“my favorite part of a corndog are the crusties on the stick”
as we kick off state fair september…we couldn’t think of anything more iconic than the corndog.
i’m not gonna lie…we were nervous. so nervous i insisted that B join me on this frying adventure….so i wouldn’t have to do it alone. we also strategically decided to fry at my apartment….just in case things got wild or perhaps disastrous….because i quote “at least if your apartment goes down in flames….me and stephen would have an extra room for you to come live in.”
corndogs turned out to be surprisingly easy to make….given you have a deep fat fryer handy (which, thanks to mama G, we did).
ingredients
1 quart of oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds hotdogs
wooden sticks
begin by heating your oil to 365°. follow your fryer’s instructions for what type of oil to use and measurements as well as set up and take down…..we decided on canola oil after some internet research.
in a large mixing bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. next mix in bacon drippings….(ewww, i know….b and i started out our corndog adventure with breakfast for dinner….to make use of all…well, some….of the bacon we had to fry up. we also only used 1 tablespoon…cause that’s all we could come up with after cooking 6 slices of bacon….and we decided it wasn’t worth it to cook six more) next make a well in the center of your mixture and add in egg, buttermilk and baking soda. mix until you have a smooth batter.
pat your hotdogs as dry as you can with a paper towel before dunking them in the batter, so that the batter will stick to the dogs better. insert wooden sticks….dunk and cover with batter and then it’s time to drop them in the fryer. well…don’t really drop them….i’m sure you will be more careful than that…..place them gently into the oil and let them fry until they have browned to your liking. remove from fryer, drain on a papertowel…and then serve! so easy!
we cut our hotdogs in half to make mini’s…so we ended up with 32 little guys. i was almost tempted to not even bring them all in to work because i wondered who would really want a corndog for breakfast…..but since i knew they would only be thrown away at my apt, i just packed them all up. thank goodness…cause the coworkers went wild. i guess everyone (besides me*) loves corndogs…and those little buddies were gobbled up pretty quickly.
*personally, i am apparently scarred by having to eat a corndog every sunday night for five years as a child…and can’t stomach them anymore. i tried one from this batch…cause i’m the baker…i have to try it if i’m going to serve it….but could only take one bite. enough to know, i successfully made a corndog…and no, i still don’t like them.
so while i can’t speak for myself….there were many compliments on the morning treat….and they were surprisingly easy to make….i would definitely recommend them!
-L
They were num-yummy! Sorry you were tortured by corn dog as a child and scarred by the experience, L.
That was every Wednesday night at the church supper, when corn dogs were an alternative to the normal dinners that were served. I think it was your choice at the time, unlike the week of spaghetti dinners brought by church folks when your mother was in the hospital. Do you still not like spaghetti?
Ahh, yes…it was wed night. It was the alternative to the less kid friendly meals, like pot roast. I remember thinking it was amazing at first… But week after week after week they got less and less appealing. I like spaghetti now…as long as the sauce doesn’t have meat, mushrooms or olives :) it took me till college to start eating it again, though
These corny dogs are a beautiful thing!
I was also subject to corn dog torture, nearly every Saturday growing up, but the State Fair is an exception.
And these little critters are SO cute and irresistible! The half-size is really smart. And the square sticks makes them all the more authentic!
I love reading your posts! I smile throughout. And I am soooooooooooooooooo sad I don’t work with you all anymore. I’m going to have to start spending the night on Thursday nights. Or maybe . . . I can offer to be the dishwasher/sampler??? hint, hint?
[...] one year ago: corndogs y’all [...]