I grew up eating grilled hot dogs with yellow mustard and green relish on a classic hot dog bun. But Chef Cris came up with a very popular recipe that combines the salty, smoke-infused flavor of slab bacon and the fresh flavors of pico de gallo and sautéed onions. The onions, relish, and yellow mustard add tang and depth, and this is an easy-to-prepare crowd pleaser on game day.
When I was pitching for the Houston Astros I’d always go out of my way to enjoy a Dodger Dog every time we played in Los Angeles. Vin Scully, the legendary Dodgers’ broadcaster, pitched Farmer John Dodger Dogs on his pregame show; he was so passionate about them that he convinced us all that they were the greatest hot dogs on earth!
One of the great things about baseball is that the longer the game, the more food you get to enjoy at the ballpark. My games were a little longer because I threw a lot of pitches. The funny thing about my career is that people talk about my seven no-hitters as my greatest achievement, but I never consciously thought about no-hitters. I’d rather win 5–4 than lose 1–0 with sixteen strikeouts. You can’t put personal goals ahead of your team.
MAKES 12 HOT DOGS
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 20 MINUTES
24 slices bacon
12 all-beef hot dogs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions, sliced
12 hot dog buns, toasted
Green relish
Yellow mustard
1½ cups Pico de Gallo (here)
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Wrap 2 bacon slices around each hot dog. Cook the hot dogs on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Reserve the bacon drippings.
3 Finish the hot dogs in a large skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, and then transfer to a plate. (You can also finish the hot dogs on a grill heated to medium.)
4 Add the reserved bacon fat and the vegetable oil to the skillet and sauté the onions until golden brown.
5 Place the hot dogs in buns and top with onions, relish, and yellow mustard.
6 Serve the pico de gallo on the side.