Hot Dogs, Brats, and Sausages
“Hot” Dog, Really (stuffed with pepperjack cheese and jalapenos)
(Workman Publishing).
Copyright© 2025. Photographs by Randazzo & Blau.
The hotdog is a cookout mainstay—prized as much for its ease of preparation as for its rich, smoky, garlicky taste. So how could you possibly improve on a sausage that comes already cooked, requiring nothing more than reheating? By dividing and conquering—that’s how. Namely, by slicing the hotdog nearly in half lengthwise so you can open it up like a book. Thus butterflied, the hotdog presents double the surface area you can cook to a crusty brown.
More crust and more browning means more Maillard effect and that means more flavor. And nothing does it better than a griddle. But I like to go one step further, making a hotdog that lives up to its name: hot. Enter griddled jalapeños, pepper Jack cheese, and horseradish mustard spiked with sriracha. Now that’s what I call a “hot” dog.
Stuffed Pepperjack Cheese and Jalapeño Hot Dog Recipe
“Hot” Dog, Really (stuffed with pepperjack cheese and jalapenos)
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 5 minutes (slicing jalapeños and cheese)
- Active Prep: 15 minutes (cutting hot dogs, prepping ingredients, assembling)
- Grill Time: 10 minutes (cooking hot dogs, jalapeños, melting cheese, toasting buns)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 Hotdogs, Serves 2 to 4
- Method: Griddling (or plancha-style cooking)
- Equipment: Griddle or plancha, Griddle press or cast-iron skillet, Griddle dome (optional), Chef’s knife, Spatula
Ingredients
For the Dogs
- 4 of your favorite hotdogs
- Canola or olive oil for the griddle
- 4 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced on the diagonal (see What Else)
- 4 to 6 ounces (115 to 170 g) pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced
For Serving
- 4 brioche hotdog rolls, split
- 2/3 cup (160 g) sauerkraut (optional)
- Horseradish mustard (or your favorite mustard) in a squeeze bottle
- Sriracha in a squeeze bottle
You'll Also Need
- A griddle press (or cast-iron skillet)
- A griddle dome (optional)
Recipe Steps
1: Heat your griddle or plancha to medium-high with one zone on low.
2: Using a chef’s knife, cut each hotdog almost in half lengthwise. Open it up like a book and gently press it open so it lies flat.
3: Lightly oil the griddle. Lay the hotdogs, cut side down, on the medium-high zone of the griddle and place a griddle press on top. Cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, 2 minutes.
4: At the same time, arrange the jalapeño slices on the griddle and cook, turning with a spatula, until sizzling and browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
5: Invert the hotdogs and arrange the griddled jalapeño slices on top. Top with pepper Jack cheese slices. Cook until the dogs are sizzling and browned on the outside and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes more. Note: To facilitate melting the cheese, you can place a griddle dome on top. Move the hotdogs off to a cooler part of the griddle to keep warm.
6: Grill the hotdog rolls, cut side down, in the hotdog fat until browned, 30 to 60 seconds.
7: To assemble, place a hotdog with its topping on a roll. Top with sauerkraut (if using). Squirt squiggles of mustard and sriracha on top and dig in!
Recipe Tips
What Else
There are many hotdog varieties to choose from: Hebrew National (my personal favorite), Ball Park, even costly Wagyu hotdogs made from Japanese-style beef. For hotter “hot” dogs, leave the jalapeño seeds in. For milder dogs, seed the jalapeños, or use a milder chile, like a poblano.
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