Summer is here, and the most common way to enjoy the season (and its multiple holiday weekends!) is with your friends and some grilled hot dogs and burgers. But if you don’t have access to a grill, you might be surprised that you can cook party meals with your air fryer. To learn the best way to cook hot dogs in the air fryer, we chatted with Chef Chris Nirschel of Catering Services in New York.
Ahead, Chef Nirschel shares his favorite recipe for making gourmet hot dogs in the air fryer. This recipe uses fun ingredients like barbecue sauce, cheese, and pickled jalapeños, but you can use any hot dog toppings you want. “These gourmet air fryer hot dogs are a perfect blend of salty, cheesy, spicy, and fresh flavors,” says Nirschel.
Read on to learn how to make her simple yet delicious recipe. For hot dog brands we suggest you buy, check out 8 Hot Dogs That Use the Highest Quality Ingredients.
Gather your ingredients.
You can modify these ingredients to suit your favorite type of hot dogs, buns, and toppings, but for a gourmet twist on your regular old dogs, Chef Nirschel recommends putting together the following:
Ingredients:
- 4 beef hot dogs (or your favorite variety)
- 4 hot dog buns
- 2 tablespoons garlic butter (for toasting the buns)
Optional toppings:
- 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled bacon (precooked)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, sliced
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Our air fryer hot dog recipe.
Once your ingredients are ready, you can start preparing your hot dogs and air fryer.
- Preheat your air fryer. Set your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let it preheat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Mark the hot dogs. Make a few diagonal slits on each hot dog using a knife. “This helps them cook evenly and keeps them from bursting,” says Nirschel.
- Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Once preheated, place the hot dogs in the air fryer basket in a single layer and make sure they are not crowded. Cook 5 to 6 minutes. Check them halfway through cooking by shaking the basket lightly to ensure even cooking.
How to Make Buttery Garlic Hot Dog Buns.
To upgrade your air fryer hot dogs, serve them nestled in garlic butter buns.
- Make garlic butter. Add a tablespoon of salted butter to a small bowl. Using a microplane, grate 1 clove of garlic into the butter. Microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds, stopping once the butter has completely melted and just started to bubble.
- Brush buns with garlic butter and grill for 2-3 minutes. “While the hot dogs are cooking, brush the insides of the brioche buns with garlic butter,” says Nirschel. Then, “During the last 2-3 minutes of cooking the hot dogs, place the buns in the air fryer basket, cut side up, to toast.”
- Sprinkle with cheese (optional). If you want to add cheese, Nirschel recommends opening the fryer at the last minute of cooking and sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese on the hot dogs. Close the fryer and let the cheese melt.
Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may be able to cook the hot dogs and buns simultaneously, but if your air fryer is too small, you may finish cooking the dogs before toasting the buns . As you can see in the photo, my air fryer was too small, so I simply waited until the hot dogs were completely cooked, then toasted the buns for a few minutes afterward.
Assemble your hot dogs and top with your favorite toppings.
Once your hot dogs are cooked and the buns are toasted, it’s time to add the toppings!
Nirschel recommends crumbled bacon, slices of red onion, pickled jalapeños and a drizzle of barbecue sauce. This combination of toppings makes a deliciously indulgent hot dog, but you can use any combination you like.
Serve!
“Serve gourmet hot dogs immediately when hot and enjoy the explosion of flavors,” says Nirschel. “To further elevate the dish, you can caramelize the red onions with olive oil and a pinch of sugar before adding them to the hot dogs. This adds a sweet and savory depth to the flavor profile.”
Subscribe to our newsletter !
Samantha Boesch
Samantha was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, and now works as a writer in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more about Samantha
#Cook #Air #Fryer #Hot #Dogs #Perfectly #Time
