Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs. yep, they’re a thing!
Never underestimate the power of a good hot dog.
And yes… that is what we are talking about today. Hot dogs.
Since I’ve become a grown up (the age at which this happened is quite debatable), I’ve held a firm stance on hot dogs. I absofreakinglutely love them, but in severe moderation. We are talking, like, three or four perfect hot dogs per summer, spread out so I have time to really crave them. Maybe one per month? I also don’t tend to enjoy things masquerading as hot dogs, such as sausages and stuff. If I want a hot dog… I want a hot dog. And that’s just how it’s been.
Then.
After I made about sixty new years resolutions (not really), my cousin and I finished off some after holiday shopping back in early January. It was that day when she introduced me to a loaded hot dog from Five Guys, complete with sautĂ©ed mushrooms, grilled onions, bacon, cheese, ketchup, mustard and relish. Yes. I put things on my hot dog that I never thought I’d consume. Ever. It was hands down the best hot dog I have ever had, even being all trashed up.
However, I was under the impression that while my trashed up hot dog was fabulous, I’d still enjoy a good, old-fashioned plain hot dog with mustard only and a side of chips. The trashed up hot dog would probably be a one time thing… even a once per year thing.
I could not have been more wrong.
I had one more crazy hot dog from Five Guys back in March before deciding that I HAD to make my own. I forced myself to practice patience because I knew I wanted to share said trashy hot dogs with my invisible internet friends, but when it’s snowing in April, it’s not exactly prime hot dog grilling weather. So I suffered and took one for the team. Meaning I tested hot dogs with various toppings for a few weeks straight until I deemed it warm enough on the East coast to share these things.
Originally I had planned on tossing these your way a bit closer to the Memorial Day, but with Mother’s Day coming this weekend I’ve determined that it’s high time for hot dog cookout weather. High maintenance hot dog cookout weather, that is. Plus, like two weeks ago I was running errands and my day called me to say that he was grilling hot dogs, and did I want one?
Um, of course I wanted one. I took a major detour just to go have a hot dog. So it’s time.
I promise that the high maintenance dog is worth it. It’s covered in white cheddar cheese, juicy garlic mushrooms, honey caramelized onions, crispy fried bacon and your fair share of condiments. Trust me… if you don’t typically enjoy condiments on a hot dog, you probably will now. Things are different when your hot dog is covered in a two inch pile of deliciousness.
I understand that you may be freaking out over the amount of work that is now going into a simple party staple, but here’s the deal. 1. It’s totally worth it, for sure. 2. This can turn into even more fun – like a big bad hot dog bar. Not just ketchup anymore! Now you can make the mushrooms and onions ahead of time and set everything up beforehand, warming the ingredients if desired before people go crazy. and 3. you could actually assemble your hot dogs ahead of time, throwing on topping after topping then wrapping them in tightly in foil – almost like a cheesesteak (autocorrected to “cheesecake.” obviously.). To serve, throw them on the grill or in a warm over for a few minutes. It’s as simple as that and yeah… the only way I’ll eat a hot dog now. And I gotta admit, I’m a little partial to my own version over Five Guys.
But I’m kind of a brat so that’s to be expected.
Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 6 hot dogs
- 6 whole wheat hot dog buns, toasted
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 12 ounces of sliced mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
- ketchup, mustard + relish
Instructions
- Heat two skillets over low heat. Add one tablespoons each of olive oil and butter to both skillets. To one skillet, add diced onions with a pinch of salt. Stir to coat. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the onions don’t burn. Remove lid and add honey, tossing to coat and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until completely caramelized. Once caramely, set aside.
- In the meantime, add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet, tossing to coat. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add in garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook hot dogs as desired: either grilled or in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Place each hot dog in a bun and top with an equal amount of grated cheese. Place hot dogs under the broiler (or even back on the grill) for a minute or two just until the cheese is melted. Top with ketchup, mustard and relish, then add mushrooms, onions and bacon. If not serving immediately, wrap in aluminum foil tightly. They can be reheated this way too!
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This makes me want to have a hot dog eating contest.
106 Comments on “Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs. yep, they’re a thing!”
You know who would love this? My husband. He’d go bonkers over this. Holy moly!
I freakin love hot dogs…. like I could eat 20 of them… I love loadin them up with yummy stuff like this… :) thanks for this reminder of youth.
