Day Fortyone: Grilling Those Hoffmans

A lovely day to be a photographer and drive over 250 miles. My travels took me from Sackets Harbor to Cortland. In Sackets area I checked out a farm scene where a silo exploded and killed the Sackets Harbor assistant fire chief. He was 26 year old Garrett Loomis. What a shame. Then I went to a press conference at SUNY Cortland. NY Governor Paterson and NY Jets football team owner Woody Johnson were there making an announcement about the Jets Summer training camp at the college.

Now about those Hoffmans. They are darn good hot dogs, but you need to grill them properly. In the region I travel and work in these dogs are popular and vendors tout them prominently. However, most of these vendors do not grill them to their best advantage. Don't get me wrong, they are still good as hot dogs go, but grilled the way we do them, they are outstanding. Look at the photo. That's how you want them to look. The skin is dark, blackened in spots, but they do not taste burnt. To start, get the dogs out of the fridge and let them reach room temperature before placing on the grill. Or, microwave the chill out of them before grilling. Grill them over charcoal, not gas. There is a difference. Lay the dogs over the colas and keep them moving, turn them over, keep rotating their position on the grill. Let them reach a state where they begin to blister, crack, turn a bit black. Sometimes you will hear a faint whistling sound as steam escapes the dogs. When they have swollen and cracked they are perfect. Have your favorite bread and condiments handy and eat them immediately after taking them off the grill. When they are ready to eat, keep the extras hot & perfect by scraping all of your coals to one side of the grill and piling your dogs on the other side. Put your lid back on the grill. Now you and your guests can march over to the grill and grab a hot dog as needed. Do not remove them from the grill and pile them on a platter. As they cool they shrink and are still really good, but not as PERFECT as keeping them warm under the lid.