Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking, by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim.
You will need large hot dogs (knockwurst or foot-longs, take your choice) to hold all of the filling in this recipe. "The works" means anything and everything you like on a hot dog, so if there's something that works for you that we haven't included, bring it on; you can't mess it up. Whatever you do, the results will be over the top. One word of warning: Don't wrap the bacon too tightly, or it will break when the hot dogs swell during cooking.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Gas:
Step 1
Direct heat, medium-high (425° to 450°F)
Step 2
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Step 3
Direct heat, light ash
Step 4
12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)
Step 5
Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting
Wood:
Step 6
Direct heat, light ash
Step 7
12-by-12-inch bed, 3 to 4 inches deep
Step 8
Clean, oiled grate set 2 inches about the fire
Step 9
1. Heat the grill as directed.
Step 10
2. Mix the mustard, ketchup, and sauerkraut in a small bowl.
Step 11
3. Slit the hot dogs lengthwise, forming a deep pocket end to end in each one. Fill the pockets halfway with the sauerkraut mixture. Put a stick of cheese in the center of each and top with the remaining sauerkraut mixture. Wrap a bacon slice around each hot dog to hold it together, and secure the ends of each bacon strip with wooden toothpicks.
Step 12
4. Put the grill screen on the grill and coat it with oil. Wait a minute or two, until the surface is hot. Grill the hot dogs until the bacon is cooked through and the hot dogs are browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
Step 13
5. To toast the buns, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking. Serve the hot dogs on the buns.
