How Daniel Boulud, America's Greatest French Chef, Grills a Hot Dog
We're always looking for ways to make our hot dogs even better. So we caught up with America's greatest French chef, Daniel Boulud, at his sausage-centric DBGB in New York City, to see how he does his dogs. We expected him to use a 100 percent beef, hormone-free, homemade frank. We expected him to toast his bun. But some things—like his use of herbs—we did not expect. You can get Boulud's hot dog at his restaurants (on the menu as the DBGB Dog in NYC and at the soon-to-open D.C. location), but we got the step-by-step process for making it—and the tips you should steal when you make yours.
Alex Lau1/10First, Daniel coats the 100 percent beef sausages in oil and gives them a quick sear. Then he grabs hearty herbs like thyme and rosemary...
Alex Lau2/10Tip #1 to Steal: Grill ON Your Herbs
...and he throws them onto the grill with the hot dogs on top. Dry. That way, they'll smoke and infuse the hot dogs with a smoky, herby flavor.
Alex Lau3/10Bonus points if your rosemary catches on fire a little. (Just a little.)
Alex Lau4/10Tip #2 to Steal: Butter Your Bun
Boulud is a fan of buttering the hot dog bun. "There isn't very much fat in the hot dog, so putting a little bit of butter on your bun is okay. And it makes it more French." He throws the buns under the broiler quickly, but he'd just as soon throw them face-down on a hot grill for a minute or so.
Alex Lau5/10Tip #3 to Steal: Make Bastard Sauce
"This hot dog is called the 'French Bastard,' because we're using a bastard sauce. It is 75 percent French, and 25 percent American. Mostly French mustard, then a little bit of ketchup and mayonnaise. Sometimes boosted with cayenne pepper."
Alex Lau6/10"I always like onion with my hot dog. But not raw onion—cooked onion." And, boy, is his onion cooked: with butter, for eight hours, low and slow on the stove. "It has a little Lyonnaise component to it. Instead of sauerkraut, I like compote of onion. It's a lot of umami." Boulud lays down the onion, untraditionally, before the dog. "It's less messy," he says.
Alex Lau7/10He squirts the bastard sauce along the inside of the bread, along the side of the hot dog. Then he spoons over finely chopped pickled radish, carrot, jalapeño, garlic, sweet pepper, and daikon over the dog. "Instead of the usual cucumber relish, I use a mixed veggie relish," he said.
Alex Lau8/10"I like a little curly chicory on the dog, and some fresh radish for crunch and a little spice. It makes it even more French," he says. "It's like, what do you call it when you go to the burger stand and you want everything on it? Ah, 'The Works.' Voilà."
Alex Lau9/10The finishing touch? One more drizzle of bastard sauce.
Alex Lau10/10Then, open wide, and take a bite of that bastard.
