The Rules of Chili Dogs

I've been at my parents' houseboat for the past week eating, wakeboarding, hiking, jet skiing, and did I mention eating? Whenever I ask my friends to come on the boat, they are always most excited about the food.

My favorite meal to eat on the boat is chili dogs. Now, I realize this is more assembly instruction than an actual recipe, but I am very picky about my chili dogs and I think everyone should know the right way to make them.

Here are the Rules of Chili Dogs:

1. You MUST have a ratio of 2 dogs per bun. 
2. Order matters! To achieve the perfect chili dog, you have to layer everything the right way.
3. Castleberry chili is the best chili for a dog. Hands down.
4. If you can eat your chili dog with your hands, you didn't make it the right way.

For the ultimate chili dog you will need: 4 hot dog buns, 8 hot dogs, 1 can of Castleberry hot dog chili sauce, 1/4 of an onion, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (not pictured), mustard, and ketchup.

Chop the onion to put on top of the hot dog. I like mine in bigger chunks, but if you want to chop yours a little smaller, go for it.

THIS is the best hot dog chili. I love it.

Pour the chili in a small pot...

And set the pot over medium heat.

If you think my stove looks funny, it's because it's because it is on the side of our grill on the boat. We try to cook everything on the grill when we're on the boat. Even breakfast.

Now put the hot dogs on the grill over medium-low heat

Line them all up side-by-side and close the lid.

Every once in a while, give the chili a stir so it doesn't scorch on the bottom. Also, after the hot dogs get some nice grill marks on one side, roll them over to grill on the other side.

After the hot dogs have cooked on both sides, slice them down the middle...

(Before you get alarmed at how big and hairy my arms are, I just want to say that my dad was manning the grill.)

Butterfly them open....

And flip it over.

Repeat with all the hot dogs and let the inside get some grill marks.

If you have a hot dog that doesn't want to stay open, just press it down with a fork for a few seconds and it should start to behave.

Once you have all the hot dogs split, open up the buns and put them on some INDIRECT heat to toast.

Now that your buns are toasted, lay it open on a plate...

And throw a hot dog on each side of the bun (rule #1: check).

Next throw on the shredded cheese...

Followed by some chili. This way, the cheese gets sandwiched between the hot hot dogs and the hot chili so it will melt beautifully.

Now throw on a good amount of onion.

Now the mustard...

And the ketchup. BOOM. Perfect chili dog.

Mmm... Can you see that melted cheese hanging down there? I love chili dogs. So delicious. So satisfying. So American.

Chili Dogs

Serves: 4 (or just me. I can put away some chili dogs)

Ingredients:

• 4 hot dog buns, toasted
• 8 hot dogs, grilled and split open
• 1 can of Castleberry hot dog chili sauce, warmed up
• 1/4 of an onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
• mustard and ketchup, for topping

Instructions:

1. Top one toasted bun with 2 hot dogs followed by cheese and chili (in that order).
2. Add onion, mustard, and ketchup, as desired, on top of the chili. You could also add slaw if you're a slaw dog kind of person.
3. Eat with a knife and fork. Trust me, you aren't picking this sucker up.