Hot diggity dog! The dog days of summer are almost here (in more ways than one). Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. Over the next few months we’ll flock to the beach, pools, anywhere we can soak up the sun. To some, the best part about summer might be the weather, but I think we can all agree that summer eats are top notch.
With summer comes backyard barbecues and with cookouts come summer staples like hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, macaroni salad, s’mores – the list goes on and on.
Memorial Day is right around the corner and we couldn’t help but crave hot dogs. While you could light up the grill, try cooking your hot dogs in your slow cooker this weekend.
If you’re wondering just how many hot dogs you can fit in the slow cooker, the answer is 64 and up (in a 6 quart slow cooker). We fit 64 hot dogs with room to spare – so make sure you have plenty of mouths to feed. We cooked these dogs on HIGH for 3 hours until they were perfectly warm and ready to serve. There’s no need to add water – the dogs will release some moisture while they cook and leave you with perfectly steamed frankfurters.
If you prefer to grill your hot dogs, the slow cooker can help keep them warm as guests arrive. Just put the slow cooker on WARM and let those guests that aren’t lucky (or punctual) enough to get a hot-off-the-grill hot dog enjoy one later in the afternoon.
While these slow cooker hot dogs would be delicious at a neighborhood cookout, you could also make them for a kid’s birthday party or work potluck to feed a crowd anytime of year. Put out your favorite fix-ins – ketchup, mustard, onions, chili – and let your guests serve themselves. Frankly, it’s easier that way.
Looking for more summer cookout eats? Try:
12 Recipes for the Perfect Memorial Day Weekend Cookout
Grilled Bourbon Chicken
Classic Macaroni Salad
I loved the hint I was really in need, I’m going to start the holidays here and I need to keep the kids with the hot dogs. Helped me a lot.
Thank you for the tips! I really appreciate it! Do you know how long, after they are heated through, they can be kept warm before they’re no longer good? We’re having an open house that will last 3 hours, and concerned they will eventually turn wrinkly, dry, or otherwise go bad? Thanks in advance!
Terese, we recommend keeping your slow cooker on WARM after the hot dogs are fully heated through. The hot dogs should be fine for an additional three hours on WARM in the slow cooker.
Thank you so much, that’s very helpful! Planning on making them the way you suggested, should work great! 🙂