Remove your hot dogs from the refrigerator and set on the counter for approximately 20-30 minutes. It is best not to grill cold food straight from the refrigerator unless you are looking to sear.

No need to pre-boil Hofmann products before grilling. A dual process may deprive the product of flavor.

Prepare your grill, either gas or charcoal, as you normally would and at a medium heat. Not too hot! If your temperature is too hot, you risk flare ups and your hot dogs and sausages tend to over split…some slight splitting may be preferred. You can also puncture small holes in the hot dogs with a fork or toothpick to prevent splitting.

When entertaining, on a gas grill, leave a set of burners to the far right off and on a charcoal grill, set charcoal to one side. That way, if you see that things are cooking too fast, you can move your hot dogs and sausages to the cooler part of the grill to slow things down a bit.

Adding a little bit of peanut oil or another non-nut oil such as avocado oil to the cooking surface helps the dogs cook and can put a slightly different spin on taste.

Place your hot dogs or sausages on the grill at an angle to get those picture perfect grill marks, but not directly over the fire. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes, turning them once halfway through to make sure they’re grilled evenly and to make those patterned grill marks; times vary, so turn one hot dog to check to see if it is to your liking. Hofmann hot dogs and sausages are already fully cooked prior to packaging so you CAN’T UNDERCOOK a Hofmann.

Your hot dogs and sausages are ready to come off the grill when the skin is slightly blistered and browned to your liking.

Take the hot dogs and sausages off of the grill using long grill tongs to protect your skin from the heat and flames.

Let your hot dogs set for approximately 5 minutes before serving as items continue to cook once they are removed from a hot grill. Don’t delay too long, however, because hot dogs and sausages tend to wrinkle when off of the flames and cooling.

Creative toppings from avocado and pico de gallo to onion straws, sauerkraut, jalapenos, chili, and more can be used to dress out the ultimate dog. Or just stick with the basics and all-time favorite condiments, mustard and ketchup. Hofmann offers our Original Recipe German Style Mustard, Horseradish Mustard, and All Natural Traditional Yellow Mustard as well as amazing relishes to top things off. Hofmann hot dogs and sausages are full of flavor and can also be eaten solo without anything added at all.

If items stick to the grill, let them cook a little more on a slightly lower heat level and they generally will loosen and unstick themselves for flipping.

For a natural non-stick cooking surface, try cutting a raw potato in half, piercing the rounded uncut side with a two-pronged meat fork and rubbing the cut side of the vegetable on the grill grate lightly across the cooking surface BEFORE the grill is turned on.

Keep a spray water bottle handy by the grill for flare ups.

Keep protein options down to a minimum when cooking for a crowd to avoid grilling stress. Hot dogs and sausages are perfect for gatherings because they are already fully cooked and grilling is easy and fast. The more meats that you add to the grill, the more you have to pay attention to different safe cooking temperatures (use a meat thermometer), different plating and accompaniments, and special requests by guests.

Pro Tip 1.

On direct heat, fill an aluminum pan with beer, onions, and a little seasoning. Let your hot dogs soak for just a few minutes before you place them on the grill.

Pro Tip 2.

Another cooking technique if you don’t do the beer and onions, cook your hot dogs for a few minutes and then brush on some Mayo or your favorite bbq sauce.

Pro Tip 3.

Natural Casing vs Skinless:

Many of our tasty products have a nice snap to the bite. This is specifically due to the natural casing. We also make excellent skinless items.

If you choose a skinless product, just know that the experience isn’t the same. Skinless items will cook up faster and typically aren’t quite as moist when served. It also isn’t recommended to boil or heavily steam natural casing products, which is why many stadiums choose skinless products for the masses.

Texture is an important factor in the hot-dog experience, so choose dogs that suit your individual taste.