Hot Dog on a Stick

One hot summer day in 1946 Dave Barham was inspired to dip a hot dog into his mother's
cornbread batter, then deep fry it to a golden brown. The first Hot Dog on a Stick was born, and
Dave soon found a quaint Santa Monica, California location near the beach to offer his new
creation along with a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade and mustard on the side.
The chain uses only turkey dogs for this treat, so we'll do the same. Just be sure you find the
shorter dogs, not "bun-length." This time size does matter. For the stick, simply snag some of the
disposable wood chopsticks from a local Chinese or Japanese food restaurant next time you're
there.


2 cups flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
10 turkey hot dogs
8-10 cups of vegetable oil
5 pairs of chopsticks


1. Preheat oil in a deep pan or fryer to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Combine the milk and egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on high
speed until batter is smooth.
4. Dry off the hot dogs with a paper towel. Jab the thin end of a single chopstick about halfway
into the end of each hot dog.
5. When the oil is hot, tip the bowl of batter so that you can completely coat each hot dog. Roll
the hot dog in the batter until it is entirely covered with batter.
6. Hold the hot dog up by the stick and let some of the batter drip off. Quickly submerge the hot
dog in the oil and spin it slowly so that the coating cooks evenly. After about 20 seconds you can
use a lid to the deep fryer or pan to put weight on the stick, keeping the hot dog fully immersed
in the oil. You can cook a couple dogs at a time this way. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until coating is
dark brown. Turn them once or twice as they cook. Drain on paper towels while cooling, and
repeat with remaining hot dogs. (www.topsecretrecipes.com)
Makes 10 hot dogs.