Juicy cornmeal hot dogs (Printable Version)

Golden fried hot dogs dipped in sweet cornmeal batter, crisp outside and juicy inside.

# What You Need:

→ Hot Dogs

01 - 8 hot dogs
02 - 8 wooden sticks (popsicle or bamboo skewers)

→ Batter

03 - 1 cup yellow cornmeal (120 g)
04 - 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 g)
05 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
06 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

→ Frying

11 - 6 cups vegetable oil (1.5 liters), for deep frying

# How-To:

01 - Pat hot dogs dry with paper towels and insert a wooden stick into each, leaving enough length to hold.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large deep pot to 350°F (180°C).
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, beat whole milk, eggs, and vegetable oil together until smooth.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk gently until the batter is smooth and thick.
06 - Transfer batter to a tall glass for easy dipping. Dip each hot dog into the batter, coating completely.
07 - Carefully lower battered hot dogs into hot oil, frying 2 to 3 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed until golden brown.
08 - Remove corn dogs with tongs and drain on paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're ridiculously easy to make and feel like a genuine accomplishment when that first golden corn dog emerges from the oil.
  • The contrast between the crispy, slightly sweet cornmeal shell and the juicy hot dog inside is genuinely addictive.
  • You get to use a tall glass as a dipping vessel, which somehow makes the whole process feel more fun and less like cooking.
02 -
  • If your oil temperature drops below 175°C (347°F), the batter absorbs oil instead of crisping up, and you'll end up with greasy, soggy corn dogs instead of the crispy dream you're after.
  • Pat those hot dogs completely dry before breading—any moisture is the enemy of a good crust and will cause the batter to slide around in the oil.
  • Batter that's too thin will slide off into the oil and leave you with mostly fried hot dog; too thick and it won't cook through in the time the outside takes to brown.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend into batter more smoothly, creating a more even coating that crisps better than batter made with cold eggs and milk.
  • Fry in batches of 2–3 rather than crowding the pot; overcrowding drops the oil temperature and produces uneven browning.
  • If you're making a large batch, keep finished corn dogs warm in a 120°C (250°F) oven on a wire rack so they stay crispy instead of steaming themselves soggy on a plate.
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