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How to cook a hot dog on the grill

By Cody Williams

1972: A hamburger and hot dog on the grill with hot charcoal background in 1972. (Photo by Tom Kelley/Getty Images)
1972: A hamburger and hot dog on the grill with hot charcoal background in 1972. (Photo by Tom Kelley/Getty Images) /
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Taking a look at how to cook a hot dog on a grill so that the eats for your Memorial Day cookout are as good as they possibly can be.

There are a number of staples when it comes to the Memorial Day holiday, but cooking out is chief among them. There’s nothing better than using the day off to have a few beers with good food and friends. It’s a tradition that is timeless for a good reason. Who doesn’t love eating a good hot dog or hamburger while lounging to kick off summer? The answer is no one with any sense (that eats meat, of course).

With that being said, there’s an art to getting your Memorial Day cookout meal just right. That obviously includes having the right food for those in attendance. More important than that, however, is making sure that you cook everything properly. And though it may seem simple, you may need a tip on how to cook a hot dog properly.

When you cook a hot dog on the grill, you want those beautiful char marks on the weenie for aesthetics and extra flavor. So how do you achieve that? We’ll look at how to do so both on a charcoal and gas grill.

Because it’s easier, we’ll start with a gas grill hot dog recipe:

  1. Turn one burner on high to heavily heat one side of the grill. Then, turn on another burner on low, to heat it up, but minimally.
  2. Place the dogs on the high heat portion perpendicular to the grill lines. This will give you the marks you want as it sears the dogs and gives them the char marks. Monitor the dogs closely in doing this step.
  3. Once they have good marks and are browning a bit, move the dogs over to the lower heat. This will make sure the food is cooked throughout the middle and is nice and toasty all the way through.
  4. The crucial element is not to forget the bun. Be sure you throw down the bun briefly on the high heat, toasting it quickly without burning it. Then, you’re ready to top and serve.

For cooking your dogs on a charcoal grill, it’s actually a very similar process. The only real difference is in the beginning and you you get to the two levels of heat. You need to light your charcoal grill as normal, but then situate the briquettes to one side of the grill. That will superheat one side while mildly heating the other. Then, you follow the same steps as with a gas grill.

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By following this hot dog recipe on the grill, everyone will be happy with the results. So happy grilling, and enjoy the Memorial Day holidays.