Next Level Hot Dogs with APL Fortified Sauerkraut

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Hot dogs are a classic grilled food. Here is a way to not only make the hot dogs themselves better, but also add a jazzed up condiment that'll wow your friends & family.

It's a sauerkraut recipe.. sounds real nice right? Hear me out.. this isn't some regular old sauerkraut recipe - this is APL's (Adam Perry Lang's) Fortified Sauerkraut recipe! This turns an often overlooked condiment into a "gotta have it" topping for your dogs & brats.

As mentioned above, this recipe came from Adam Perry Lang who is one of my BBQ heroes. Most of the times I combine ideas to form my own recipes, but this is straight up APL. He's a French trained chef who loves all aspects of BBQ. I have all three of his books - Serious Barbecue, BBQ 25 (where he shares this #foodiefriday recipe) & Charred & Scruffed. If you love grilling be sure to check out his website for more info & recipes.

You can cook this fortified sauerkraut recipe on the stovetop, but as you see in the picture above I also like to cook it on the grill to give it a little smoky flavor. I follow what APL suggests when cooking dogs & brats as well which actually goes hand in hand with this kraut recipe..

Before grilling or gridling your dogs bring them to a boil in the below mixture:

• 50/50 mix of beer & water

• 2 TBSP butter

• 2 TBSP salt

• 1 TBSP pepper

Reserve a 1/2 cup (per pound of kraut) of the liquid for the fortified sauerkraut recipe below. If you skip boiling the dogs and go straight to the grill  then you can cheat & pour a little beer in the kraut. Since it won't have the extra boost of flavor the cooking liquid does I'd suggest adding some salt.

What you'll need for the fortified sauerkraut recipe:

• 4 oz bacon

• 1/2 white onion thinly sliced

• 2 crushed garlic cloves

• 1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves

• 1 TBSP chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley (looks similar to cilantro)

• 1 TSP cumin seeds

• 1 TSP fresh ground black pepper

• 1 TBSP canola oil

• 1/2 TSP caraway seeds (optional - I added this to the original recipe & it's a staple now)

• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 lb packaged sauerkraut (drained)

• 1/3 cup reserved dog & brat cooking liquid mention above (just add a bit at a time and gauge it)

1. Start cooking the bacon in the pot

2. Once the bacon starts to get cooked put in the onion, herbs & spices

3. Cook for approx. 5 mins (if cooking on the grill you need to stir constantly so it doesn't burn)

4. Add the kraut & cooking liquid, bring to a boil & simmer for 10 mins.

TIP: When I fix this on the grill I use the hot zone up until it starts to boil (after adding the kraut & liquid) then I move it to indirect heat so it continues to simmer, but doesn't burn.

* Don't get too caught up with trying to get everything exact every time you cook this (or cook anything else for that matter). I've substituted ingredients such as pre-cooked bacon for raw, dried onion for raw, dried thyme for fresh, left out the parsley, etc. and it always turns out good as long as you adjust your cooking accordingly. 

If you try this fortified sauerkraut recipe please let me know how you liked it.