Are Your Hot Dogs Wrinkly? You're Probably Skipping This Simple Step

Have you ever been to an event — maybe a baseball game or concert — and ordered a $6 hot dog from the concession stand, only to unwrap the aluminum foil and discover a shriveled-up, burnt piece of what looks to be tubular charcoal? It's the type of thing concession stand nightmares or made of. Who's cooking those hot dogs back there, and did they just fall asleep?

Cooking a hot dog seems easy enough. After all, they're usually pre-cooked anyway, so all you really want to do is warm them up and, hopefully, get a nice little char to add flavor. The classic New York City dirty water dog is one thing, but the best hot dogs are the cookout dogs you throw on the grill while drinking a nice cold beer with friends. That said, while cooking the dogs should be easy, things can go south in a hurry if you don't know what you're doing.

Enter that shriveled, wrinkly hot dog that looks more diseased than like an edible piece of food. So, how can you avoid the dreaded shrivel? Preventing a burnt dog is partially dependent on the type of hot dog you're using, whether it's skinless or enclosed in a casing. Both require slightly different methods to ensure a juicy hot dog that isn't burnt on the outside. 

If you're cooking with a skinless hot dog, make a few diagonal slices on each side of the wiener. This method, also known as scoring, works with steak as well. During the cooking process, these small slivers will expand instead of shrivel and help cook the inside more evenly. As a result, you'll be left with a crispy dog with just enough char.

For frankfurters with a natural casing, we suggest chef Kenji López-Alt's sausage cooking method. He poaches them and brings them to temperature before placing them on a hot grill. This keeps the hot dogs moist inside without the risk of bursting the casing, mainly because the wieners will spend much less time over the hot fire of the grill. In general, high heat is the enemy of a hot dog when left over the flames too long. It's the culprit of the wrinkled, shriveled dog, as well as the split casing.

If it's too hot (or cold) outside to mess with the grill but you still have a hankering for a hot dog, we suggest using a griddle or cast iron skillet. Simply, slice the frank in half length-wise just enough so it opens up like a butterfly without cutting it completely in half. Lightly score each side of the dog, then place it in heated cast iron skillet with oil. The result will be a fully cooked hot dog with a crispy, charred surface and the perfect amount of bite.

All that said, there's more than one way to cook a hot dog. But if you're tired of that shriveled up, sad-looking frankfurter, then use one of these methods and your hot dog cooking game will go next level.