Hot Diggity Dog! Hot Dog Bar

Another BBQ starring Hot Dogs can be ho-hum, but a fun Hot Dog Bar is always a thrill. The great thing about it is you can create toppings and "themed dogs" to suit any taste, any style and any theme.

My husband George is loves his dogs. I mean, he really, really, really loves his dogs, so it just made sense to have a Hot Dog Bar to celebrate his 40th birthday party.

We prepped loads of toppings and even made cue cards on how to make certain types of dogs. We grouped toppings together based on what dogs they went on. It really was a huge hit!

Obviously, there is no end to the types and number of toppings you could do! Have fun with it!

Side notes: I made my Dad's chili and served it in the crockpot. My mother-in-law ordered the baked beans from George's favorite hot dog place. I rented a hot dog steamer so I didn't have to man the grill - great idea if you are having a crowd! I also made the spicy red onions (sauteed onions in a little Harissa olive oil and added ketchup and hot sauce to taste) and the corn relish (corn sliced off the cob, mixed with salsa, cilantro and pickle relish. I loved this!). Other than that, there was a lot of chopping and organizing of toppings, but it really worked perfectly!

BLT Dog
Bacon mayo, lettuce & tomato

Guacamole & Salsa
Guacamole, salsa, chopped onion & cilantro

Coney Island Style
Chili, shredded cheddar & chopped onions

Atlantic City Style
Sauerkraut & Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

Dixie Dog
Cole slaw, Dijon mustard & a pickle

Mexican
Salsa, nacho cheese sauce & broken tortilla chips

Caprese
A combination of diced fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil & minced garlic, drizzled with a dash of olive oil (particularly excellent on a sausage)

Southwest
Corn relish & diced bacon

Thai Spicy peanut sauce, diced cucumbers, chopped peanuts & cilantro

Fenway Frank French's yellow mustard, finely chopped onion, & green sweet pickle relish

New York City's Street Cart Dog
Special red onion sauce & deli-style yellow mustard

Chicago
Poppy seed bun, layered with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped raw onion, fresh tomato, a pickle spear, & a touch of celery salt

Hawaii 5-0 Dog Mustard, baked beans, barbeque sauce, red onion & diced pineapple

Finally, here is a link to a place called Soul Dog near my sister that does lots of specialty dogs and is one of the resources we used putting together this list.