Stop to ruin Hot Dogs – Learn this before the next cooking

It was a classic back yard scene: the grill was hot, the bun was soft, the spices were listed and ready. And yet, the hot dogs – the Pièce de Résistance – are sad, wrinkled … lowered. Instead of Fat, Scampy Frank, I had skin pipes. How did I get confused so seemingly foolish?

It turns out that the barbecue of hot dogs is more subtle than just throwing over hot coal until they “look good”. This recognition was hit in the middle of the cookout and sent to mission to figure out how to keep my hot dogs juicy and slender every time.

It was years ago before I wrote barbecue books and developed a number of barbecue recipes as editor of America's Test Kitchen. After this experience I found Joshua Bousel hot dog method serious meal. It has completely changed my hot dog barbecue game and I still use this technique today.

Why does hot dog shrink on the grill

Take one thing from the road: most hot dogs are completely cooked when you buy them. But that doesn't mean they are ready for meals straight from the package or that the grilling is as simple as it seems.

The biggest offender? Direct, high heat. When you throw a franc straight on a hot grill, it looks great while cooking – plump and glitter. But once you take off the heat, you deflate it like an old balloon. Its exterior dries quickly and leaves you with chewy skin instead of the gentle moment you want.

The problem is how heat affects the structure and moisture of hot dog. Both the skin-free hot dog and the natural cover francs vulnerable, but in different ways.

Leather dog

Skin -free dogs are particularly vulnerable because they have no protective outer cover. They are formed in synthetic shapes, then peel before the packaging and leave the meat. Unlike their natural fascinating counterparts, the external membrane, which contains moisture, lacks moisture. When they place them directly on high heat, especially the roaring flames or flaming coal, due to the intense temperature, the outer layers of the sausage cook too quickly.

Because proteins near the surface denature (especially myosin and actin), are pushed out of moisture and fat. Since Hot Dog is already cooked, it has no raw structure to solidify or trap these fruit juices. The center remains relatively cool, while the outer layers dry and tighten, creating a wrinkled, chewy shell – such as over cooked eggs drawn from the pan.

This fast surface dehydration gives the franc paper, the skin of the skin. In addition, without buffering or steam buffering, the internal pressure increases unevenly. When this pressure is eventually released (that is, when the dog is removed from the grill), the hot dog descends. Think of it as an edible balloon that has lost air.

Natural stumbling hot dogs

Natural Kaskás hot dogs, on the other hand, are filled with sheep, which are very similar to sausage pipes-flexible, semi-permeable and capable of keeping fruit juices. This casing creates an obstacle for both heat and moisture, so the inner temperature increases gradually and evenly, protecting the meat from the internal dehydration. As a result, paved dogs forgive the grill and are less likely to be contracted.

However, they are not completely invincible. If you blast them above the rodent-hot carbon, the internal expansion of steam and liquefied fats can cause the distribution or crack of the house, especially if there is no ventilation or weak spot to release the pressure. As the house exploded, the whole delicate juice runs out – and you stay with a dog that is dry and soft, not the juicy and juicy.

In short, both types of hot -dog have vulnerability when faced with high, direct heat:

• Skinless: quickly lose moisture without a house.
• CASED: Keeps moisture better, but it can explode in case of overheating.

This is the reason why a small technique can lead to a long way to grilling perfection.

The simple trick for right -skinned hot dogs

Write the Bousel Technique: Reduces Hot Dogs before hit into the grill.

In the case of skinless hot dogs, some shallow, diagonal cuts on the two opposite sides of each franc promote the smooth distribution of heat. These gaps expand during cooking, helping the center in faster heating and reducing the overall cooking time. The result? Fat, juicy hot dogs that do not shrink and have a slightly crunchy look, only with the right bite.

You can even get your imagination and try the Spiral Cutting method to have a hot dog and make a single continuous cut when you rotate it. It is impressive and adds the surface for extra tanning, but it is easier to overburden. For me, the simple shit is faster, foolish and just as delicious.

How to prevent Cased Franks from blasting

The method changes slightly if you are lucky enough to clarify the natural courageous hot dogs (and this is the easiest way to update hot dog play). These coverings provide protection and prevent the meat from drying out. But as described above, they can continue to share them under high heat, which means you can lose all delicious juice.

To avoid this, Bousel lends a trick from Kenji López-Alt sausage booklet: start with a barbecue dog on a barbecue.

In a cast iron pan (or a disposable aluminum frying pan when you are outdoors and travel), cook your paved dogs in a beer mixture, whether in cabbage or steamed onions. This indirect cooking phase carefully brings them to the temperature. Then move them to direct heat on a quick charra. This two -step method ends with a coordination of the ledge and gives it a desired moment that an explosion would risk it.

The point

Grilling of hot dogs may not sound like rocket science, but some minor stings can be the difference between cooking hero and wet disappointment.

• Reduce skinless dogs before grilling for steady cooking and fat texture.
• Boil the dogs in a tasteful liquid before finishing high to remain juicy and intact.

Now, when I light the grill, I know my hot dogs don't let me down. No more shrinkage – just juicy francs, sizzer buns and happy guests.