Corn dogs were introduced in 1942 at the Texas State Fair. It will soon be time for the fair and it reminds me of these longtime favorites. I've made them several times at home and oh my, guests really enjoy them. I guess it's something most of us just don't go to the trouble to cook. It can take time, either with a deep fryer or in an iron skillet. If the skillet isn't wide enough for the sticks, you can always insert the stick after cooking for easy serving. No problem. . . The difference in these and the frozen ones from the grocery that you can fry or bake is huge. I prefer to start with a good beef hot dog and whip up my own batter. It's so easy and you can serve with mustard, ketchup, hickory Dijon, bourbon mustard, cherry ketchup, BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, relish, chipolte BBQ sauce or whatever suits your fancy.
Why not make up a batch and serve on Labor Day when family and friends gather for the end of the summer? They're inexpensive and a great surprise for kids of all ages! If not Labor Day, then enjoy one at the fair.
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/3 cups corn meal
2/3 cup flour
12 - 14 hot dogs
Flour for dusting (about 1/2 cup)
Hot Fat for Deep Frying
Wooden skewer sticks
In a large bowl combine the milk, eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Mix it very well. Sprinkle in the baking powder, corn meal and flour. Stir it all up to make a slightly thick batter.
Dry the hot dogs off on paper towels and dust with flour, coating them completely. This helps the batter adhere to the hot dogs. Insert sticks into the flour coated hot dogs vertically and set aside.
While all of this is going on, it's a good idea to get your hot fat to heating up. You want the temperature to be about 375 degrees.
Coat the floured hot dogs with batter. Swirl the hot dogs in the bowl of batter until they are coated, and then drop them into the hot fat. Another way is to scoop some of your batter into a narrow jar or cup which is as tall as your hot dogs are long. Fill the jar or cup about 3/4 of the way full. Dip your hot dog into the batter while you hold onto the stick. Swirl the hot dog to coat it evenly. Be careful or the batter will overflow. Raise the wiener above the cup and let any excess batter drip off. Quickly place the battered dog into the hot fat. The fat will bubble up and cook the outside of the batter, making the corndogs.
Only fry a few corn dogs at a time. If the corn dogs crowd each other they don't fry very well. Turn the corn dogs when the bottom side is well browned. Use tongs to remove the cooked corn dogs from the fat. Allow them to drain on paper towels. Repeat the process, coating and frying a few at a time, until all of the corn dogs are cooked.
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