What's more American than Thanksgiving turkey and gravy? Hot dogs, of course. You may never have thought to eat these two foods together before (because why would you?) but we've just discovered a way to combine these American foods into one, ridiculous bird. They call it the Hot Durkey.
Coming at you from Oscar Mayer, the Hot Durkey is your answer for Fourth of July in November. (Or Thanksgiving in July...). If, for whatever reason, you feel tired of your Thanksgiving turkey (and we're not sure why you would, seeing as Thanksgiving comes but once a year, which is definitely not enough), but still want to be patriotic, you can make this "turkey" out of hot dogs.
We can't explain why, but we tried it. Building a turkey out of hot dogs is surprisingly easier than it sounds. It just requires a lot of toothpicks, a lot of hot dogs, and one loaf of bread. It certainly takes less time than roasting a turkey. Whether or not it tastes as good, we'll leave to your imagination.
Here's what ours looked like:
Here's the official recipe from Oscar Mayer, but you can modify it to fit your preferences. You can cook the hot dogs however you like, for example, and use whatever kind of bread you want as the base. (You could even use tofu dogs for a vegetarian version.) Depending on how big you want your bird to be, you can use around three to four packages of hot dogs.
Ingredients
One large loaf of Italian bread
Several packages of Oscar Mayer Selects Angus Beef Franks, bun length
Sides of your choice (diced onion, ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, pickles, sport peppers, hot dog buns, etc.)
Tools
Large roasting pan
Kitchen shears and knife
Toothpicks
Butcher’s twine
Turkey frills (optional)
Instructions
1) Cook hot dogs on the grill or in a grill pan; set aside.
2) To create the base and legs, cut about 4 to 5 inches of bread from the end of the loaf. Place the larger part of the loaf in the roasting pan. Cut the remaining small portion in half, lengthwise, then cut each half again, lengthwise.
3) Using toothpicks, affix one piece of sliced bread, at an angle, to both sides of the cut end of the large loaf. These are the legs!
4) Slice a portion of the hot dogs in half lengthwise. Using toothpicks, place hot dog halves on top of the loaf until it’s fully covered. Continue placing hot dogs around the base layer to form the rest of the Hot Durkey. Cut hot dogs to different lengths as necessary to cover the base.
5) To cover the legs, affix cut hot dogs to the bread in a fanned cylinder shape; use butcher’s twine to tie hot dogs together.
6) Once Hot Durkey is built to desired shape, gently slice across the top layer of hot dogs to form bite-size quarter sections –- this Hot Durkey is meant to be shared! Before serving, transfer the Hot Durkey to the oven to re-heat hot dogs.
7) To serve, provide guests with tooth picks and/or forks to pull hot dog sections off the base. Present alongside your favorite condiments and for extra points, create “buffing” by placing buns in the stuffing cavity.
Warning: Be careful about all the toothpicks inside. There will be a lot, and they're a lot harder to spot than turkey bones. Otherwise, enjoy!
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