How to spiral cut hot dogs and sausage for grilling ~ every once in a while my husband will send me links for the blog, and it’s nice because sometimes it’s stuff I never would have noticed, like this one he found this last week, a demonstration of a creative new way to cut your hotdogs for the grill…in a spiral!
You put the hotdog on a skewer and slice into it in a spiral pattern, all the way down to the center. It spreads out and caramelizes on the grill, and looks really pretty, too. I don’t eat hotdogs, but I do love chicken apple sausages, (Aidell’s are the best) and I wondered if the technique would work just as well on them.
My spiral cutting could use a little improvement, and my brother in law’s coals were a little on the toasty side, but all in all I’d call it a success. Just like the video says, the technique exposes more of the meat to the grill for better texture and flavor. Next time I’ll cut all the way through to the skewer like they said to.
I love it, the cooked sausage is much better at holding all the stuff we like to pile on top, and the cuts make it easier to bite, too. I’m going to load this one up with mustard and grilled onions. What do you think, are you going to try it?
19 Comments
EL
November 26, 2016 at 11:59 amI used to do this when I cooked for my brother and sisters (as kids). You can make animal and people shapes by cutting carefully. The trick is that where the interior is released from the casing, the meat swells and so the cut surfaces will curl away from each other. Octopi (plural of octopus) is the traditional animal made, but this link has a lot of ideas: http://www.icreativeideas.com/15-creative-diy-ideas-to-serve-hot-dogs/
This does not work with raw sausage (it will probably just fall out of the casing).
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Deborah
July 18, 2012 at 6:09 pmShut it! I did these for the 4th of July and loved them. I shall never return to plain hot dogs again. Thanks for sharing!
Dom at Belleau Kitchen
July 17, 2012 at 9:18 amwhat an excellent idea!… if we EVER get a summer here I might give these a go!
Magnolia Verandah
July 17, 2012 at 8:39 amOh don’t these look good – what a good tip to add a bit of interest to the humble snag!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
July 17, 2012 at 1:42 pmAbsolutely! I will try this. I will experiment on our next camping trip. Thanks for the fun idea and tell your husband – good one!
Kitchen Belleicious
July 17, 2012 at 2:00 amhow cool is that. i have to show my husband this.
Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes
July 17, 2012 at 2:34 amI can’t wait to try this! We love chicken sausage too!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen
July 17, 2012 at 12:56 amFantastic! can’t wait to try this next time the grill is on – fun and delicious
Mary x
Ellen B Cookery
July 16, 2012 at 5:41 pmOh the power of the internet. Our new station showed this video about 3 weeks ago. I just love it! A great idea for sharing and this gives me hope that others see our recipes too.
Sue/the view from great island
July 16, 2012 at 6:44 pmI didn’t know it originated in Canada, Ellen. Send us more ideas!
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
July 17, 2012 at 12:04 amCool way to cook sausages. I love a new twist on an old summertime grill favorite. Have you ever tried blueberry sausages? They are to die for!
Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes
July 17, 2012 at 2:33 amWhere did you find those!!
Mary
July 16, 2012 at 4:42 pmI just saw that video last week!!! I am planning to try it too. It looks so cool!
Sue/the view from great island
July 16, 2012 at 6:42 pmYour kids will love it, Mary.
ming
July 16, 2012 at 11:44 pmI saw this on Chow and tried it on the 4th. I loved it – but the kids didn’t – they thought it was wired! The first one I did – I didn’t cut through – and that didn’t work at all. The others I did cut all the way through and then it worked. I will have to try on Aidells.
Kate
July 16, 2012 at 3:08 pmClever! Absolutely will try it. Especially on the raw hot sausages that I always wonder if they are cooked through.
Thanks to your husband… the guess work is gone.
Sue/the view from great island
July 16, 2012 at 6:40 pmWell, I’m not sure it will work on raw sausages, I don’t think they would hold their shape. It’s best for cooked meats like hotdogs and precooked sausages. Let me know what happens if you try it, though!