It's a Dog Eat [Hot] Dog World

I love hot dogs. I have probably grown to love them more in recent years after I heard how unhealthy they are, because they're now forbidden fruit. This past weekend during a family dinner, the hot dogs made their inaugural 2014 appearance. Mid-April might seem too early to jump feet-first into BBQ season, but I did anyway. Sort of.

The "sort of" stems from a mid-February decision my parents made to get a puppy. Bentley has definitely helped fill the void left behind by our nearly 15-year-old dog Sebastian who left us on Halloween. Born on Thanksgiving, a day that I dare say is probably the pinnacle of pinnacles in the life of a foodie, Bentley already had a place in my heart. Now nearly 5 months old, he's still a monster, but less disorderly than he was at 10 weeks. Because he will eat anything deemed remotely edible (and even things inedible like his metal food bowl) we knew we would have to watch him carefully once grilling season started.

Sebastian used to lurk innocently around the yard until the grilling process ended so he could feast...on the charcoal ash. We usually remembered to keep him at bay, but the times we didn't, he'd eappear at the back door with a sooty muzzle, ready for a nap after a full sweep of the scraped-off grill bits and charcoal ash.

Since Bentley has been far more adventurous than Sebastian, we knew we would have to be mindful about preventing him from ingesting grill toxins, especially at such a young age. Most of his outdoor time involves eating every flower petal, piece of mulch, or blade of grass he can find. You'd think we were starving him. Here he is eating my parents' new azalea bush.


So with these hot dogs on Sunday, I was faced with a choice:  Grill them outside or cook them inside. Considering the Bentley hassle of grilling outside, I opted to try broiling them inside. I've had pretty good luck with toasting chicken hot dogs right on the toaster oven rack, but these were beef hot dogs with a higher fat content. In case you haven't toasted fattier hot dogs, the extra fat drips onto the toaster coils creating the makings for a good ole grease fire.

Instead, I put them on a small tray and broiled them in the oven, turning them every few minutes until they were swollen and crispy. I then added my favorite topping, baked beans mixed with grated Parmesan, as well as some coleslaw, ketchup and whole grain mustard.

It was salty, crispy, crunchy, cold, hot, sweet, soft--it was my everything. I can't wait to have another one, but I want the next one to be grilled. And, I certainly hope Bentley's foraging habits don't drive a wedge between me and that dream.

Maybe the perfect solution is to grill him a hot dog, too, so we can enjoy them together. Dog + hot dog = happy. Me + hot dog = happy. Everyone's happy! It's a dog eat dog world out there, but if it was a dog eat hot dog world, then maybe we'd all be in a better place.