Flip Multiple Hot Dogs At Once With This Genius Skewer Hack

Grilling hot dogs always seems like an easy proposition for getting a little taste of backyard Americana in no time, and with hardly any effort at all. But then you end up with unevenly charred or underdone franks and stray wieners helplessly marooned at the bottom of the drip pan. All of the required tong turning and inevitable rolling is enough to make almost anyone retreat to the (gasp!) microwave. And these are only a couple of ways you could be cooking your hot dogs wrong. One piercing trick, however, can eliminate those issues in just a few seconds.

For maximum grilled hot dog control, skewer several through the side in a row before grilling, leaving gaps between each hot dog. This keeps summer's favorite sausages all together for a uniform finish, and it prevents any stray dogs from absconding to the depths of your grill and becoming inedible. You might see variations on this technique circulating on social media come peak grilling season each year, but you can be just as successful with a slightly different tack than some posters tend to take.

Some netizens will cleverly take a two-pronged approach, sliding a pair of pre-soaked wooden skewers through both ends of a line of hot dogs. This actually affords the grill master almost too much control, as it tends to position the dogs too close together, absent much room for the movement required for the even cook you intended. Without enough space between them, you'll end up with fleshy, underdone sides. A single skewer, instead, keeps things just flexible enough for the fire to reach all sides of the dog.

Using a metal skewer in lieu of the convenient wooden disposables will provide not only better stability when pared down to a single pierce, but it will also obviously conduct the grill's heat better. That can be a real boon for an item that finishes in just a few minutes. You can stab the dogs through the side right through the center, leaving at least an inch or so between each one. That gives the heat and flames a better chance to reach the full circumference of each cylinder. You can also spiralize your hot dogs in advance of skewering to create even more deliciously crisp surface area. Thinner, floppy dogs might not hold up to this approach, but many of the best hot dogs to buy at the grocery store are substantial enough for this application.