BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs

Don’t grill just any hot dog, wrap it in bacon and smother it in BBQ sauce! These BBQ bacon-wrapped hot dogs will be the star of your next cookout.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerOfGrilling #CollectiveBias

It’s grilling season!! Arn’t you excited!? Time to bask in the warm weather by not only eating outside on the patio, but also cooking outside on the grill. And I plan to grill all the things! Especially now that I actually own a grill. That kind of helps one’s ability to participate in the whole grilling thing. Minor detail.

As I mentioned yesterday, my mom and stepdad came to visit for the weekend. In preparation I stopped by Giant Eagle on my way home from work since I knew I could depend on them to be the headquarters for everything grilling such as Oscar Mayer beef hot dogs & bacon, Heinz Texas BBQ sauce, Kraft olive oil dressing, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, Pepsi to wet our whistles, and Breyer’s ice cream for out sweet tooth. All of which can be found in the deli meat area, condiment aisle, produce, beverage aisle, and the frozen food section.

While yes that sounds a bit pitchy, I actually do regularly shop at Giant Eagle because it’s a rare day that I cannot find something on my grocery list, especially at the Market District locations. Oh and can we talk about the fuel perks I earn on every shopping trip? While I may bike to work, I’ve told you how much I drive places on the weekends so those perks don’t ever go to waste. But I digress… back to the grilling!

Originally I had hoped that we would be able to grill on Saturday, but the weatherman told me otherwise. In fact I worried whether we’d be able to grill at all judging by the forecast. I also had strawberry picking on the agenda and it wasn’t looking good at first. But then Sunday arrived and while it did rain a bit in the morning, we were able to pick strawberries before relaxing in our backyard for some grilling action. Which worked out because it was also my stepdad’s birthday and he LOVES hot dogs.

While I am sure other people have done this before, this was a novel idea to me. You simply wrap a single piece of bacon around the hot dog before grilling and viola! An American classic with a twist (pun intended). Just make sure the ends are tucked into themselves so that when they cook it doesn’t come unraveled. Oh and of course don’t forget to baste them with BBQ sauce while they cook. Obviously. Those easy steps produced the beauties you see above and both my boyfriend and my stepdad devoured them.

Meanwhile, while the hot dogs cooked I also had some sweet potato wedges (which were tossed in parmesan pesto vinaigrette) and corn on the cob cooking on the grill. Grilling corn on the cob is my absolute favorite. I leave them in their husks, soak them for at least 10 minutes in water, and place right on the grill. Once cooked, we actually ended up using that vinaigrette on the corn as well instead of butter. And then for dessert we had Breyer’s waffle cone ice cream. It was a great way to end the weekend before sending them off back to their home state of Deleware.

What will you be grilling this season? Check out Giant Eagle for all your grilling needs.

Three years ago: Simple Lamb Meatball Gyros

Four years ago: Spicy Basil Chicken

Five years ago: Buttermilk Ranch Mac & Cheese

BBQ BACON-WRAPPED HOT DOGS

Makes 8

Ingredients:

8 slices thick-cut bacon

8 beef hot dogs

BBQ sauce, for grilling and serving

8 hot dog rolls

Directions:

1. Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat.
2. Place once strip of bacon at the end of the hot dog, at a 45 degree angle. Roll the bacon around and around until the bacon covers the whole hot dog, tucking in the end. Repeat with remaining bacon and hot dogs. Brush the hot dogs on all sides with some BBQ sauce.
3. Place hot dogs on the grill and turn when the bacon has begun to get crisp. Continue cooking on all sides until the bacon looks cooked, brushing with more BBQ sauce as desired.
4. Serve on a bun with BBQ sauce.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original