Alex Guarnaschelli's Favorite Hot Dog Is A Deep-Fried Take On The Classic

Being the practical and versatile budget staple that it is, your average hot dog doesn't demand being cooked a certain way: You can boil it, grill it, deep-fry it, and more. As it turns out, a deep-fried hot dog counts as one of Alex Guarnaschelli's favorite meals, particularly if it's from a roadside eatery called Rawley's Drive-In restaurant in Fairfield, Connecticut. There, Guarnaschelli's favorite deep-fried hot dog is on the menu as one of the house specialties: Called "The Works," it's decorated with sauerkraut, relish, mustard, and confetti-sized sprinkles of bacon.

Rawley's owner, Nick Frattaroli, uses a beef-and-pork hot dog to make this deep-fried flavor bomb. It goes straight into the restaurant's deep fryer to crisp up the skin before it gets thrown on the grill for the finish. It's the kind of crisp that produces a crunch and then a burst of hot dog juices when you take the first bite — it's pretty much hot dog heaven. If you live near Fairfield, nabbing one of these dogs is as easy as hopping into your car and driving to Rawley's. If that's out of your geographic reach, however, the dog isn't complicated to make, which means you simply must try to replicate it at home. 

If you're down to make it, start by grabbing the best hot dogs from the grocery store. As for deep-frying the dog, you have a couple of options: The simplest is to fill a heavy skillet with enough oil to cover the hot dog and fry the frank in that, cooking it until it floats. If you're the kind of home gourmand who loves gadgets and you have a countertop fryer, such as an electric FryDaddy, you can use that instead of a skillet. Next, fry it on either a griddle or in another skillet just long enough to ensure that the skin is good and crispy. Finishing the dog off in the oven is also an option. Rawley's also toasts the buns on the griddle before adding the condiments; your griddle or skillet works for this, too.

Finally, help the hot dog earn its name by topping it with Rawley's version of the works: Relish and mustard infuse the dog's flavor with tanginess while sauerkraut adds a bit of an earthy flavor. Lastly, sprinkle some perfectly cooked bacon bits on top of the hot dog after you dress it. Just be sure to cook the bacon until it's crispy to ensure its sweet-and-smoky crackle of flavor explodes on your tongue with each bite.