It’s party season and this is one of my favorite which can be served in many ways. Nothing like these “dogs” for football games or “pups” for a nice buffet.
Ready
- Peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 (8.5oz) can cream-style corn
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch, for dredging
- 8 hot dog*
Set
- Bamboo skewers or toothpicks
- Deep fryer or high-sided cast iron skillet
- 2 Medium bowls
- Pie pan or shallow bowl
- Plate with paper towels
- Tongs
- Thermometer (for oil)
Go
- Pour oil into a deep fryer or skillet and heat to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, dry mustard, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a another bowl, combine the creamed corn and buttermilk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, and stir to bring the batter together (don’t worry about lumps). Set aside for 8-9 minutes.
- Place cornstarch into a dry pie pan and dredge each hot dog in the cornstarch and gently tap to remove any extra.
- Fill a large, narrow pitcher or glass with batter, allowing room for displacement when dogs are dunked.
- Skewer each hot dog on bamboo or toothpicks, and dip in batter. Carefully and quickly place each hot dog into the oil, and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- With tongs, remove to plate with paper towels, and allow to drain for 5 minutes.
What you should know
Variations: *You can use Tofu pops also for a vegetarian twist.
For “Pups”: cut each hot dog into bite-size pieces and use toothpicks. Serve with your favorite mustard or salsa.
For “Collars”: using same batter, dip onion rings and fry.
You can replace creamed corn with ½ cup fresh, but increase buttermilk by another ½ cup.
For extra kick: add cayenne pepper, chopped jalepenos, or curry powder.