Give Grilled Hot Dogs A Quick Bath For The Crispiest Results

The hot dog is a classic in American cuisine, especially for those who love to grill. They're also a favorite among those on a budget, college students, and busy parents. The love of a good hot dog spans generations and connects people of all backgrounds. Hot dogs are usually inexpensive, as far as meat products go, and they're easy to make. You can find hot dogs at a lot of restaurants and roadside stands, too, so you don't always have to make them yourself. 

If you do cook your hot dogs at home, you can dress them up, keep them simple, pair them with a variety of ingredients, and truly make them your own. You don't even have to grill hot dogs to make them taste amazing — you can roast your franks over an open flame, pop them in a microwave, boil them, bake them, and cook them on the stove. If you want to get truly crispy skin when you cook your hot dogs, though, you should be giving them a quick bath. No, not a bubble bath — a beer bath.

In an interview with Insider, grilling expert and creator of the Slawsa hot-dog condiment Julie Busha said the best way to get crispy skin on the outside of your grilled hot dog is to "bathe" the meat first. Busha recommends placing an aluminum pan filled with hot beer, onions, and your favorite seasonings onto indirect heat to warm the mixture. Then, place your hot dogs in it before you grill them. This allows them to warm up some before going on a hot grill. As a bonus, it adds firmness to the hot dogs' casing so you get a crispier texture.

If you are serving these hot dogs to a mixed crowd — kids, adults, drinkers, and non-drinkers — you don't have to worry about the beer marinade affecting anyone. The hot dogs aren't marinating too long in the beer, so they are not absorbing the alcohol into the meat. Plus, any alcohol on the casing will be burned off in the cooking process. 

If you don't like the taste of beer and onions, don't worry — you can marinate a hot dog in other things to help get crispy skin. For example, you can make a slightly spicy marinade with brown mustard and various spices. Want an Asian-inspired hot dog? Make a marinade with soy sauce and ginger. Almost any pre-made marinade from a store will also work. Just like toppings, marinades for hot dogs are endless — it all depends on what you like.

The basic idea for using a marinade or a wash is to get the outside of the hot dog coated in a liquid that will create crispy skin once the meat is cooked. If you don't have a grill or don't have time to set it up for a quick weeknight dinner, you can still bathe your hot dogs to get a crispy outer layer — simply cook your washed or marinated hot dogs in an air fryer or in butter on the stove.