Here's How To Easily Make Homemade Corn Dogs
Corn dogs are the ultimate summer carnival food. The image of a hot dog coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and served on a stick can evoke memories of childhood — strolling on the boardwalk, riding the Ferris wheel, chomping down on one (or several) and washing it all down with a blue cotton candy. But the iconic snack can easily be made at home, according to our friends from ChefSteps.
Got a casual party in the pipeline? Go ahead and throw together a few of these babies — they're sure to impress the masses. Check out the instructional video below, then scroll down for the step-by-step recipe. Just remember that these recipes are all designed for precooked sausages and to first cook raw dogs, if you opt to go that route.
Ingredients
Oil for frying, as needed
8 hot dogs, or other precooked sausages
1 1/2 cups bread flour
3 1/3 tablespoons cornmeal, fine ground
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup sugar, granulated
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
About 3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
Time: 30 minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat frying oil to 375°F. Pour oil into a large pot and place on the stove. Begin heating, monitoring the oil temperature with a thermometer.
2. Sift flour, then whisk all ingredients (except for eggs and milk) together in a large bowl.
3. Crack eggs into a bowl. Blend, using an immersion blender, until whites and yolks are fully incorporated into a thin liquid with uniform color and texture.
4. Pour milk into the bowl with the eggs.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry one and whisk together until incorporated.
6. Transfer batter to a tall container. We use leftover plastic quart containers — they're great because you can squeeze them to encourage batter to rise around the sausage once the batter gets low.
7. Pat sausages dry. Insert a skewer into each of your meat tubes, working carefully — they should go in straight and right down the middle.
8. Place the container of batter near your fryer and set up a plate or tray lined with paper towels. Holding the skewer, dip a sausage into the batter slowly, then slowly lift it up and out, making a twirling motion to help form an even coating.
9. Carefully submerge sausage in the fryer oil, still holding the skewer. Once the batter has begun to harden, drop it in the oil and allow to fry for about four minutes, or until golden brown. Add up to four dogs at a time. Remove corn dogs from the fryer one at a time and transfer to a towel-lined plate or tray.
10. Serve!
ChefSteps comprises a team of award-winning chefs, filmmakers, scientists, designers and engineers focused on revolutionizing the way people cook by inspiring creativity and encouraging expertise in the kitchen. The site is currently offering free online classes called Cooking Sous Vide: Getting Started and Burgers, as well as a $10 class called Cooking Sous Vide: Beyond the Basics.