Grilled Hot Dogs with Peach-Jalapeño Salsa

I feel like you may be surprised to learn this fun fact about your weird blog lady, but I LOVE hot dogs.

They taste delicious, sure, but it’s also a nostalgia thing. I was a psychotically picky eater as a kid, and hot dogs were one of the few non-beige food items I would eat. Growing up, I lived for Dodger dogs and NYC street dogs, and one of my all-time favorite “homemade” meals was macaroni and cheese with…wait for it…hot dogs. And ketchup. Mixed together. (Don’t you dare judge me.)

More importantly, hot dogs have always been emblematic of summer. Barbecues, and Slip N Slide extravaganzas, and the Fourth of July. If my childhood summers could be summed up in a single image, it would be a Polaroid of me with a sassy mushroom cut crushing a hot dog in a GAP one-piece bathing suit. Probably with a ketchup stain on the chest.

I eat far fewer hot dogs as an adult, but every once in a while the craving strikes, and I absolutely must have one. Especially on July 4th. And since I was honeymooning in Mozambique this Independence Day and didn’t get my fix, I figured I’d treat myself and my roommate/fellow hot dog enthusiast to one (or two) this week.

I went hard.

I very much respect a good old ketchup and mustard squiggle, but sometimes you gotta give your wieners a little extra flair. I topped mine with my favorite peach-jalapeño salsa and a sprinkling of goat cheese, and they were downright magical. The dogs hit the sweet-savory-spicy flavor trifecta, and a sprinkling of goat cheese (which is optional, but highly recommended) adds the most addictive creamy tang. Plus, they only require a handful of basic ingredients and come together in a snap. I’m talking 20 minutes here, people.

Better still, this fresh and summery awesomeness is actually rather good for you, thanks in large part to the dogs themselves. Seriously. I used Applegate Organics The Great Uncured Beef Hot Dog, which are the only hot dogs I eat nowadays because they’re made with just four ingredients: grass-fed beef, salt, water and spices. That’s it.

Hot dogs get a bad rap as mystery meat packed with chemical additives—and in many cases that’s all too true—but Applegate has really changed the game. Not only are Applegate’s hot dogs Non-GMO Project Verified and made with humanely raised, 100% grass-fed beef, they’re also made without hard to pronounce ingredients like Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrate and Maltodextrin that terrify most of us. They’re cleaner wieners, if you will, and I for one am very grateful they exist. You should probably follow my lead and stockpile them for the rest of the summer.

Now go fire up your grill(pan) and have yourself a little guilt-free wiener fiesta, friends. Virtual chest bump.

Grilled Hot Dogs with Peach-Jalapeño Salsa

Author - Serena Wolf

Print recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Yields: 8 Hot Dogs

Ingredients

• 8 Applegate Organics The Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog
• 8 side sliced hot dog buns
• 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled (optional)

For the Peach-Jalapeño Salsa:

• 2 medium yellow peaches diced small (Make sure they're ripe!)
• 1 small jalapeño very thinly sliced (If you're sensitive to heat, seed the pepper first, or only use half.)
• ¼ cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 large lime about 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a medium mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Pre-heat a lightly oiled grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly score each hot dog crosswise with a sharp knife. Grill the dogs for about 8 minutes, turning them every 2 minutes or so, or until lightly charred in spots.
• Place the buns cut side down on the grill just until grill marks appear, about 1 minute.
• Nestle each hot dog in a bun. Smother with peach-jalapeño salsa and sprinkle with goat cheese if using. Dig in.

This post is sponsored by Applegate. As always, all opinions are very obviously my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Domesticate Me alive and kicking.