There’s an abiding belief among veteran BBQ pitmasters and their closest associates that the best part of grill creations is the ‘burnt ends. Alas, Hot Dog lovers have been left out of the Burnt Ends club – until now…
Some grilling enthusiasts love Burnt ends SO much, a few pitmasters will actually burn the ends on purpose, by request.
What are they?
True burnt ends occur naturally, when large cuts of meat – briskets, ribs, et al – are left on the lowest and slowest fires so long that the tips of their thinnest parts – the ends – get a little over-done. Con-sidered an abomination by some, most true BBQ fans look upon them as a delicacy.
Most folks you feed them to the first time won’t ever have had Hot Dog burnt ends before. They don’t occur naturally, owing to the manner in which Dogs are customarily cooked. And the vast majority of pitmasters won’t have dabbled with Dogs that much – so won’t have discovered the simple, ‘swoky’ technique.
What you do
Couldn’t (hardly) be easier…
“This recipe takes [the] smoky, caramelized, saucy idea [of burnt ends] and makes it faster, easier, and way more affordable,” says recipe contributor .
“All-beef hot dogs are lightly coated in yellow mustard and barbecue rub, [and] smoked low and slow until they take on a smoky flavor,” Valdez explains. “Then, they’re finished with butter, brown sugar, and barbecue sauce so they caramelize into sticky, smoky bites. They’re sweet, savoury, and totally irresistible.”
Tips and Hacks…
As shown in Valdez’s photos, uses Cocktail Franks for most appropriate ‘snacking’ size and prettiest presentation (offering two ‘finished’, curved ends on each).
Leave the the Dogs on the grill to smoke as log as you like, noting that the longer you leave them, the stronger the smoke flavour will be. And the more likely it is that the Dogs will dry out, shrink and get tough on the surface.
If you’re using a gas grill or (perish the thought!) making them indoors in a conventional oven, use a mustard-only rub in the initial phase of cooking, and employ a smoky BQ sauce in phase 2 (glazing). The secondary glazing step won’t take very long at all.
Serve either as nibbles, employing wooden toothpicks. Make sure to use round-profile picks. They’re environmentally responsible, and your most robust option, to best withstand the stresses of being poked through ‘snappy’ Hot Dog skin. Or slice the finished Dogs longitudinally so each piece has one flat side, and serve on slider buns with your choice of toppings.
My take
There’s something unique and enticing about the mustardy-sweet finish on these little gems that fits magically with the basic paprika ‘lead’ flavour of a classic Hot Dog… And if you’ve never had a smoky Dog before, you’ll love the way that third dimension brings the whole flavour experience together!
BTW: Did you think that huge foil pan of glazing, smoky Dogs (above) look like a lot to you? Once you and your family and friends get going on them, you won’t! They’ll disappear before you know it.
~ Maggie J.