Grilling Season!

So, it's been a gazillion months since I posted. I resprained my already heavily damaged ankle, had to be on crutches for six weeks, a big boot for about as long, and just generally didn't feel like doing much of anything. Health problems can be really challenging and depressing, and I, as a general rule, suck at finishing projects in my life! I can start a million and one things and even be completing all of them well enough that it looks like maybe I have a talent for _____! Annnnddd then the laziness and boredom strikes. Or, the searing pain and crutches.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty decent as of late (queue me running around the house with the fervor of the insane knocking on every piece of furniture that is remotely wooden), so I thought I'd give this another go! Plus, it's that time of year when I start grilling pretty much every week and soaking up the beautiful weather in my backyard, which should equal a lot of delicious grub.

This one isn't so much a "recipe" as it is an idea to dress up a rather dull grilling staple: the beef hotdog. Behold the dog I created and rapidly shoved down my gullet last night.

Now, traditionally we eat this puzzlingly tasty piece of processed meat with some variation on the mustard/ketchup/relish combo. Maybe we add onions, maybe we prefer dill relish to sweet relish, but there isn't a whole lot of culinary variety.

However, in recent years, a ton of restaurants have been cropping up that serve unique and oh so gastronomically pleasing dogs. A local favorite of mine is D's Six Pax & Dogz. They offer everything from a classic Chicago style dog to crazy dog-of-the-month concoctions, this month's being the Everything Bagel Dog, topped with cream cheese, everything spice, and bagel chips. It also helps that they have a killer draft list and beer take-out selection for this beer snob to devour. Definitely grab a fancy beer and hot dog if you're in the area.

The first establishment to introduce me to the endless possibilities of the gourmet dog is a place in NYC called Asia Dog. The boyfriend and I went to a music festival called All Tomorrow's Parties in upstate New York (and then in it's new location in Asbury Park, NJ the following year) a few years ago and fell in love with Asia Dog. Part of ATP's whole mission statement is that they do not accept any corporate sponsorships and all food vendors are small businesses like Asia Dog. This makes for a much better festival experience, but I won't go into that now because I could babble about ATP for years on end. As you can probably guess from this restaurant's title, all of the dogs have the flair of ingredients from different factions of Asian cuisine. Our favorite, hands down, was the Wangding: Chinese style BBQ pork belly (way more savory than the sickly sweet American BBQ I generally detest), thinly sliced crunchy cucumber, and scallions. I've also had the Vinh and the Mash, which are both incredible as well. If I ever find myself in NYC, they will definitely be my first food stop.

So, as you can see, hot dogs DO NOT have to fall victim to the yellow mustard and tomato ketchup trap, which isn't to say that isn't tasty from time to time! I just love experimenting and the blank canvas of a hot dog is the perfect jumping off point for crazy new concoctions.

To get you started, the above dog has the following atop it's bursting, grill marked exterior:

Sliced avocado

Diced white onion

Diced tomato

Shredded pepper jack cheese

Fresh cilantro

Drizzling of ranch dressing

You can take that template and substitute all kinds of toppings. Do a little sriracha in place of ranch if you like it spicy. Add some thinly sliced pickling cucumber or shredded carrot on one side of the bun for a refreshing crunch. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous, try a variation on an Asia Dog. Just don't ever again assume mustard and ketchup are your only options. :)