Grilled hot dogs are popular for backyard BBQers. The peak season for grilling hot dogs is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Today, we’re going to walk you through how to grill hot dogs on the Pit Boss pellet grill.
Can You Grill Hot Dogs on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
The Pit Boss pellet grill is a versatile grill that does more than smoking. Pellet grills regardless of the brand can grill foods similar to grilling on gas, charcoal, or propane grills.
Pellet grills are more versatile than regular grills. They provide more cooking options, giving you all the conveniences of a convection oven.
Grilling Hot Dogs On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
To grill the perfect hot dogs, you’ll need the following:
- Pellet grill (preferably a Pit Boss)
- The proper cooking technique
- Your favorite hot dogs
- A thermometer
- Your favorite sides
This may sound complicated, especially, if you’ve always cooked hot dogs on a gas or propane grill. However, I’ll show you how to cook them on the Pit Boss.
Choosing the Best Hot Dogs
Before you can grill the hot dogs, you first have to choose between several different brands. Picking a favorite is subjective as it all comes down to personal preference.
If we’re having a backyard bbq with close family and friends, we love Ball Park Franks. They have a meaty flavor with a classic texture that everyone seems to love.
For those with kids, you may want to consider Sabrett’s skinless beef Frankfurters. It’s a popular New York hot dog with a large following.
Regardless, of the type of hot dogs you go with, it’s important to choose high-quality fresh hot dogs that are not too short for the buns!
How Many Hot Dogs to Buy?
Most hot dogs come in packs of 10. Costco’s Kirkland Signature Beef Hot Dogs come in a 3-ct pack of 12 links.
How many you’ll need will depend on how many people you’re feeding and how many hot dogs each one consumes.
If you’re cooking both hamburgers and hot dogs, I’d budget two hot dogs and two burgers per person.
This way, you know you’ll have more than enough. It’s best to have leftovers than run out. After all, you can always freeze leftover hot dogs.
Can You Grill Frozen Hot Dogs?
While it is possible to grill frozen hot dogs, it can take twice as long to cook. However, since store-bought hot dogs are already cooked, there are no food safety issues to cooking them frozen.
That said, it doesn’t take long to defrost hot dogs. So it’s best to thaw them out before cooking. When cooking them frozen, you may notice a slightly different taste than defrosted hot dogs.
Prepping the Hot Dogs
Hot dogs don’t need a lot of prep work. In fact, you can take them right out of the packaging and throw them on the grill.
Some people will Worcestershire sauce and olive oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill. You don’t want to put too much, just a light lathering will do.
Do I Have to Bil The Hot Dogs Before Grilling?
No, boiling them before throwing them on the grill will cause the flavors to leach out of the meat. As mentioned, most hot dogs are already cooked, the pinkish middle is normal.
You may want to warm the hot dogs to room temperature before throwing them on the grill. But skip the boiling process and other mistakes people make when grilling hot dogs.
How to Grill Hot Dogs on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
Step One: Preheat The Grill
Preheat the grill to 225°-300°. Some people turn the temperature up to 500°F. However, cooking them over a hot grill too fast will cause the casings to burst.
You’ll be cooking the hot dogs with indirect heat, meaning the flame broiler should be closed.
Cooking them over indirect heat will prevent them from bursting or charing too much.
During the last couple of minutes, you can open the flame broiler and cook them directly over the flames. Use some tongs or something long to slide the flame broiler open, as it will be hot!
It’s not necessary, but some people love their hot dogs burnt or with some black on them. Cooking them over direct heat will allow the flames to blacken the hot dogs.
Plus, cooking them over direct heat helps create those beautiful grill marks.
Step Two: P-Setting
Leave the P-Setting to the factory default setting, which is P-4. If you’re cooking in the cold weather, you’ll need to change the P-setting to keep the temperature from fluctuating.
Step Three: Place the Hot Dogs on the Grill
Place the hot dogs directly on the primary cooking grate. Leave enough room between each hot dog, as you’ll be using a pair of tongs to rotate and move them around during the cooking process.
Use the tongs to move them around so each one gets cooked evenly. By gently turning your hot dogs, the casings shouldn’t split.
Step Five: Monitor the Cooking Temperature
Store-bought hot dogs are already cooked, so you’re really just looking for them to heat up. If you’ve never grilled a hot dog before, use a handheld thermometer to monitor the internal temperature.
Once it reaches 160°F you can remove it from the grill and allow it to rest.
What Temperature Do You Grill Hot Dogs?
For all-beef hot dogs, set the temperature to 225° and 325°F. It will take about 5-10 minutes for a hot dog to heat up. You know it’s done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
A hot dog is cooked and ready to eat when it turns a golden brown color. It’s always a good idea to have an instant-read thermometer nearby whenever you’re grilling.
A good thermometer will prevent you from removing the grills too soon, only to discover the middle is cold.
Best Pellets to Grill Hot Dogs?
Since the hot dogs won’t be on the grill for more than 10-15 minutes, whatever you have in your hopper will work fine. Most people will use Hickory, Competition Blend, apple, etc.
Resting Period
Just like grilled steaks and chickens, hot dogs need to rest after coming off the heat. It allows the juices to flow back into the meat.
If they are cut too soon, the juices will escape. The resting period ensures the hot dogs are not too hot, so people don’t burn their mouths.
Favorite Hot Dog Toppings
Once the hot dogs have cooled enough to touch, it’s time to load them up on the buns. There are plenty of toppings to choose from and some of the most popular are:
- Sauerkraut and brown mustard
- Chili and coleslaw
- Ketchup and mustard
There is no shortage of toppings to put on a hot dog. Here are some of the favorite toppings for all 50 states.
Sides to Serve With Grilled Hot Dogs?
A cookout is never complete without some sides to serve. Most people (myself included) keep it simple by just serving potato chips or french fries.
However, you can serve corn on the cob, coleslaw, potato salad, homemade chips baked beans, etc. This is what makes hot dogs so popular at cookouts because they go great with everything.
Can You Cook Hot Dogs and Hamburgers at the Same Time?
Hamburgers and hot dogs can be grilled together. However, you’ll want to make start the burgers first. They will take longer than the hot dogs, so it’s important to time them perfectly.
Otherwise, the hot dogs will get cold waiting on the hamburgers to finish cooking.
Be sure to check out my article on how to grill hamburgers so you’ll know how long it takes for them to cook.
Final Word
You don’t always have to smoke everything on the Pit Boss. It can grill burgers, hot dogs, or anything else with very little effort and time.
Pick up some hot dogs from your local grocery store and try it for yourself. You’ll be amazed at how good they taste, you won’t ever try cooking them on a propane grill again!
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