How To Keep Hot Dogs Juicy In The Air Fryer

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Cookouts can't be considered complete without a couple of fresh franks on a plate. But while grilled hot dogs are a classic, many grill masters have discovered the wonders of air-fried hot dogs and swear by them for their convenience. Of course, even air fryer hot dogs have their secrets, and here's the big one: if you want hot dogs that stay plump and juicy, you need to use hot dogs with natural casings.

Most packaged hot dogs you'll find for cheap at the supermarket use cellulose casing. While they're perfectly safe to eat, they're quite stiff and inflexible. In the air fryer, as the filling starts to cook, the moisture inside turns to steam, which slowly builds within the sausage. Because the casing can't expand, eventually, the steam pressure builds to a point where it bursts the sausage wide open, flinging juices everywhere in your air fryer basket. Besides giving your sausage an ugly, split-in-half look, this will also dry out the inside. Natural casings, made from cleaned animal intestines, don't have this problem. Not only are they elastic, they're also semi-porous. In the heat, the hot dog can expand while still locking in moisture and flavor, plus the tiny pores in the casing also allow excess steam to escape, preventing dangerous pressure buildup.

So, be on the lookout for packages that promise "natural casing," like Fork In The Road's Mighty Good Dogs. It takes just seconds to check, but it'll make all the difference!

You've probably come across plenty of blogs online telling you to poke holes or score your hot dogs to prevent them from bursting. The logic seems sound: if steam buildup is the problem, why not give it an easy way to escape? Well, it turns out that steam isn't the only thing that escapes — all those precious juices leak out too. When you puncture the casing, you're practically guaranteeing that your hot dogs will turn bone dry in the air fryer.

It doesn't really matter what type of casing your hot dogs have, cellulose-wrapped or naturally-cased. They'll always turn out better when you leave them as they are and don't mess with the casing. But if you're still worried about splitting, the solution is surprisingly simple: make sure frozen hot dogs are properly thawed, then cook them at a slightly lower temperature in your air fryer. That gentle approach is all they need. Just leave your hot dogs exactly as they are, and they'll emerge juicy and perfectly plump!