These delicious Grilled Hot Dogs are cooked to perfection with some slight charring on the outside and a juicy hot dog on the inside. Add your toppings of choice or create a make-your-own hot dog bar where everyone can add all their favorites (add in some grilled brats for an even better spread). Great for a backyard cookout, family gatherings, or 4th of July celebration!
The Best Grilled Hot Dogs
All summer long, we are cooking up all our favorite grilled foods! Including the perfect hot dogs, which might be our kid’s favorite. It is our favorite way to cook hot dogs because of the extra flavor and they can be made in minutes and are the definition of a summer classic during grilling season! Follow along as we show you how to easily grill the perfect hot dog. Pile on all the toppings and enjoy for a quick and easy option for those busy weeknights!
Do you love hot dogs but don’t have a grill, don’t worry, you can also make delicious hot dogs right in your air fryer, which might be one of the fastest ways to cook hot dogs!
What You Will Need
- raw hot dogs – just pick up your favorite hot dogs from your local grocery stores or butcher shop!
- hot dog buns – again, just grab your favorite variety – regular, whole wheat, gluten-free, etc!
How To Grill Hot Dogs
The first step to making the best hot dogs are to pick out your favorite ones! Make sure you have enough for everyone, plus a few extras because they make great leftovers.
Make sure the grill grates are clean and that it is a preheated, hot grill. Place the hot dogs directly on the hot grill grates and cook over direct medium heat.
How Long To Grill Hot Dogs
Typically, we grill hot dogs for 5-7 minutes. While they are cooking, make sure to carefully rotate them a few times using tongs during the cooking process to get perfect grill marks. The exact cook time might vary depending on the size of your hot dogs. The larger the hot dogs, the longer they will need to cook.
Pro tip: if your hot dogs need a couple of minutes to finish cooking, you can move them to indirect heat on one side of the grill after turning off that burner. This will help them cook all the way through and keep the charring minimal.
Best Toppings For Grilled Hot Dogs
The options are endless! There are so many different toppings that would be amazing on a grilled hot dog! Keep it classic with some ketchup and yellow mustard. Or add even more flavor with some of our favorite toppings that will take it to the next level, like sauerkraut, dijon mustard, chopped red onions, pickle relish, tangy horseradish, barbecue sauce, & honey mustard. We love to have all the options for everyone to make their own creations!
How To Serve Grilled Hot Dogs
Again, there are so many great options! When we already have the grill going we usually put our side dishes on their too, like grilled sweet potatoes, grilled broccoli, or a variety of other grilled vegetables! If you are looking for other side dish recipes we highly recommend more summer classics, like creamy coleslaw, potato salad, or smoked baked beans.
Recipe FAQ
- Should you cut hot dogs before grilling: you can use a paring knife to score the outside of the hot dogs at a slight angle on two sides (or make spiral cut dogs) to help with even cooking and to reduce the cooking time, but this is entirely optional!
- Charcoal grill: we love using our gas grill (we love our Traeger), but a charcoal grill can be used too. Simply bring the heat of the grill to a cooking temperature of 250-325 degrees F. Once it has preheated you can place the hot dogs over direct heat to cook for 5-7 minutes, rotating occasionally.
- Toasted hot dog buns: use a grill brush to lightly apply melted butter to the inside of the hot dog buns and place directly on the grill to toast for 1-2 minutes.
- Hot dog recipes: these would also be great for using to make chili dogs, corn dogs, or Chicago dogs!
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Grilled Hot Dogs (How to Grill Hot Dogs)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Grilled Hot Dogs (how to grill hot dogs) – your go-to guide that teaches you how to easily grill hot dogs perfectly every time!
Ingredients
- 6 hot dogs (standard size)
- 6 buns of your choice
- toppings: ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, grilled onions, pickle relish
Instructions
- Ensure grill grates are clean and greased. Preheat grill to medium (350-450 degrees F.).
- Place hot dogs on the grill over direct heat. Cook approx. 5-7 for standard beef franks (increase cook time by 1-3 minutes for jumbo dogs) rotating every few minutes.
- Remove from grill and and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Serve with your choice of hot dog bun, sauerkraut, grilled onions, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, etc.
Notes
- Cook Time: the cook time stated is for your regular, standard sized beef franks. Cook time will increase by 1-3 minutes for a jumbo frank and will increase even a bit more for a quarter pound frank (approx. 10-15 minutes).
- Toasted Buns: feel free to brush your hot dog buns lightly with butter and place on the grill for a minute or two so they are toasted and delicious!
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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