Who doesn’t love hot dogs? Great for breakfast or a snack (or any meal actually if you need a quick fix that’s also satisfying), you can cook hot dogs in a few different ways. Grilled, baked, fried, steamed, boiled, you can cook them any way you prefer.
While grilling, steaming, and frying may be easy ways to get a perfectly cooked hot dog, how do you cook it to perfection through boiling? Like me, you may be wondering how long to boil hot dogs and cook them perfectly. Here are a few tips that could help us achieve that perfectly boiled hot dog or at least not ruin them while cooking.
Boil Hot Dogs on a Stove
This is probably the most popular way to boil hot dogs and have them ready in minutes. You first need to prepare your hot dogs and the buns if you’re making a hot dog sandwich. The pot that you will be using should be able to accommodate all the hot dogs that you’ll be cooking. Put water in the pot but don’t fill it, there should be enough room at the top – at least a few inches – so the water won’t spill during boiling.
Bring the water to a full boil or rolling boil. Carefully place the hot dogs in the water once it’s boiling and cook it for 5-6 minutes until the hot dogs are plump. Shorter cooking time can sometimes result in softer hot dogs, depending on their brand and casing. What we want to avoid here is overcooking where they end up splitting in the middle as they would lose a lot of flavor if this happens. Check out our recommendations for the best copper pans to use.
If you’re making a sandwich, you can prepare and toast the buns while waiting for the hot dogs to cook. Once the hot dogs are cooked, take them out of the water one by one and drain them. You can either shake the water off as you take them out and then put them straight to paper towels to dry or you can place them in a strainer to drain the water off before placing them on a plate lined with paper towels. They’re now ready to be placed in the buns for your sandwich, so you can add your favorite toppings or you can eat them straight!
Boil Hot Dogs in a Microwave
Another quick way to cook a hot dog is by boiling it in a microwave. You’ll also get a more tender and juicier hot dog when it’s microwave cooked. So how long to boil hot dogs in a microwave? You would need a safe-microwave bowl to place the hot dog into. Prepare the hot dogs by slitting each of them with a knife through the skin, down its length.
This is to prevent them from exploding or bursting during cooking. Place a hot dog (or hot dogs depending on how much your bowl would allow) in the microwavable bowl and fill it with water, just enough to submerge the hot dogs fully. There should be space left at the top so that the water won’t spill during the boiling.
You can now place the bowl with the hot dogs inside the microwave and cook them on high for 60-75 seconds. The cooking time depends on how many hot dogs you’re cooking. The more they are, the longer the cooking time would be. You can test if they are already cooked by cutting off the tip to check if they are hot or cooked through. Add 30 seconds more if you think they still need more time to cook.
Once you see that they’ve all heated thoroughly, you can now take the bowl out of the oven and drain the water carefully. Transfer the hot dogs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain them. They’re now ready to eat, and you can now enjoy your tender and juicy hot dogs!
Boil Hot Dogs by Adding Extra Flavor
This is one of the quirky and fun ways of cooking a hot dog! I know that hot dogs are already great as they are, but isn’t it fun to spice them up a bit and give them some kick by adding extra flavor to them? Hot dogs can be fun too, you know.
So how to boil hot dogs with extra flavor? There are actually different ways of adding flavor to your hot dogs. You can use seasoning powders, garlic cloves, and even beer. Yes, you got that right, beer!
One way of adding flavor is to add some seasoning to the water before boiling it. These are some of the seasonings you can add according to your preference: ½ teaspoon of salt (if you prefer your hot dogs salty), ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, or ¼ teaspoon of the Italian spice mix. You can add one or more of these, whichever suits your taste. The cooking or boiling time is the same, around 60-75 seconds, depending on how many hot dogs you are cooking.
Another way of adding flavor is by putting or adding a clove of garlic to the water. There’s no need to peel or slice it, you can just add it in. As the water comes to a boil, you can toss in and add a clove or 2 of garlic to add some earthly flavors to your hot dogs. Same with this one, the cooking or boiling time is the same, around 60-75 seconds depending on how many hot dogs you are cooking.
And finally, one that adults will enjoy is pouring or adding beer into the water to add extra flavor. You can use any brand you prefer, and you can experiment with which one tastes best to your preference.
Once you’ve added the beer, you can now boil and cook the hot dogs for 10-15 minutes for the hot dogs to absorb the flavor. The beer creates that yummy sausage flavor and works with any flavor of hot dog but tastes better with the beef-flavored ones. You can make this as a sandwich and add your favorite toppings. This is a great way to enjoy an afternoon while watching your favorite sports on TV.
Do Flavors Matter?
It doesn’t since according to the information mentioned above, the cooking time depends on the number of hot dogs you are cooking and the method. Although if you’re adding beer to your recipe, they work best with the beef-flavored ones.
Flavors may not matter, but for the best quality and best tasting hot dogs, you should also go for the high-quality ones in the market and avoid cheap meats and those that have lots of fillers. You can try and experiment, and you may want to start with the ones that are on this list.
- Applegate Organic Beef Hot Dog – If you’re going for a healthier and more nutritious choice for you and your family
- Dietz & Watson Angus Beef Franks – Dairy-free and gluten-free, for those that are watching what they eat yet still want to enjoy some tasty hot dog snacks or sandwiches
- 365 Everyday Value Beef Hot Dog – Meaty hot dogs that are a little bit on the salty side.
Conclusion
So there you go. We have summed up the various ways that you can boil hot dogs, as well as the different lengths of time of cooking that you can try.
These can come in handy if grilling outside is not possible or when we’re craving a quick fix in the late afternoon or late evening. The only thing we need to make sure of here is that the hot dogs are cooked and heated thoroughly to ensure they’re safe to eat.
By the way, we also wrote about different recipes that you might want to check out! Read our canned beans or our quinoa tutorials and rediscover the awesome flavors from these super simple ingredients!
That’s it for now. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, feel free to leave them and I’ll make sure to get back to you.