The Hot Dog Grilling Mistake Far Too Many People Make Every Summer

At first glance, grilling a hot dog seems like a pretty straightforward event. Toss some dogs on the hot grill, roll them around frequently, then serve when they get to your favorite level of char (we think hot dogs are best when grilled to this sweet spot); but shuffling them around the grill isn't always the best maneuver. We spoke to Isaac Bernal Carbajo, executive chef of the representation of Spain to the United Nations, about why overhandling hot dogs isn't necessarily the best way to prepare them — and why.

Carbajo says, "A common mistake people make while grilling is moving hot dogs around constantly, thinking they'll cook more evenly. The opposite actually happens. Every time you lift or turn them, they lose contact with the grill. That makes it harder to develop the even browning that gives them better flavor and texture." This is why your hot dogs aren't consistently brown all over. Shift them around too much and you won't get the right color or heat distribution on your sausages, which means their texture (and flavor) won't be even in every bite.

Carbajo says the best way to grill hot dogs is by letting the heat do the heavy lifting. "Turning them every minute or two is typically enough, depending on how hot the grill is. You don't need to keep checking them. The casing tells you when it's ready. As it browns, it naturally releases from the grill. If it still sticks when you try to turn it, that signals that it simply needs a little more time."

Another frequent mistake he notes is that novice cooks tend to squeeze them too hard with the tongs or poke at them with a fork. "The casing is designed to keep the juices inside," he says. "Once it's damaged, those juices escape during cooking, leaving the hot dog drier and less enjoyable." Now that you know exactly how to handle your dogs, you have plenty of room to experiment with toppings (which we're highly opinionated about). There's also an art to topping Chicago-style hot dogs, which we think you should also keep in your back pocket.