Why You Should Try Sous Vide Hot Dogs At Your Next Cookout

Hot dogs are an institution in America. No cookout or barbecue would be complete without them, and street food wouldn't be street food without some dirty water dogs topped with spicy brown mustard, sauteed onions, and ketchup, mayo, or BBQ sauce.

Hot dogs are super quick and easy to rustle up, being pre-cooked and in need of nothing more than a good reheat. From boiling them to popping them in the microwave, or flash-frying them on the grill to give them a nice crisp, there are many ways to get your dogs ready. But one of the best, we reckon, is sous vide. It sounds super fancy, but it is actually quite easy, and it gets your hot dogs to the perfect temperature and keeps them there — all without losing their juiciness.

Sous vide is vacuum sealing your hot dogs in an airtight bag and slow-cooking them in a warm water bath at around 155 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. The beauty of this method of cooking is that they can stay in their package for up to four hours without losing flavor or moisture, or being overcooked. This is great at a cookout when you have a bunch of guests who aren't hungry at the same time. Just pull a few dogs out of their sous vide package as needed.

It's very difficult to overcook your hot dogs when you're cooking them sous vide. If they're kept at an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit, they'll hold at a medium doneness until you're ready to use them. With other methods of cooking, go even 30 seconds over that sweet-spot window where they're perfectly done, and you'll end up with dry, overcooked, and often flavorless hot dogs.

When you're serving them at a cookout, you'll want to dry your hot dog sausages with some paper towels after prepping them sous vide to remove excess moisture. Then, brush them with a little oil and throw them into a skillet or onto a grill for a minute or two to bring a nice smoky char before popping them into their buns.

If you want that street food-inspired dirty water dog vibe to your hot dogs, you can sous vide them in a mixture of water, red wine vinegar, cumin, garlic powder, nutmeg, and curing salt (if you have some available at home, otherwise just use table salt). The flavors will infuse into the sausages, with the liquid adding additional plumpness and moisture. Then, chuck one onto your buttered bun, and top with your standard dirty water dog toppings. Or mix it up with toppings from one of these 20 interesting variations from around the world.