Want Next-Level Hot Dogs For Your Cookout? Give Them The Grilled Cheese Treatment

Little heralds the arrival of warm weather like classic cookout food. But the humble hot dog doesn't always get the attention it deserves, which is understandable if it's just an ultraprocessed log with some ketchup. But there's an easy, cheesy way to make hot dogs the star of the show.

To start, make a simple garlic butter using real, finely-minced garlic cloves. Garlic powder is an attractive shortcut, but unsuitable for reasons that will become clear. Next, score your uncooked hot dogs with crosshatched Xs all the way down one side, approximately ⅛ inch deep. This, too, will become important later. (People with trypophobia — an aversion to visual patterns, especially irregular or grooved ones — may want to consider a single line down the middle, also ⅛ inch deep, instead.)

While the scored hot dogs cook on a hot grill, slather the open face of hot dog buns in garlic butter and toast them face-down on a griddle. Where garlic powder would burn and ruin the dish, real garlic develops incredible flavor. When the bread is browned, move it to a warmer face up and cover it with shredded cheese and more garlic butter. When the buttery, cheesy bed is ready, place the scored hot dog inside, cuts up, and drizzle it in even more garlic butter to fill those crosshatched grooves with flavor.

Although this hot dog concept is already bursting with flavor, there are ways to improve upon it even further. For instance, toasting the buns face-down in shredded cheese, using specialty sausages instead of hot dogs, or pressing the finished dish on a hot griddle like an actual grilled cheese. There are also countless homemade flavored butters that amp up any dinner party, or cookout, as the case may be: Truffle, sriracha, or bacon butters are just a few worth considering. 

While the grill is a classic choice for a reason, there's also a better way. The broiler in your oven is actually the best way to cook hot dogs, for its unrivaled convenience and speed. Using the broiler is a far simpler process that doesn't depend on clear weather, and the intense heat can get hot dogs to lightly charred deliciousness in as little as five minutes.

But before the meat gets scored or hits the heat, you should consider simmering hot dogs in beer for even better flavor. A quick and gentle boil adds surprising complexity to the hot dogs' existing flavor. And don't worry, this isn't a recommendation for boiled hot dogs over grilled — you can still grill (or broil) them after the boil to get the desired charring.