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Hot Dogs Three Ways

When I host BBQ’s, I love to serve up classic grilled all-beef hot dogs on toasted buns. There's nothing wrong with ketchup and mustard, but to elevate the meal, I include hot dog toppings inspired by my travels and favorite cuisines. Hawaii, Vietnam, and Mexico are the inspiration for this trio -- the Bánh mi-style dog is pickley, spicy, and herbaceous; the Elote-style dog perfectly combines the sweetness of summer corn with tangy Tajin and rich sour cream; and the Hawaiian-inspired dog gets topped with a savory grilled pineapple salsa.

  • Servings 4-6
  • Dish Main
  • Time 35 min
  • Skill Home Cooks

Ingredients

Hot Dogs Topped Three Ways: Bánh Mi, Hawaiian, and Elote Style ingredients

2 packs of your favorite hot dogs
12 buns

Bánh mi-style hot dog toppings ingredients

1 large carrot
1 (2” long x 2” wide) daikon radish
3 Tbsps rice vinegar
2 Tbsps water
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 bunch cilantro, leaves removed from stems
Sriracha, to taste
Kewpie Japanese mayo, to taste

Hawaiian-style hot dogs ingredients

2 lbs pineapple, sliced into rings
2 jalapenos, plus more for garnish if desired
½ red onion
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil, as needed

Elote-style hot dogs ingredients

2 ears of corn
1 cup sour cream
½ cup pickled red onion
Tajin, to taste
¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Parts

Hot Dogs Topped Three Ways: Bánh Mi, Hawaiian, and Elote Style

Step

Before you grill your hot dogs, prepare the toppings as described below.

Step

Grill the hot dogs and buns.

Step

Top the Banh-mi-style hot dogs with the pickled daikon and carrot, sriracha, mayo, and fresh cilantro. (Recipe below)

Step

Top the Hawaiian-style hot dogs with the pineapple salsa, extra jalapeno if desired, and your favorite hot-dog condiments. (Recipe below)

Step

Top the Elote-style hot dogs with the grilled corn, sour cream, pickled red onion, Tajin, and crumbled Cotija cheese. (Recipe below)

Bánh mi-style hot dog toppings

Step

Peel your carrot and daikon. Cut your carrot and daikon into matchsticks, about 2” long.

Step

In a bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, lime juice, water, sugar and salt until the salt dissolves. Add the sliced carrot and daikon to the mixture, and let it marinate for at least 1 hour; this can be made up to 5 days ahead of serving.

Hawaiian-style hot dogs

Step

Over a hot grill, grill your pineapple until nicely charred, about 3 minutes per side. Once cooled, dice the pineapple.

Step

Finely dice the jalpeno and red onion.

Step

Combine the diced grilled pineapple, jalapeno, and red onion in a bowl. Top with the juice of 1 lime, and season with salt and pepper. Taste, and add more lime or seasoning as desired. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step

Pineapple salsa can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.

Elote-style hot dogs

Step

On a hot grill, grill your corn until charred and tender, about 4-5 minutes per side. Once charred, remove the corn from the cob, season with salt and pepper to taste, and reserve.