Stella, May I know how you make corn dogs?

10:00 AM Unknown 0 Comments

Do you ever just crave a corn dog? The fair only comes once a year and the mall variety only satisfies the craving a little bit.  Before we got our fryer, we resorted to the frozen/microwave variety. Those just do not compare to the fresh from the fryer ones! Here's how I make them. 
 First remove the hot dogs from the package and stick popsicle/craft sticks in them. These ended up being really flimsy despite how small the hot dogs are. Next time I would use disposable chopsticks.
Here, I used Hebrew National Beef Franks, not the bun length! The bun length variety are skinnier and you get less meat per frank. Mister is only a fan of the all beef variety, so I chose this brand. They turned out pretty tasty!
 After you make the batter, pour it into a tall cup. This makes it infinitely easier to coat the dogs.
 Slow pour picture.
 This is a 2-cup container/glass. As you can see it is a lumpy batter. Like pancakes, the more you mix the batter the smoother it will be, but it will also become a denser batter. Stop mixing just after the dry ingredients are no longer dry and you will have a nice and fluffy corn dog!
 Sprinkle on some flour or corn meal.
 Make sure it is dusted on evenly. This step is crucial if you don't like that gap between the breading and dog.
 Heat the oil to 355°F. The corn dogs will be frying at 350°F but since the temperature drops after the dogs go in, I heated the oil just a tad hotter to compensate. My fryer doesn't take too long to heat up, so I do this step just before I dip in the dogs. If your fryer takes longer or you are using a stove/thermometer configuration, then heat your oil earlier. I like to have the dogs cooking right after I dip them, that way the batter doesn't pull away. 
 Dip the corn dogs in. (See how you don't have to fiddle with the batter to coat it evenly?)
 Just give it a little twirl and you are good to go!
Pull out and finger off the excess batter.
 Slowly dip it into the oil. I start by just lightly dipping it in and getting the outside batter cooking. Then very slowly dipping in the rest of the dog. Mister did not like this method so off he went to make a contraption.. more on that later.
 It took about 5 minutes to cook, but I just based that on the color of the batter. Since most hot dogs come cooked, I was just cooking the batter. (Did you know you can just eat the hot dogs straight from the package?)
 You see that little hole? That's because I didn't lower them in slow enough to cook the outside and it got stuck to the basket. Patience!
 Drain and cool. Then we are ready for some mustard! I like draining them in the basket rather than paper towels. They always end up steaming the bottom crust bit and I just worked real hard to get that crispy.
 Here is Mister's contraption. He used galvanized wire, but I think a paper clip would have been just as unhelpful.
 To get the most amount of room, he took out the baskets and cooked them while holding it. I don't think it was worth making the contraption,
 Leftover batter? I made some corn bread muffins! I just added a lot of shredded cheese, but I really should have added a fat of sorts as these turned out dry and dense. (Baked at 350°F, 25 minutes)
I compensated by really smothering on the butter when they came out.

Corn Dog Recipe
makes about 6-8 corn dogs

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ cup yellow cornmeal 
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour (plus a spoonful for coating)
  • 1½ tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup milk 
  • peanut oil for frying
  • hot dogs 
  • chopsticks or craft sticks 
Directions 
  • Mix together dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper).
  • Slowly stir in eggs and milk. Stop mixing after the dry ingredients are no longer dry. It will be a lumpy batter. Pour into a tall glass. 
  • Heat oil to 355°F in fryer or large heavy pot. (A pot large enough to fit the corn dogs) Add enough oil for the corn dogs to be submerged. 
  • While the oil is heating, pat the hot dogs dry and skewer a stick in. Coat the hot dogs in flour or cornmeal. 
  • When the oil is at temperature, dip the hot dogs into the batter. Twirl until the batter is completely coating the hot dog. Let the remaining batter drip off or wipe it away. Then slowly lower the corn dog into the fryer.
  • Cook corn dogs for 5-7 minutes or until desired coloring has achieved. Allow corn dogs to be drained. 

This is the fryer I use.

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