German heritage, and they know their sausages. There are even sausage races between innings there. Smother a brat, italian, hot dog or polish with sauer kraut, mustard, ketchup, and or relish and your eyes will roll into the back of your head.

I thought Milwaukee had sausage making down pat, then I moved to Louisiana and there is andouille and other sausages that are fantastic as well. Ah, but I digress...what was this topic about?

 

[lyndalou]

Grilled hot dogs and brats cooked in beer then grilled. Wonder if DH will go for hot dogs tonight?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I just can't handle the flavor of beer, so I'll pass on that. But having tasted it, I believe the flavors of brats, kielbassa, and beer would compliment each other.

For me, I like most sausages grilled, with a bit of smoke. But for hot dogs, my favorite has to be with a willow branch stuck through them lengthwise, and cooked in a campfire that serves to warm you on a cool, even cold night, with pines, maples, and birches all round.

Next for dogs is to cook them whole, right in with canned pork and beans. Got that from my Dad, and is probably why I like them that way. It reminds me of him. That was his favorite. And then I like to eat skinless wieners (should be a high quality brand for this) cold, right out of the fridge. You use your top incisors to cut just through the 'skin' and pull it down in strips, away from the inner meat. Then, when the dog is skinned, I munch it, all while watching TV. Again, it's something I did as a kid, at my Dad's house. But then, I used to nible the fudge-stripe cookies slowly, and try to make the thinnest ring possible without breaking it. I know, I'm strange.

I taught my kids, when they were young, to poke a straw into a hot dog, pull out a plug of meat, and suck it through the straw. I got in trouble with my wife for that one. She said I was teaching the kids to play with food. I thought I was entertaining them and satisfying their appetites while she spent better than an hour in target, and we waited for her in the car. And she's the one who taught each of them to place a black olive on each finger before eating them, of course at the same age. Life can be so unfair.

But back to the subject. I love boiled ring bologna with catsup, sour kraut, or both. I also like to nuke cooked sausages until they plump up, because there is then no water to leach flavor from the sausage.

And don't you dare pierce the skin of breakfast sausage links and spill that luscoius juice!

Oh, and if any of you want to try the hot dog tricks, or know other ones, let me know and I'll be grinnin' from ear to ear.

Have I ever posted a short piece? Hmmmmmm.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Lifter]

Hi GoodWeed

This reminded my of something from 30 odd years back...

Ever tried "marinating" a whole (skinned!) bologna in beer for a day or so, then putting it on the (charcoal) BBQ rotisserie? ("Dark" beer is really neat for this! All the alcohol is cooked out, never fear!)

(Your choice of what you want to "baste" it with, mustard/honey mustard/
hickory tomato/spicey tomato/sweet tomato BBQ sauces all work, depending on your taste, "smoking" with wood chips does some awesome things, and this, logically, can be served up with a "side" of beans, be they "plain", "campfire", "kicked up", or "custom"...

Naturally, this is one of the most "wildly extravagant" menu's one could ever serve, and of course has no hope of accompanying eggs in the morning, or being in sandwiches through the week, and for leftovers, has "no hope", as "no component" could possibly be reheated...

Whoever said that "good" cooking had to be expensive?

Lifter

(For everyone else, beer is also an excellent accompaniment...this is another of those sort of "fishing trip at the Lake" recipe thoughts, even if it works in your backyard...)