I Don’t Grill, Bake, or Boil My Hot Dogs — I Do This Delicious Trick Instead

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I’ve never met a hot dog I didn’t like. There are so many ways to enjoy them, whether they’re slathered in creamy coleslaw, loaded with beef chili, or accented with mustards (plain and fancy). Hot dogs are always a welcome sight as far as I’m concerned. I have plenty of warm, fuzzy childhood memories of snagging a hot dog from a little spot in Roanoke, Virginia, called The Orange Dog with my dad, and whenever I happen to go to a baseball game (approximately once yearly), you can bet I’m going to have a hot dog in one hand and a plastic baseball cap full of Dippin’ Dots in the other. As far as I’m concerned, it’s hard to mess up a hot dog — that’s one of the things that makes them so lovable.

But for some chefs, like Executive Chef Fred Maurer at NoMad Diner, the best way to serve a dog is griddled with butter. Before joining the team at NoMad, Maurer worked at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in New York, where he earned the moniker “Hot Dog Boyfriend” for his work as chef charcutier. According to Maurer, grilling is a quick way to dry out a dog. “My preference for a hot dog is more about the dog than the fillings,” Maurer. “But whatever the dog, [it should be] boiled or griddled with butter. Never grilled.”