Ingredients
Sausages
- 8hot dogs
- 8wooden skewers
- flour, for dusting
Batter
- 150 gfine cornmeal
- 120 gplain flour
- 2 tbspsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspbaking powder
- ½ tspbicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tspcayenne
- 1egg
- 250 mlbuttermilk
- 1 tbsphoney
To fry and serve
- 1.5 litresneutral oil
- yellow mustard
- ketchup
Directions
- Pat the hot dogs completely dry and push a skewer up the length of each one, leaving a good handle at the end.
- Chill the skewered hot dogs in the freezer for 20 minutes. Cold sausage helps the batter set on contact rather than sliding straight off.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together, then beat in the egg, buttermilk and honey to make a thick, smooth batter.
- The batter has to be thick enough to coat and cling, closer to a paste than to a pancake batter. Pour it into a tall glass or a jar so you can dip vertically.
- Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F) in a deep pan, deep enough for a corn dog to be submerged.
- Dust each hot dog lightly in flour, then plunge it into the glass of batter, turn to coat, and lift it straight out.
- Lower it into the oil slowly by the skewer and rotate it for the first few seconds before letting go. That rotation sets the coating evenly and stops it sliding to one side.
- Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp all over.
- Drain on a rack and serve immediately with a stripe of yellow mustard down the side.
- Battered sausages on sticks appeared as the Pronto Pup in Minnesota in 1941 and at Fletcher’s stand at the Texas State Fair in 1942, and the state fair is still where most Americans eat them.
Technique
- Dry sausage, cold sausage, thick batter, tall glass. Every one of those is about stopping the coating from falling off.
- Fine cornmeal, not polenta. Coarse grains give a gritty crust that never quite sets smooth.
- They are only good straight out of the fryer, which is why they are fairground food rather than home food.
Substitutions
- Milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice in place of buttermilk.
- Any frankfurter or bratwurst, though a skinless one batters more evenly.
Variations
- With cheese, either wrapped around the sausage or in the batter.
- Mini corn dogs made with cocktail sausages.
- The Korean version, rolled in sugar or coated in cubed potato before frying.
History
Battered sausages on sticks appeared as the Pronto Pup in Minnesota in 1941 and at Fletcher’s stand at the Texas State Fair in 1942.
Frequently asked questions
What is Corn dog?
Corn dog is a street food from United States: batter-dipped hot dog deep-fried on a stick. Battered sausages on sticks appeared as the Pronto Pup in Minnesota in 1941 and at Fletcher’s stand at the Texas State Fair in 1942.
How long does Corn dog take to make?
Corn dog takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 corn dogs. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Corn dog?
Yes, within limits. Milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice in place of buttermilk. Any frankfurter or bratwurst, though a skinless one batters more evenly.
What is the most important thing to get right in Corn dog?
Chill the skewered hot dogs in the freezer for 20 minutes. Cold sausage helps the batter set on contact rather than sliding straight off.
