I made hot dogs the same way for years. They were always good, but nothing to brag about. I think maybe in the back of my mind, the humble sausage wasn’t important enough to warrant the creative input of my imaginative culinary side. So one day, I decided to try something different.

As a child, I was taught to boil sausage in water, put it in a bun, and sprinkle various seasonings on top. But as I’ve grown and advanced in my culinary skills, I knew there had to be a way to improve on this method of cooking a hot dog.

Things that go great with hot dogs are: French fries, baked beans, coleslaw, or potato salad.

This method of cooking the humble sausage is now a regular thing in my house. My family loves them, and they really are good. This is what you will need:

*All beef sausage (you can have those other “stuff” if you want, we only eat beef sausage – we prefer bun length too)

* Soft buns (you want fresh buns here, not stale, although you can steam them back to life if you insist on using old bread – I have other uses for old bread, like bread pudding with Amaretto sauce)

* Hot Dog Seasoning

* sauerkraut

* Diced onions

* Mustard and ketchup

* Kraft Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend

* Chili sauce for hot dogs (Castleberry’s is our favorite)

* Laura’s Homemade Slaw

* Butter

* Tin foil

* Crock pot

* Cast iron skillet

Now, you don’t have to do everything the same way I do. I’m letting everyone know how I do it, and they can adjust it however they see fit.

Keep in mind that the sausages need to spend some time in the slow cooker to be good, and the steaming method I mention below is great. Plan properly for the dog packs to heat up and melt inside their “pack” in the hot slow cooker. I usually make the dogs and leave them in the pot for 45 minutes to an hour.

1. About an hour before dinner, turn on the slow cooker and let it heat through.
2. Heat the iron skillet and add a tablespoon of butter.
3. Fry the beef sausages in the iron skillet.
4. When they have a nice “fry” on the outside, sort of like you would grill them, remove them and place them inside a soft bun that is fresh and not stale (I am very particular about my bread being soft and fresh)
5. Immediately wrap the assembled bun and sausage in aluminum foil, sealing all edges.
6. Place in a clay pot.
7. Repeat with the remaining buns and sausages.
8. Cover the slow cooker and leave it alone.
9. Heat the chili in the microwave or on the stove.
10. Prepare the other seasonings.
11. Put everything on the table, including drinks, chips, dips, whatever.
12. Then, take out one assembled dog at a time for each diner, keeping the rest in the slow cooker with the lid on to stay warm.

These heat up very well. Simply remove the bun and sausage combo from the foil (don’t forget this step to avoid a nasty microwave incident), wrap loosely in a paper towel, and microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Don’t overdo it, the bun will get tough.

Alternative method: I tried this once and it was even better. Place a rack in the bottom of the slow cooker before adding the sausages. Add a tablespoon or so of water. Be careful, you don’t want the doggie packs to sit in liquid. The idea is to “steam” them slightly.

I usually eat two hot dogs, each made as follows:

Version #1: (ingredients are in the order used) mustard, ketchup, relish, hot sauce, cheese, onions

Version #2: (ingredients are in the order used) mustard, relish, onion, sauerkraut, homemade coleslaw

Now, a note here about the cole slaw. There are all kinds of different ways to make coleslaw. There is also cabbage mix that can be purchased in a bag. I am as picky about my salad as I am about my bread. My mom made coleslaw pretty much the same way for years, and it always tasted good.

If you’ve ever had bad coleslaw, you’ll remember it. Some fast food restaurants have the audacity to CALL it coleslaw, but it’s more like tasteless cardboard “stuff”. Have you ever thought that cole slaw in many restaurants is often completely white, as if made entirely from the heart of cabbage? It makes you wonder what happened to all the GREEN stuff.

I’ll be sure to link to my coleslaw recipe at the bottom of the article, so be sure to grab it and try it with these delicious stadium-style hot dogs.

I am very picky about certain things: fresh bread is one; fresh milk is another; good-tasting coleslaw is important; I think Castleberry’s hot dog chili sauce is great; I use Kraft Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend almost daily; I want to know what’s in the meat I eat. However, to each his own. Enjoy!