Traditional New York Hot Dog Recipe

The Origin of the Hot-Dog

• The hot-dog arrived in the United States in the early 19th century, brought by German immigrants from Frankfurt. Feltman’s bakery in Brooklyn was among the first to serve heated sausages in a small bun, and the idea caught on instantly. As demand grew, Feltman created mobile carts to sell hot-dogs throughout New York.
• Today, you’ll find hot-dogs not just from street vendors but also on the menus of many diners and delis (small groceries with sandwich counters). The hot-dog is also a baseball fan’s best friend at baseball games.
• Nathan’s, a hot-dog specialist, hosts an unusual competitive eating contest every July 4 at Coney Island. The current records stand at 72 hot-dogs in 10 minutes for men and 45 for women.

Choosing Your Sausage

• Originally, hot-dogs were made with 100% pork frankfurters. Today, reflecting New York’s diversity, the sausages served here are typically beef.
• For homemade hot-dogs, stick with a frankfurter. Don’t confuse it with a knockwurst, which is closer to a cervelat sausage.

Choosing Your Bun

• For an authentic New York hot-dog, forget the baguette and panini. You need soft, slightly sweet hot-dog buns.
• You can make your own buns at home. Here’s the recipe for hot-dog buns.

Ingredients for 6 People

• 6 hot-dog buns.
• 6 frankfurters.
• American mustard, which is sweeter than Dijon mustard. It gives you that New York flavor.

For the optional onion sauce:

• 2 medium sweet yellow onions.
• A little neutral vegetable oil, such as peanut oil.
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
• 1 large pinch cayenne pepper.
• 2 dashes Tabasco.
• 375 ml (1.6 cups) water.

Recipe Steps

• 1/ Start by preparing the onion sauce. Slice the onions into rings and sauté them in a pot with oil over low heat for about 10 minutes.
• 2/ Once the onions are translucent, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco. Stir well.
• 3/ Add the water and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid has completely evaporated.
• 4/ While the onions simmer, prepare the sausages. Heat water in a pot, keeping it just below boiling.
• 5/ Place the frankfurters in the simmering water for about 10 minutes.
• 6/ Now warm the buns gently, taking care not to toast them.
• 7/ Split each bun lengthwise, leaving one edge intact.
• 8/ Spread a line of mustard on each inside face of the bun.
• 9/ Place the hot frankfurter in the bun.
• 10/ Add some of the onion sauce or sauerkraut along the length of the sausage.
• 11/ Finish with a zigzag of mustard. You now have a traditional New York hot-dog. In New York, you’ll notice some vendors pile on everything—cheese, meat sauce, and more. One thing to know: a true New Yorker never puts ketchup on a hot-dog. That said, nothing stops you from trying it, and the result is always visually striking. For even more flavor, you can make your own ketchup using my ketchup recipe.

Send Us a Photo of Your Hot-Dogs!

• Feel free to contact me if you’d like to share a recipe or culinary challenge.