Happy Independence Day! Hot Diggity Dog!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! Hamburgers and hot dogs are commonplace in homes across America on the 4th of July. Barbecues, swimming and beach days spent with friends and family are the highlights of the summer as America celebrates its 245th birthday!

There is something so basic and simple about the humble hot dog. By itself with just the hot dog and bun, the plain hot dog is a blank canvas on which the consumer can paint their own picture. Depending on where you live in the United States, the hot dog can take on a regional flare with each region claiming that their way is the only way to eat a dog. Below are some regional-style hot dogs to try. I am sure there are plenty more to list.

• Chicago Dog – The Chicago Dog may be one most people have heard of. The traditional Chicago Dog has mustard, pickle relish or pickle spears (or both), tomato, chopped onion, pickled peppers and a little celery salt. You will not see any ketchup or mayo on these dogs!
• New York Style Dog – Vendors across NYC peddle these dogs from street carts to city dwellers who line up for them. These dogs feature mustard, sauerkraut and chopped onions cooked in ketchup.
• The Coney Dog – This hot dog is served around the country, but the original Coney hails from Coney Island in New York. The original version of the Coney Dog comes with a lot of chili, some mustard and onion.
• The Sonoran Dog – Found in the southwestern U.S., the Sonoran is wrapped in bacon and topped with pinto beans, tomatoes, onions, and whatever condiments you like, such as mayo, salsa and mustard.
• The Texas Dog – Not for the faint of heart, this hot dog is grilled and topped with chili, cheese and jalapenos.

What would be a baseball game at the ballpark without treating oneself to a hot dog and a beer? Most people don’t buy peanuts and cracker jacks at the ballpark anymore. Hot dogs are the name of the game! Some famous ballparks have created their own namesake hot dogs while others tend to kick it up a notch with unique toppings:

• The Fenway Frank – Found at Fenway Park in Boston, home of the Boston Red Sox, this hot dog is steamed, grilled or rolled on a crustless style bun and topped with Boston baked beans.
• Nationals Park – The Washington Nationals claim their signature dog called Ben’s Half Smoke All the Way, which is a pork and beef hot dog slathered with chili, onions and cheddar cheese. Bring some plastic utensils because this one is a little messy if you try to eat it the normal way with your hands.
• Chase Field – The Arizona Diamondbacks dare to be different from the Churro Dog. It’s a dessert made with a cinnamon churro on a donut-flavored bun and topped with frozen yogurt, whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce.
• Miller Park – Grilled Brats on a roll and topped with a special sauce, sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard is served at a Milwaukee Brewers game.
• Kauffman Stadium – Breakfast for dinner? Try the Sunrise Dog with the Kansas City Royals. This is a footlong hot dog topped with crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, sausage gravy and a fried egg.

In honor of baseball and the American tradition, we are celebrating with BAT Dogs (get it….baseballs are hit with a bat). “BAT” is an acronym for “Bacon Avocado and Tomato.” I can’t say that my BAT Dogs rival one from a famous venue, but they sure do fare well at home on our indoor grill because yeah….it’s raining today.

Ingredients

Instructions

Wrap your hot dogs with bacon. You can use whatever kind of bacon is your favorite. I used pork bacon on some and turkey bacon on some. I used 2 slices of bacon per hot dog.

Grill the hot dogs. My intention was to use our brand-new grill that my husband got on Father’s Day, but the clouds decided to rain on our holiday, so I had to use the stove-top indoor grill. It’s OK. We took our party inside.

The rest, they say, is history. Top the dog with your favorite condiments and toppings, but to make this a BAT dog, you must include tomatoes and avocados on top. I used chopped avocado and tomatoes, but I have made these with guacamole and salsa as well, which would make it very similar to a Sonoran dog made popular in the Southwest. Either way is delicious!