Drop dead delicious hot dogs and sausages !!!

[dlaslo]

I grew up in Pennsylvania and still remember the delicious hot dogs at Yocco stands. Their secret was to cook the hot dog to well done so as to caramelize the surface and spices. I have done the same thing quite by accident on my gas grill when I put hot dogs on the warming rack and closed the lid and forgot about them. When I eventually opened the lid, they looked like a dead finger but I had accidentally made a Yocco hot dog and it was really, really, good. Sort of like those cooked beef drippings in a roast pan.
I also did the same thing with sausage in my Weber "bullet" smoker. I left them in there too long and they got well done with a black crispy shell and also really, really, good.
But since both were accidents, I was wondering if there is a method to duplicating this (time & temperature) or do I need to trial and error it? I think temperature is the key as if it is too hot, it will char rather than carmalize

[fuzzydaddy]

Like you, I have only cooked hot dogs this way by accident and they were good. It has been a very long time since I had hot dogs too! I would suggest 350 (at the cooking grate where the dogs are) as a maximum temp to avoid burning, then figure out the time to get the result your looking for. I probably would shoot for 340 degrees. Let us know how it goes.

Edit to add: My temps are just a guess knowing how much browning I get on a pork loin or chicken in the mid-300's. Anxious to hear what temps/times you try and how it works for you.

[Voltron15]

I'm from Pittsburgh but have had Yocco dogs many times while traveling through Allentown, so delicious!

[dlaslo]

I'm still experimenting......I now know 3 hours is too long.

[Mitrakas]

I've been doing dogs on the top bread grate and then on hot grate below to finish for a while. Never cooked to the level of doneness you describe however. Bet its tasty.

[Beefchop]

dlaslo Aren't the Yocco hot dog stands run by the Iacocca family? I remember reading that in Lee Iacocca's autobiography.

[Voltron15]

Yes that is right

[jharner]

If we are doing a casual cook ( hamburgers and hot dogs ) my wife's hot dog goes on with the first round of burgers. She wants it black all over.

[fzxdoc]

I always hang a sausage basket filled with Italian sausages in my PBC every time I smoke chickens in it. That smoked chicken/sausage combo is delicious and the drippings from the sausages add some nice flavor compounds along with the chicken drippings during the cook.

Supposedly, sausages shouldn't be taken higher than 165 degF internal temp or so, but I take mine in the PBC up to 185 or more, ensuring a nice crispy skin and a great bite. Sometimes I even out the tan lines from the sausage basket by browning them under the broiler for a couple of minutes, but most of the time I don't.

The PBC runs at 325+ for chicken, so the sausages go along with that. They're done in about half an hour to 45 minutes.

Here's the sausage rack that I modified for hanging in the PBC:



Cut off the wooden portion of the handle and thread onto the rebar or hang on a hook from the rebar. If you do that, then you get this:



Yummy.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Bob's BBQ, they're Italian sausages. I think they might be Johnsonville, since they're shorter than the ones I get at Fresh Market. I have 4 sausage baskets modified for the PBC. Folks prefer the sausages done in the PBC to those cooked on the gasser.

[Bob's BBQ]

Thanks Kathryn!

[Medusa]

Kathryn, Awesome! --Ed

[dlaslo]

I put my sausages in the smoker at 225F for 2-3 hours and they are real good. Trouble I have is how long to cook the hot dogs so they caramelize but don't overcook.

[fzxdoc]

You could check the temperature of the dogs and when you get the perfect dog to your liking, remember that temp. For example, recommendations are to take sausages off the smoker or grill when they reach 165 deg F. But I like the flavor of the sausage and the snap of the skin to the bite when they reach 185. By checking the temp before taking the sausages out of the smoker, I learned the best final temp to suit our taste. dlaslo

Kathryn