Tropical Hot Dog Bar

Tropical Hot Dog Bar ~ I admit it, I’m a closet hot dog lover, maybe you are too?  Today I’m sharing a slew of exotic toppings, including homemade spicy kiwi relish and Maui onion slaw, that will turn your next barbecue into an island paradise!  Get ready, because it’s full-on summer just ahead…

It’s all about the toppings when it comes to hot dogs and burgers, at least for me.  I like to lay them on heavy, and the more creative the better.  Colorful, juicy, tangy, crunchy, you name it, I want it, and I’ve got it here today.  I could have gone on forever coming up with these vibrant relishes and salsas ~ I had to stop myself eventually, and in fact there were a few more than didn’t make it into the photos.  Go ahead and improvise on what I’ve started, the possibilities are endless, and you can’t go wrong with this cast of characters.

My collection of toppings is inspired by the kind you find in Hawaii, where they use all sorts of local tropical fruits to make exotic mustards, relishes, and salsas for the humble hot dog.  With these recipes you can create that tropical getaway in your own backyard.

If you lay everything out on a table while the hot dogs are grilling, then everybody can create their own custom masterpiece ~ how about some passion fruit mustard with a scoop of coconut relish?  I’m partial to the mango salsa myself, I heap on as much as my dog can handle, and then some!

What you’ll find on my tropical hot dog bar ~

• Spicy kiwi relish
• Mango salsa
• Maui onion slaw
• Coconut relish
• Passion fruit mustard
• Papaya lime relish
• Pineapple jalapeno salsa
• avocado salsa

Pay a visit to the tropical fruit section of your supermarket and load up your cart.  If you can’t find Maui onions, any sweet variety will do, they’re right there next to the yellow and white onions.  Don’t be afraid of these unusual combinations ~ they complement grilled meats beautifully and I guarantee you’ll be going back for seconds and thirds.  For me, the biggest surprise was the coconut relish, I wasn’t sure about it, but boy is it fantabulous.  The sweetness of the coconut is balanced by the tangy mayo dressing and the spicy crunch of the mustard seeds ~ an unexpected YUM.

You can make all your condiments up to the night before you want to use them, they’ll keep fine in the refrigerator.

TIP: For these tropical salsas and relishes you’ll want to buy ripe but still firm fruit so that it can be cut into a small dice without turning to mush.  Better too firm than too ripe.

If friends ask you to bring something to a barbecue these would be perfect, just package them up in mason jars with some of the really cute replacement lids you can get now, like these speckled canister style lids, or these Bamboo wooden ones.  You can even get clip on spoons for mason jars ~ I love them!

The million dollar question ~ who makes the best hot dogs?

I don’t eat many hot dogs, only a handful every year, so I want them to be GOOD.  For me I love Boar’s Head, and Hebrew National, with Boar’s Head being my current fave for flavor and texture.   How about you?

TIP: hands down the best way to grill hot dogs is to slash them on the diagonal several times along their length.  They’ll cook up perfectly and those slashes will open up and hold even more of your favorite condiments.   In fact, if you want to go a step further you can SPIRAL CUT your hot dogs and sausages.

Notes:

• Did you know you can make your own mustard from scratch?  See my HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MUSTARD, my version is hot, sweet, and smokey.
• Ketchup lovers, don’t worry, I also have an incredible HOMEMADE KETCHUP recipe.  Like all great ketchups, it has a lot of ingredients, but you probably already have them in your kitchen, and you can customize it just the way you like it.  You’ll never go back to the store bought stuff again!
• Are you craving some good old fashioned pickle relish?  I’ve got a recipe for that too!  HOW TO MAKE OLD HOMEMADE FASHIONED RELISH ~ this homemade pickle relish has been Great Island-ized with some hot peppers, and a little bit of extra spice.  You’re going to love it, and it’s so easy!

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