corn dog secrets

I've been wanting to make corn dogs lately. So of course, I set out to find what makes a good corn dog, and recipes to match.

The prototype for me is what I've had at Hot Dog on a Stick (HDOAS). I even had a similarly good corn dog in Mammoth Lakes at the Vons. So here's my criterial for what makes a good one:

1. Should have an fairly prominent corn flavor, and it should be fairly sweet
2. Corn coating is not too thick, no more than 1/4" in thickness
3. Outer crust is crispy, and a little chewy; some pull but not much
4. Fried batter should not be gritty, gummy, gooey or overly thick
5. Fried batter shouldn't be too airy/light, or too heavy; but, erring on lightness is better.
   

So I rounded up 8 recipes...from everything from personal web sites and food blogs to behemoths Cooks.com and Allrecipes.com. I didn't even bother with Alton Brown's version for two reasons: aside from the fact that he bugs me a little, his recipe adds too much junk which is not traditional.

I chose 2 that I were substantially different enough to suggest the right direction to go. Here's what I found out for making a pretty traditional corn dog:

1. More flour less corn: I think the right proportion is around 100:66 flour-to-cornmeal. The one I made with 100:200 flour-to-cornmeal tasted gritty, and not as "corny" to my palate as the one with less corn...yes a bit strange I know! See #2 for more related info.
   
2. Sugar: more appears is better
   
3. Liquid: buttermilk seems to be best. Milk's 2nd best. HDOAS uses dried milk powder and hydrates with water.
   
4. Egg: 1 egg appears universal for 1 cup.
   
5. Leavening: depends on the liquid you're using. Baking powder + a bit of soda is good when using buttermilk; but this makes it pretty fluffy though, good if you want it really light, but . HDOAS only uses baking powder.
6. Oil: maybe 2 tablespoons, I think that's plenty. 4 tablespoos (1/4 cup) just makes the batter taste too oily. You're deepfrying these guys, for chrissakes, why would you need to add that much oil!!
   
7. Weird stuff: if you want to get crazy, try adding some dextrose for sweetening, in addition to sugar; also a small amount of rice flour (maybe 2-4 tbsp per cup of flour?)

I think the leavening and liquid are the main things to tweak. Sugar and flour percentages seem pretty consistent. Based on my tests, I'll take my fave recipe, decrease leavening a slight bit and increase the liquid a tiny bit.

Speaking of scaling, the 1 cup flour quantities really make a ridiculous amount of batter...unless you're making a whole pack of corn dogs for the party, you need barely half.

AND I really like the idea of cutting hot dogs in half for this. AND be sure to use sticks...I like popsicle sticks. It actually make them easier to dip and handle, which is critical when dealing with hot oil.

One last comment: the meat! Of course the hot dog itself is important. HDOAS uses a turkey dog, which is a good option. I really like the relatively new Oscar Mayer Selects Premium uncured hot dogs with no nitrates, nitrites or preservatives. Flavor is great, and I don't have to worry about extra garbage in my hot dogs.

Now go forth and make corn dogs!

Beer bratwurst and your own brats!

The weekend as a snack I decided to do some brats that I had defrosted. They turned out really well. I like cooking in beer, but I think the apple juice made the biggest difference, adding depth of flavor, warmness and of course some sweetness.

Beer Brats and Onions

4 bratwurst
1 whole onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 bottle of good lager (like Heineken or other lager)
1/2 cup apple juice (preferably unfiltered, organic)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. In a skillet over high heat, add apple juice, onion, sugar, and salt, stir to combine.
   
2. Nestle brats in liquid, which should come up about 1/2 way.
   
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
   
4. Turn brats, uncover, and cook until remaining liquid has evaporated, and brats & onions start to brown, about 15 more minutes.
   
5. Check brats for doneness (cut through, should be just a tiny bit pink in center, if at all).

Serve on a bun with Dijon mustard and some of the onions. Yum!

Things to consider for the future: making your own brats (recipe from Jack Schmidling's web site), or at the very least, incorporating the brat spices/flavors in the poaching liquid.

60% (9.6 oz) Pork, 40% (6.4 oz) Veal.1 lb
1 tsp pickling salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
1/2 tsp dried Marjoram
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
1/8 tsp dried Ginger
1/8 tsp ground Mace
1/8 tsp ground Cardamom
2 oz Red Wine

1. Grind meat through 3/16" plate.
2. Mix non-meat ingredients in bowl and add to ground meat and mix thoroughly.
3. Chill in freezer for 30 min.
4. Mix again and grind through 1/4" plate.
5. Stuff into sheep or hog casings and air dry for 30 min or until dry to the touch.
6. Refrigerate or freeze for use.

spicy louisiana sausage

Bruce Aidells wrote a nice little book called Flying Sausages, which has a number of great recipes, and which helped me have a sausage-making revelation: sausage is nothing but spiced meat... casings are optional! I've made this one before with 100% lean ground turkey from the store (Jennie-O), was very good. You may need to add more spice to taste; I think I added more paprika and garlic to the original recipe (listed below).

Makes 7 to 8 half-pound packages

2 c. sliced onions (probably 1 large onion)
3 lbs. ground turkey OR 1.5/1.5 ground chicken/turkey (ground thighs are best), very cold or slightly frozen
1/2 lb bacon, cut into pieces, very cold or slightly frozen
1.5 tbsp garlic, chopped
1/4 cup paprika (smoked or regular)
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp yellow mustard seed
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp English-style dry mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground allspice
4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Simmer onions in water to cover until translucent, 5-7 min. Cool under cold running water & drain (this can be done ahead of time). Cool completely. Coarsely grind onions, meat, and bacon in a food processor in batches (using knife blade).

Add remaining ingredients to a big bowl, and mix thoroughly with your hands. Test fry a small piece in some oil, and taste for salt, pepper and other seasonings.

Divide into 7-8 portions, wrap tightly twice in plastic wrap or aluminum, and refrigerate or freeze.