YUM! Sometimes i’ll just crave a hotdog with mustard but more than that I am like you and crave everything but the kitchen sink on mine. I grew up with mexican hotdogs, It is a hotdog wrapped in bacon, topped with sauteed onions, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, squirt of mayonesa, mustard, and a velvety avocado sauce aka aquacate!! Talk about Heaven!! I’d like a hotdog for breakfast now! :)
OMG.
need.
Wow. I love the idea of adding ‘avocado sauce.’ Sounds delish!
Wow, I have never seen a more trashed up hot dog in my life (and that’s a compliment because trashy in our little food blogger world is a good thing!) I can’t say I’m much of a hot dog eater – ever since those days where my friends and I would order 2 each on ‘hot dog day’ at school, all I can think of is those weird boiled hot dogs that don’t taste anything like the BBQ’d kind. Having said that, anything on the grill tastes great and I don’t doubt your choice of toppings!
Funny I love loading my hot dogs up with goods! They are so versatile!! The combo you used sounds amazing together!! Perfect for the weekend grilling!!
Seriously? That is the most trashed up hot dog I have ever seen……..it is awesome! This is coming from someone who actually does not love hot dogs all that much, but this trashed up one is just so good looking!! All those toppings! The bacon!! awesome!
It’s like you freaking read my mind. I ADORE hotdogs. It’s my little secret. No one would guess that this skinny, almost vegetarian girl could shove her face full of hotdogs with mustard, raw onions & dill pickle relish. And I try to space out my hot dog eating times, too. And sometimes (gasp!), I even buy the frozen veggie hot dogs. Morning Star tofu dogs do it for me, for some weird reason.
Thanks for giving me an excuse to eat hot dogs this weekend! Hurrah!
Jess, I must admit I am not a serious hot dog fan. BUTTTTTTTT when I crave one…I have to fix it STAT! When I was younger, my seester and I would go spend the night with my grandparents on Saturday’s and in the summer, my grandma would grill us hotdogs…but the oscar mayer ones that already have cheddar cheese stuffed inside the dog. Have you had those? I don’t even know if they make them any more. Anyway, I loved mine practically burnt on the grill. Then, to top it off, my grandma stuffed the hot dog in a potato bread roll…this is a thing. OMG! I added a bit of cheedar, sweet relish, mustard and I was good to go! Okay, it’s 7 a.m. and now, you have me craving hotdogs. Toppings are where it’s at :)
The article title came up in my feedly feed and OMG I now have to make these RIGHT NOW!
Wow! Bringing hot dogs to a new level!! They look so delicious!
Seriously. I love you. and I am making this ASAP.
Wow!!! What a hot dog!!! Sometimes, there is just nothing like a juicy hot dog!!!!
Give me now!!
Imon’ enter that contest! Don’t try and stop me!
(actually, do)
I’m so down with this dog! Love how you sneak the whole wheat bun in there…gotta have some restraint somewhere I guess. ha ha.
hahaha i know – i know it seems weird but i love wheat buns so much more than white!
Racist.
<3
oh boy…this is something my husband would kill for…and lets be honest so would i! can’t wait to try
Josh would love these dogs!
Okay, I know a lot of people hate on them, but I kind of love hot dogs in summertime, ESP at a baseball game.
These look incredible! I’m pretty sure my husband will freak out and propose all over again if I make him these.
The more trash – the better! Love these :)
I dont even like hotdogs OR eat meat and now I’m sitting here craving a big, juicy meat hotdog loaded with cheddar and bacon. Ha!
I don’t like hotdogs, but there are some hot dogs that OHMIGODINEEDNOW. Like the Mac&Cheese hot dog from Disney Hollywood Studios that even though I worked there I never got to have, and this one. There’s so much going on that I think I can get over the actual hot dog part of the hot dog.
Sounds delish! As soon as I pop this baby out, I’m making these!
When I didn’t think you could get any cooler, you do this! They look amazzzzing! Hot dogs are my weakness. Have you ever had a Sonoran Dog? Living in Tucson, you can find them at a lot of places. Not sure if they’ve made their way East yet, but you must try one (or make your own. They’d probably be a million times better….and prettier). :)
I once spotted this kind of idea in the Everyday Food magazine.. and immediately knew what we were having for supper. We FELL in love.. I mean, we like hot dogs.. but with all this yummy goodness on top. We like.. baked beans, avocado.. bacon, cheese.. deliciousness. SOOOO good. :)
Looks absolutely yum.
