Here is how to make good burgers and hot dogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kosher hot dogs are better? I keep kosher so only eat these but I never knew anyone else bought them or that they are considered better. I wonder why

Because they have to answer to a higher authority. Ok, I am dating myself - anyone else remember that commercial for Hebrew National hot dogs?

[Anonymous]

OP, cookouts are social gatherings. Nobody goes to those things for food. Maybe for drinks, but never for food. Throw some meat on the grill, fill the cooler with ice and beer and have people over, that's the whole idea. If you didn't enjoy food I hope you, at least, enjoyed the company. How terrible was it that you couldn't resist posting your PSA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kosher hot dogs are better? I keep kosher so only eat these but I never knew anyone else bought them or that they are considered better. I wonder why

Because they have to answer to a higher authority. Ok, I am dating myself - anyone else remember that commercial for Hebrew National hot dogs?

Haha! Yes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hear me out: not hot dogs, but brats. Boil first (in beer or something flavorful) and throw on the grill.

I love brats, and I cook with the same method, but if you’re trying to serve a variety of people/little kids you gotta do hot dogs

The wee lil red-cheeked chubby toddlers in Wisconsin are scarfing up their brats and squeeking up their cheese curds without a care in the world!

😂

[Anonymous]

All good advice but I agree with others that keeping expectations low at a cookout is good! I have high standards for food in general but for whatever reason I have no problem eating an over cooked burger or a plain hot dog. Actually I think a plain burger without toppings is really good sometimes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arent hot dogs already fully cooked?

DCUM needs everything heated to 180F for several minutes to kill any possible germs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hear me out: not hot dogs, but brats. Boil first (in beer or something flavorful) and throw on the grill.

And sauerkraut. Also good on hotdogs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All good advice but I agree with others that keeping expectations low at a cookout is good! I have high standards for food in general but for whatever reason I have no problem eating an over cooked burger or a plain hot dog. Actually I think a plain burger without toppings is really good sometimes!

But the expectations in the OP are pretty low. Literally it's like: please season the burgers with basic salt and know how your grill works and offer the most basic toppings.

But I would struggle to eat an overcooked burger (like truly overcooked -- I don't care if it's a little well done but I don't want to choke down a dry hockey puck burger) and it's frustrating to me when people put no effort into the main course but ALSO don't offer many or any sides. Like if I show up and the hot dogs are boiled and burgers are overdone and there's no toppings but there are some decent side dishes and cold drinks I won't really care.

It's when people fail on all points that it gets frustrating. I've been to a handful of brutally bad parties and when your host has put truly no effort into it -- you can tell and it sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please season your burger meat. Just salt is fine but definitely salt. Some black pepper can also be nice -- freshly ground if you have it.

Know how your grill works. Start it when it needs to be started (if using charcoal give yourself 45 minutes or so before you need to be putting the meat on.

Doneness is obviously a matter of preference but most people like a medium doneness so aim for that. You can always leave a couple on longer if someone is squeamish about pink meat.

American cheese is fine but you're welcome to get something better. But offering cheese is nice.

For toppings you should have - at a minimum - lettuce tomato pickle ketchup mustard. Some people like a thinly sliced red onion or - if you want to be fancy - grilled onions. Bacon barbecue sauce mayo etc. are optional but you need to have those first five.

For hot dogs please buy kosher for better quality. Ensure they are all cooked all the way through -- a lot of people who don't eat hot dogs will just throw them on until there is any kind of grill marks but they take a bit longer than that to cook and actually for doneness hot dogs usually taste better if they have a good crispy char on the outside. For toppings offer ketchup and mustard at least (relish onions etc optional).

Toast all the buns. It takes very little time and helps a lot.

Classic sides: baked beans (crock pot so you don't have to turn on the oven) potato salad and chips. We like to put out a crudite platter and a green salad as well.

If you can't handle the forgoing just don't host on the 4th or memorial day. It's okay. Not everyone likes hosting. But if you DO host please do not serve your guests uncooked dogs and unseasoned burger hockey pucks with just ketchup and some sad wilted lettuce and no sides. It's depressing and your guests will wind up having to stop for food on the way home.

Thank you for the helpful advice!

Sock puppeting is tiresome. There is NOBODY over the age of 21 that doesn't already know the basics of this, and funnily enough, some of this is wrong. (Hot dogs are already cooked, you can't undercook them)

There are tons of people over the age of 21 who don't know this stuff as evidenced by your incorrect belief that it is impossible to undercook a hot dog. Think about it -- if it were not possible to undercoook hot dogs then why would e cook them at all? Just because grill marks are attractive?

You cook them because they taste better hot. And grilled. And also because they can have bacteria like similar meats (deli meat, which you are supposed to heat to steaming if you are immunocompromised).

But you cannot undercook them. They are fully cooked.

I think you are being pedantic about the word undercooked. Yes hot dogs are cooked when you open the package. But they are not *ready to eat.* Serving a hot dog that you didn't even bother to warm all the way through is gross and a hot dog that is not sufficiently heated can carry gross bacteria. Some people might call that undercooked because they have not been sufficiently cooked to be hot enough to eat. So even though they were cooked out of the package they are still "undercooked."

[Anonymous]

Baked beans? Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kosher hot dogs are better? I keep kosher so only eat these but I never knew anyone else bought them or that they are considered better. I wonder why

Non kosher hotdogs are commonly made of pork, but can be made from beef or poultry or some combination. A lot of people think cheap hotdogs are made from undesirable cuts of pork and include gross fillers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be glad to uninvited to the cookouts hosted by hotdog warmers who think that "non-toxic and warmed over" is equivalent to well grilled.

I don’t want my hotdog well grilled. I want it grilled well. It should look significantly more cooked than when it came out of the package and should still have some snap when you bite into it, but the casing shouldn’t be black and crispy and starting to separate from its filling. If blacked casing is what OP meant by “crispy,” then I disagree with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually agree with OP. You should have these basics down if you want to host the major event of the season that features these foods!

I agree too. Who wants to eat a hot dog straight out of the package without grilling first? Yuck. Grilling changes the flavor and the texture, all for the better. IMHO, a hot dog needs some caramelizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never had any complaints about my cold unpressed tofu burgers. Who wants hot food in summer? A cool, raw soy patty that moistens the bun is maximally refreshing, with the essential nutrients of life. And my guests enjoy the flavors, I mean flavor, because their taste isn't dulled by alcoholic, sugary, or carbonated drinks.

It's quite affordable too. I only need 1 lb of tofu, because most of my friends have converted to Canadian and don't celebrate July 4th and Independence Day anymore. Those folks always enjoy my cold neat poutine on Canada Day!

And then some fresh fruit on the porch! Perfect!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually agree with OP. You should have these basics down if you want to host the major event of the season that features these foods!

I agree too. Who wants to eat a hot dog straight out of the package without grilling first? Yuck. Grilling changes the flavor and the texture, all for the better. IMHO, a hot dog needs some caramelizing.

I don’t think anyone is advocating for unheated, straight-out-of-the-pack hot dogs to be served.