Bratwurst Bar

One of my favorite local spots to have a casual date night or even group hang (do the kids even day hang anymore?) is a place called Brat Haus. We love it so much we even hosted out rehearsal dinner there for our wedding. Casual benches placed among an outdoor covered/uncovered patio complete with life-size jenga games, an entire chalkboard wall covered in unique art, and the best damn brats this side of the Mississippi (I cannot confirm or deny this fact, but it felt good to say it). This post is an ode to the Haus, and my own twist on how to serve up brats on a warm summer day, and my two favorite toppings to go with. The hot pepper relish is just that. Hot. But you can tone up or down the flavors depending on the types of peppers you use. Don't like heat? Omit the habanero. Or go turbo and add in a ghost pepper or two. The perfect match to hot pepper relish? Sweet and savory caramelized beer onions. While they do look a bit like worms and extremely difficult to make look appetizing in a photo, you'll just have to trust me on their delicious factor. This is a great way to gather friends and family for a casual, no fuss brat bar, because all of the prep can be done up to a week ahead of time! Take that, summer!

Bratwurst Bar

• 6 bratwurst
• 6 egg hot dog buns
• garnishes (such as shredded cheddar, mustard, crushed potato chips, chutney, etc.)

Hot Pepper Relish

• 2 cups chili peppers (I used a mix of red bell pepper, red chiles, and habanero), chopped into evenly sized pieces
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. whole yellow mustard seeds

Caramelized Beer Onions

• 2 large onions, sliced evenly
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 beer (I used a Scottish ale)

To make the hot pepper relish, add all ingredients into a medium-sized pot and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

To make the caramelized onions, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add in the sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and beer. Simmer on medium-low until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool before using.

Grill your favorite brats over medium-high heat until char marks appear. Serve hot in split hot dog buns, topped with hot pepper relish, caramelized beer onions, or your own personal favorite toppings. 

Taco Dogs

Because it's Memorial Day Weekend, and well, because I love a good hot dog (obvi), I decided to make us all an American classic, with an Arizona twist. Nitrate free, all-beef hot dogs snuggled up in a sweet Hawaiian roll, then topped with taco-seasoned ground beef, and some classic taco toppings. Tacos + Hot Dogs = LOVE. What are you making for Memorial Day Weekend?

Taco Dogs
Makes 4

Ingredients:

• 4 nitrate free beef franks
• 4 hot dog buns (I prefer Hawaiian sweet roll hot dog buns, they are my not-so secret weapon)
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. salsa
• shredded lettuce
• shredded cheddar
• crushed tortillas chips
• hot sauce

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add in the ground beef, breaking up with a spatula, then add in the chili powder and garlic powder, and salsa; cooking until no pink remains. 

Meanwhile, heat up your grill and grill the dogs until hot all the way through. Remove from the heat and place into hot dog buns.

Top with the ground taco meat, shredded lettuce, cheese, tortillas chips, and hot sauce. Devour!

Bahn Mi Hot Dogs

It's hard to believe that after all of these years of blogging, and my obsession with hots dogs, that this is my first actual hot dog recipe. Hot dogs are kind of like one of those things that always taste better when someone else makes them for you. You know, like when you go home and your mom makes you a sandwich. It may just be a simple turkey sandwich, but it tastes so much better when she makes it. Hot dags are the same. It's so much better when someone else steams the buns, grills the dog, and adds all of those delicious toppings. But not today. Today I am making my own. I'm all about a good mash-up recipe. Taco pizza, fajita burger, turkey parm sandwiches, and now, these bahn mi hot dogs. I took 2 of may favorite flavors out there, and cohesively brought them together to make 1 meal. SO fire up that grill and get to mashing!

 Bahn Mi Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

• 4 nitrate-free all-beef hot dogs
• 4 potato hot dog buns
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1/4 mayo
• 1 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into spears
• 1 carrot, julienne
• vinegar
• sugar
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Begin by pickling your carrots a few hours or even a day ahead. Place the sugar and the vinegar into a shallow bowl. Toss in the carrots and allow to sit in the fridge until softened, 4 hours up to 1 day. 

Preheat grill to 400 degrees and grill, turning hot dogs occasionally until grill marks appear on all sides. 

Meanwhile, mix together the mayo and sriracha and set aside. During the last minute of grilling, add the hot dog buns to the grill to get a little toasty.

Remove the buns and the hot dogs from the grill. Slather the sriracha mayo on one half of each bun. Then layer the cucumber and jalapeno on the other half of the buns. Place the grilled dog in the middle and garnish with fresh cilantro.