I’ve never had a Five Guys hot dog… and I’ve only ever eaten there once. I KNOW, I know… stop yelling! The first (and only) time was in D.C. during a lay over and I heard of them from a friend and when I saw them in the airport… it was like heaven’s gates had opened and cherubs were lifting me with their chubby little arms into the line for the BEST fast food burger I’ve ever had. UGH.
And the cajun fries? Don’t even get me started.
now you have to go to Jimmy Buff’s in Jersey and get the Italian Hot Dog. It’s worth the drive from Pittsburgh.
I think I need these for mother’s day! Forget brunch and flowers.
The only issue about this recipe is that I live in Chicago – a place where eating a hot dog with even a single variation on the ‘Chicago Style’ is a sin. But this sounds…………….. so good. Making anyway.
Oh hot diggity dog, do these look yums!
I’ve never even heard of Five Guys, but it turns out there is one not far from me and now I know what I want for mother’s day lunch!
In my younger days I was quite fond of the late night dirty dog cart in the mission in SF: bacon wrapped hot dogs on a bun with peppers and onions. Do theses exist in other cities? I don’t know, but they are amazing.
I ADORE hot dogs, Always have, always will. My family is going camping next weekend and I was planning on making banh mi hot dogs when it was my night to cook. Um, I will definitely be adding this glorious trashed up hot dog to my lineup too. Add some Cholula Chili Garlic sauce, and you’ve got hot dog gold.
I’m curious as to what BRAND hot dog you’re using here. I have to try these this summer, despite my hatred for anything mustard. Thankfully, it’s as easy as just not putting that icky yellow stuff on what I eat. Even as I kid I hated mustard. I cried (threw a fit to be exact) at a kindergarten cookout because the teacher put mustard on my hot dog. I’m not sure I wouldn’t do that now even at age “FORTY-BLEEP”. :)
That is one awesome hot dog!
I am literally sitting here waiting for my husband to come home so we can test to see if I’m pregnant …. And you’ve got hot dogs on here today!!!
No hot dogs allowed if two lines show up. I guess the bonus if the second line doesn’t appear is I can eat these hot dogs all weekend!!!!!!
Ha ha, while I was reading this, I was thinking “Who would go through all this work just for a hot dog?!” but you totally called me on it. I love the idea of a ‘hot dog bar.’ Now that’s a great idea!
I am drooling!
I love love love hot dogs. Bf and I go to Smash burger every Friday for hot dogs and trivia. I look forward to it all week! Now I want one of these fancy dogs!
ok so please tell me that last line is a pun… because im literally lol’ing right now
the “brat” line that is
My husband works till midnight and last night when he came home we were both insanely hungry. So we heated up the barbecue and made hotdogs and then split a Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwich. It was the best…
Nothing says Summer like a hotdog on the grill.
We eat them sparingly and we use a brand called Applegate Farms. Delicious and worth every penny if you have food allergies and just want a hotdog :)
I do not eat bread so when i have a hotdog it usually ends up in a small bowl of beans. Yum!
Have a good weekend!
It makes me so happy to know that I’m not the only one with dog love. I actually took an intern from PARIS to a NYC hot dog truck on her frst day…The bosses were appalled,but she loved le hot dog.Viva le hot dog!
So glad I’m not the only ” grown up” who still loves hot dogs! This looks amazing – I’ll definitely need to try this next time I get a craving for one!
used this recipe on my blog today but gave you full kudos–sounds absolutely heavenly
This looks too good! I have never been a fan of hot dogs, but I think I would change my mind trying this, yum!
As a Wisconsinite I am firmly on Team Brat, but this…this is acceptable.
Uh, YES! Neil is obsessed with hot dogs, I’ll have to show him this post for sure. Thanks, Jessica!
My Pop used to make broiled cheddar dogs for us when we were kids; you’re taking it to a whole new level.
You’re evil! (And I love you for it.) Thank you!
holy cow this looks so good! I’m with you on the toppings epiphany; I hated anything but ketchup on my burgers until I discovered animal style at in-n-out. I will be making these hot dogs asap. or maybe going to 5 guys. or BOTH