Bison Dogs with Drunken Onions #HotDogDay

Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures is hosting the Festive Foodies for National Hot Dog Day. My favorite podcast is FoodStuff. And Anney and Lauren got frank about hot dogs; you can hear that here, but I'll give you a few snippets.

Let's start with a definition: "A hot dog is a tube of fine-ground meat, usually beef or beef and pork, seasoned with stuff like coriander, mustard seed, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, garlic, sugar, and salt. Usually cured. Sometimes smoked. ...Savory, salty, spiced...it's simply a type of pre-cooked sausage." Frankfurter or wiener or wienie are other names for them, too.

As far as the meat goes, all-beef, beef and pork, turkey, and caribou have all been turned into hot dogs. Anything goes.

The average American consumes 60 hot dogs. I find that stunning. I have maybe two a year.

Many Americans believe there is a "proper hot dog" and everyone else is wrong. "Ketchup is 'unacceptable'." According to Lauren, it's only a hot dog if it's on a toasted bun with brown mustard and sauerkraut. So, here's what the Festive Foodies served...

• Beer Braised Hot Dogs and Sauerkraut by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Bison Dogs with Drunken Onions by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chili Dogs by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• New England Hot Dog Buns by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pretzel Dog Bites by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sloppy Joe Dogs by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Southwestern Hot Dogs by The Freshman Cook

So, for my offering, I wanted to do something a little bit different and opted for bison dogs and no buns. I served these on a bed of caramelized onions with a splash of bourbon.

Ingredients

• bison wieners (or whatever hot dog you prefer)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 organic white onions, peeled and sliced
• 1-1/2 ounce bourbon or whiskey (you choose!)

Procedure
Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a flat bottom pan. Add the onions and stir to coat completely with oil. Spread the onions out over the bottom of the pan. Stirring occasionally, the onions will turn from white to clear, then golden and, finally, to a deep caramel brown. It might take 40 to 60 minutes.

Just when they've gotten to the point that they look ready, add in 1-1/2 ounces of bourbon and let it simmer until it's absorbed.

Cook the dogs however you wish. I grilled them quickly.

To serve, place a scoop of drunken onions on an individual serving plate. Top with grilled hot dogs and serve immediately.