Avoid Soggy Hot Dog Buns For Good With This Easy Tip

Love them or hate them, there's no doubt that hot dogs are one of America's classic foods. Whether it's a street cart in Manhattan with those "dirty water dogs" or the quintessential ballpark dog from a baseball concession stand, hot dogs are just a part of U.S. food culture. No surprise, though; hot dogs run the gamut from flavorless and gross to perfectly charred, smoky, and Michelin-star worthy (okay, the latter might be a stretch).

What makes a good hot dog is preparation. The wiener is the most important part of the hot dog, but it all starts with the bun, so don't overlook it. That's why some of the best hot dog vendors and restaurants across the nation know a delicious hot dog starts with a toasted bun (which isn't any different from a perfectly cooked burger). Sure, you can slap a hot dog between a sliced bun straight out of the package, but adding a touch of fat to that bun and toasting it on a grill or a flat top is the best way to make sure the bun — the supporting actor here — lets that hot dog wiener shine as the star of the show.

The problem with hot dogs, especially if they're boiled and left standing in that dirty hot water for hours, is the water content leaves the bun soggy. Toasting the bun gives the bread enough of a foundation to hold the soggy dog, if necessary. Additionally, when a hot dog is grilled or cooked on a flat top or cast iron, it adds another level of texture to the overall hot dog experience; the moist interior of the dog, with a charred exterior, pairs perfectly with the crispy bun.

There are plenty of ways to toast a hot dog bun. Typically, you can spray or brush the bun with oil or butter, then spread it enough to flatten it out and place on a grill or pan. This can get a little tricky, however, since the hot dog buns might split in half if you flatten them out too much. That said, there are a few different methods to get a toasted bun without the risk of splitting.

One method is using a wet rag — no, that's not a typo. This method doesn't require flattened buns, you simply cook both outside parts of the buns directly on the grill while placing a wet rag next to them and shutting the grill cover. Both sides of the buns toast while the wet rag causes the interior to steam, and not dry out. Another option is to use New England-style buns, which are often used with lobster rolls. These buns are bigger, so, again, you're just looking to toast the exterior of each side by coating them with butter or oil before placing them on the grill. Because of their size, New England-style buns are more suited to jumbo-sized dogs.

The moral of the story is that buns matter too. There's nothing wrong with throwing a grilled dog into a store-bought bun right out of the package, but if you take a few extra minutes to toast those buns, you should see how much it takes that classic American ballpark experience to the next level.